WilsonRV12
Member
Hello everyone — I’m truly honored to be part of this group. And today, I want to share the story of my RV‑12, because it isn’t just an airplane… it’s an adventure that’s been unfolding for nearly two decades.
My journey started the day my wife’s grandfather — a brilliant man with aviation in his blood — invited me up in his Piper Cub. We floated over the countryside, and after an hour at the controls, something inside me locked into place. I’m going to fly, I told myself. One day, I’m getting my PPL.
Not long after, Van’s released the RV‑12 kit, and her grandfather dove into the build like a man possessed. This wasn’t his first; he was already a veteran of several builds. I spent hours at his side, setting rivet after rivet, watching the skeleton of a dream take shape. But before the engine and avionics were released, he went in for open‑heart surgery… and never came home.
His brother — another aviation soul — stepped in to finish what he started. He installed a Rotax 912, added the Dynon SkyView HDX, and pushed the project forward. But fate wasn’t done testing this airplane’s story. While working on a fuel truck for their airstrip community, a fire broke out. After multiple surgeries, he too passed away.
Years earlier, we had told him that if he ever chose to sell the plane, we wanted to be first in line. Not for convenience — but because this aircraft had become part of our family’s story. We hoped it would be years down the road, maybe after I retired, when I could finally devote myself to earning my PPL.
But life has its own timing. The plane went up for sale without us knowing. When word reached me, my heart dropped — and then I moved fast. I reached out immediately. His wife had no idea we were interested or that I had history woven into every rivet of that airframe. I’ll admit, it stung at first. For nearly twenty years I’d said, “One day, that plane belongs with us.”
And now… it does.
Today, she sits waiting for the moment I can finally bring her into the sky for the first time. I had planned to power through flight hours and ground school this spring, but the military had other plans, and deployment is calling again. Still, when I return, I’m hoping the weather cooperates — because I’m ready to start chipping away at those hours and give this airplane the flight she’s been waiting for.
Thank you for reading my story. The next time I post, I hope it’s with photos of me in the cockpit, taking her up with my wife’s grandfather’s ashes riding shotgun in a special urn — exactly where he belongs.
My journey started the day my wife’s grandfather — a brilliant man with aviation in his blood — invited me up in his Piper Cub. We floated over the countryside, and after an hour at the controls, something inside me locked into place. I’m going to fly, I told myself. One day, I’m getting my PPL.
Not long after, Van’s released the RV‑12 kit, and her grandfather dove into the build like a man possessed. This wasn’t his first; he was already a veteran of several builds. I spent hours at his side, setting rivet after rivet, watching the skeleton of a dream take shape. But before the engine and avionics were released, he went in for open‑heart surgery… and never came home.
His brother — another aviation soul — stepped in to finish what he started. He installed a Rotax 912, added the Dynon SkyView HDX, and pushed the project forward. But fate wasn’t done testing this airplane’s story. While working on a fuel truck for their airstrip community, a fire broke out. After multiple surgeries, he too passed away.
Years earlier, we had told him that if he ever chose to sell the plane, we wanted to be first in line. Not for convenience — but because this aircraft had become part of our family’s story. We hoped it would be years down the road, maybe after I retired, when I could finally devote myself to earning my PPL.
But life has its own timing. The plane went up for sale without us knowing. When word reached me, my heart dropped — and then I moved fast. I reached out immediately. His wife had no idea we were interested or that I had history woven into every rivet of that airframe. I’ll admit, it stung at first. For nearly twenty years I’d said, “One day, that plane belongs with us.”
And now… it does.
Today, she sits waiting for the moment I can finally bring her into the sky for the first time. I had planned to power through flight hours and ground school this spring, but the military had other plans, and deployment is calling again. Still, when I return, I’m hoping the weather cooperates — because I’m ready to start chipping away at those hours and give this airplane the flight she’s been waiting for.
Thank you for reading my story. The next time I post, I hope it’s with photos of me in the cockpit, taking her up with my wife’s grandfather’s ashes riding shotgun in a special urn — exactly where he belongs.
