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Operating Tips

R

RFSchaller

Well Known Member
I'm sure we all have learned some simple things that make the RV-12 more user friendly but don't require any modification. I'd like tostart this thread to share them. I'll throw in some simple examples I am using:

1. Since the fuel sightglass is pretty tough to read I carry a piece of flexible nylon instrument line to sound my tank. It makes it around the gooseneck with no problem and stays straight enough for a good reading.

2. I carry a bottle of rubbing alcohol to flush my sounding tube and fuel tester to avoid having the cockpit smell like mogas.

3. I use a tennis ball with a hole cut in it to cover the pitot tube. I haven't left any skin on it since I started doing this.

4. I carry a 3/4 X 2 X 1 1/2 wood block to crack open the canopy during taxi. You'd be surprised how much difference it makes on a hot day here in Phoenix.

Nothing earth shaking, but all pretty much free and no effort. Anybody else want to share some "Ah-Hah!" moments?
 
Sling the fuel tester around for a few seconds or blow in it to eliminate fumes. Avgas evaporates fast.

cut a slit in that tennis ball (as we have) to avoid overpressuring the ASI and damaging it.
 
Don't kill this thread

I know about the mods thread and have posted mods to it. I wanted this thread to be simple non-mod items we can all benefit from.

1. Unlike AVGAS, MOGAS leaves a residue when it evaporates that smells up the cabin.

2. You are correct about the tennis ball. I failed to mention the second hole to avoid pressurizing the pitot system.

I think there is a real benefit to keeping the thread.
 
Cockpit Dehumidifier

RFSchaller said:
I know about the mods thread and have posted mods to it. I wanted this thread to be simple non-mod items we can all benefit from.
..............
I think there is a real benefit to keeping the thread.
Click to expand...

I agree, nice little thread for fun stuff (as opposed to broken structure, etc :rolleyes:).

With winter around the corner, I am going to try a dehumidifier rod in the cockpit to see if it will help a cold soak issue that I sometimes experience with my D180/Autopilot/D100 network. There are times when weather is cold that the network doesn't come alive right away, and takes until I am out to the runup area to show autopilot up and EMS function on the D100. Another benefit, of course, will be a warm cockpit to climb into. The unit is an 18" Golden Rod 18 watts and is designed for small spaces up to 200 cubic feet.
i-zzGbzRd-M.jpg

It comes with the two little feet, but I made a mounting bracket out of aluminum from the scrap pile to give it some stability and keep it from touching anything; it gets pretty warm to the touch. I think I will place it on the step ahead of the seats.
Has anyone tried one of these?

Tony
 
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I had problems in Illinois winters with an LCD screen freezing on my LORAN unit back in the 80's. Now I live in Phoenix so I hadn't thought about freezing being a problem. Are you going to leave the heater on all the time? It seems like that would be a fire hazard.
 
For all you Ipad pilots out there I found a great mount for the RV-12 at CellPhoneShop. It was intended for car use and has a heavy duty suction cup that holds a flat mounting bracket on a flexible cable support about 10 " long. I have found it can be stuck to the canopy just above the frame and about 10 inches in front of my left elbow so the Ipad is easy to see but doesn't block any indications. Best of all it is just $8. Here's the link if you want to check it out.
http://www.cellphoneshop.net/carmohoforip.html
 
RFSchaller, have you ever had the suction cup release and drop the iPad?

Slane
 
The price is sure right, but I was afraid it might allow vibrations and movement of the IPad, and paid big bucks for the Ram brand mount, which is quite vibration proof. Have you actually tried it out yet?
 
Make it a sticky!

RFSchaller said:
I know about the mods thread and have posted mods to it. I wanted this thread to be simple non-mod items we can all benefit from.
... I think there is a real benefit to keeping the thread.
Click to expand...

Good point Rich but for full benefit this should be a sticky thread. There is such a wealth of subjects under this "operating tips" thread that it should be at the same level as the "mod" sticky, available for everybody to look at without having to dig it up among the multitude of other threads.
 
Yes I was concerned about the IPad dropping. In the position I described it can only drop about 12 inches right into your lap if it lets go. The suction cup has a lever that pulls the cup tight so it's pretty solid.
 
Sticky?

OK, I plead computer illiteracy. I know what sticky is, but I haven't a clue as to how to make this a sticky thtread.
 
Gross Weight Demo

I gave some thought to the best way to ballast for the max gross weight demo. I stumbled on to the idea of using 60 lb bags of mortar. You can pull out the passenger seat cushions lay in a tarp and easily secure up to 5 bags in the passenger seat using the seat belts. It seems so much simpler than the water carboy suggested in the plans.

This worked really well for me so I thought I would pass it on to anyone who hasn't done the test yet.
 
40 LB bags of water softener salt. Cheap. Plastic bag doesn't let anything out, paper cement bags tend to give off dust. Rinse it off first.
 
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