First Flight: Steve Shuymate RV-12iS

[DeltaRomeo]

Steve Shumate's RV-12iS - Van's Aircraft Total Performance RV Kit Planes

Congratulations to Steve on his new RV-12iS, he writes: After 6.5 years and ~2000 hours of build time, my RV-12iS took to the skies for the first time on May 1, 2025 (May Day!) from Paine Field in Everett, WA. The airplane flew flawlessly and handled beautifully, with zero issues or surprises. I...

www.vansaircraft.com

 

[jetset44]

Well, I was surprised to see this here this morning! Thanks for sharing, Doug. And THANK YOU for all that you do running VAF! This website was one of my most important resources to help me build my airplane. Countless times times when I had questions about the build, VAF was the first place I went for help.

Steve Shumate

 

[AirShowFan]

Nice work, Steve!

 

[dadjokes]

Congratulations Steve and bravo on doing the painting yourself. I'll be bringing my 912 ULS to Sunquest at Paine on Friday morning for painting. Your N number and story strikes me of a next gen version of Bob Bogash's career and RV-12 N737G.

 

[jetset44]

Congratulations Steve and bravo on doing the painting yourself. I'll be bringing my 912 ULS to Sunquest at Paine on Friday morning for painting. Your N number and story strikes me of a next gen version of Bob Bogash's career and RV-12 N737G.

Thanks! Well, I'm no Bob Bogash but I certainly had a great career at Boeing (I retired last year after 33 years there). I've heard good things about Sunquest, your plane is in good hands.

Yes, I'm glad I painted my RV-12 myself for the learning and sense of accomplishment--but painting was easily the most challenging part of building this airplane. The learning curve was steep and there was so much work required to build the facilities, get and learn to use the equipment, and then learn all the techniques. I went with the Stewart Systems waterborne paint system, which worked well but also added to the challenge since it's more difficult to apply than solvent paint. In all, I spent 400 hours and 7 months in prep and paint.

 

[Jcurry]

Congratulations! Looks fantastic and well done on your squawk free flight!