2019 VAN’S RV-12IST S-LSA PLATINUM IFR TRAINER, 4541 TT, 2019 SNEW 912IS, CHEAP!

THE RV-12 STARTED LIFE AS A HOMEBUILT LIGHT SPORT AIRCRAFT (E-LSA) THAT FOLKS COULD BUILD THEMSELVES EASILY FROM THE STANDARD KIT IN ABOUT 700 HOURS, THE FASTEST OF THE RV SERIES BUILD TIMES!

DESIGNED FOR THE DUAL CARB EQUIPPED 912 100 H.P. ENGINE, IT HAS BEEN A VERY POPULAR KIT FOR VAN’S, OFFERING EXCELLENT VISABILITY, EASE OF MAINTENANCE AFTER AN EASY ASSEMBLY, AND MORE PERFORMANCE THAN YOUR AVERAGE 50 YEARS OR MORE OLDER 172 OR CHEROKEE 140 CAN
MUSTER!

BUT THE FOLKS AT VAN’S REALIZED THAT THE EASY ASSEMBLY OF THE 912 COULD BE PERFORMED IN HOUSE, ALLOWING THEM TO CERTIFY THE AIRPLANE AS AN S-LSA, AND FACTORY BUILT S-LSA’S CAN BE LEGALLY USED FOR RENTAL AND FLIGHT TRAINING!

WITH THE ADVENT OF THE FUEL INJECTED ROTAX 912IS ENGINE, ONE OF THE COMMON COMPLAINTS ABOUT THE ENGINE WERE ELIMINATED, AND THE RELIABILITY INCREASED GREATLY, SO ALL THE 912’S THAT ARE FACTORY BUILT, FLY-AWAY RV-12S ARE RV-12ISVERSIONS!

DON’T FORGET, VAN’S IS AN AMERICAN COMPANY, AND THE PARTS TO BUILD/MAINTAIN AND REPAIR THE RV-12IS ARE KEPT AT THE FACTORY IN OREGON WHERE THEY ARE BUILT, BY AMERICAN LABOR!

THIS IS NOT JUST A FLAG-WAVING DIFFERENCE:

MOST OF THE MODERN S-LSA AIRCRAFT ARE BUILT IN EUROPEAN COUNTRIES AND ANY PARTS SUPPORT, OR FACTORY SUPPORT REQUIRES SHIPPING FROM THERE TO HERE AT BEST, OR SENDING THE WHOLE AIRCRAFT BACK AT WORST (I HAVE BOUGHT VERY REPAIRABLE AIRPLANES THAT WERE TOTALLED
BECAUSE THE COST TO SEND THE AFFECTED PART OVERSEAS TO BE FACTORY REPAIRED WAS PROHIBITIVE!)

LOCAL, DEDICATED SUPPORT FROM A COMPANY LIKELY TO STAY IN BUSINESS IS HUGE FOR A FLIGHT SCHOOL!

SO THE 912IS FACTORY BUILT AIRPLANE IS AVAILABLE IN THE BASE FORM, WITH LIMITED AVIONICS AND UPGRADES, THE PREMIUM VERSION, WITH A FEW EXTERNAL UPGRADES AND A GARMIN G3X PFD/MFD DISPLAY, WITH A COMM AND TRANSPONDER.

THEN THERE IS THE PLATINUM EDITION, LIKE THIS AIRPLANE, WHICH HAS (2) OF THE 10’ G3X DISPLAYS, PLUS A FULL SUITE OF GARMIN CERTIFIED IFR RADIOS!!

GTN 650 NAV/COMM/IFR CERTIFIED GPS TOUCH SCREEN!!

GARMIN AUDIO PANEL WITH INTERCOM AND MARKER BEACONS!

GARMIN REMOTE ADSB TRANSPONDER

AND A GARMIN GFC 500 AUTOPILOT SYSTEM!!

THE PLATINUM EDITION LIKE THIS ONE IS THE MOST LOADED, DELUXE RV12IS S-LSA AVAILABLE, WITH MODERN AVIONICS, IN A GREAT TRAINING AIRPLANE THAT ACCORDING TO THE OPERATOR OF THIS AIRPLANE, CONSUMES ONLY 3.5 GALLONS PER HOUR OF FUEL, DUE TO IT’S COMPUTOR CONTROLLED
FUEL INJECTION SYSTEM!

AND YOU CAN USE IT “IN THE SYSTEM” AS AN IFR TRAINER (BUT NOT IN ACTUAL IFR CONDITIONS)

THIS AIRCRAFT WAS ORIGINALLY A DEMONSTRATOR AND PHOTO AIRPLANE FOR THE VAN’S FACTORY, AND YOU CAN SEE SEVERAL PICTURES OF THIS ACTUAL AIRPLANE, n917VA, IF YOU LOOK UP RV12IS IN VAN’S WEBSITE!

WHEN THE AIRPLANEWAS SOLD BY VAN’S IN 2020, IT ENDED UP IN A FLIGHT SCHOOL IN OREGON, WHERE IT HAS ACCUMULATED MOST OF IT’S CURRENT 4,541 HOURS SINCE NEW!

THE ENGINE WAS REPLACED WITH NEW 10/2022, AND NOW HAS 2019 SNEW. (YHE FIST ENGINE MADE IT TO 2,522 HOURS BEFORE NEEDING TO BE REPLACED, SO THIS ENGINE IS FAR FROM DONE!!

AND THERE ARE NO ISSUES WITH THE ENGINE OR PROP!

AT THE LAST 100 HOUR INSPECTION, A SMALL WRINKLE WAS DISCOVERED ON THE PILOT’S SIDEWALL, ABOVE WHERE THE GEAR ATTACHES. NO PRIOR ISSUES OR HARD LANDING INCIDENTS HAD BEEN REPORTED, BUT IT WOULD APPEAR THAT THERE HAS BEEN A HARD LANDING ON THE MAINS AT SOME
TIME.

FURTHER INSPECTION FOUND THE 2 SMALL ANGLE PLATES ON THE SIDEWALLS, AS WELL AS SOME DAMAGE TO SIDEWALL REINFORCING PLATES WERE LOOSE (THESE PARTS, AND THE WHOLE AIRPLANE, ARE CONSTRUCTED WITH “BLIND RIVITS”, ALSO KNOWN AS POP RIVITS!)

THE GEAR ITSELF ATTACHES TO A MAIN TRUSS, SHAPED LIKE A U, THAT IS CAST ALUMINUM, WITH RIVITED (AGAIN, “POP”) BRACKETS AND FITTINGS ATTACHED.

THE REPAIR ESTIMATE LISTS ALL REQUIRED PARTS AS BEING IN STOCK AT VAN’S AND INCLUDING THE CAST U TRUSS, WHICH I DON’T SEE ANY DAMAGE TO, THE TOTAL IS $2,500 IN PARTS. WITHOUT THE CASTING, IT IS $800 WORTH OF PARTS.

THE FLIGHT SCHOOL OWNER, WHO HAS 2 OTHER RV-12IS S-LSA’S, DECLINED TO GIVE A SPECIFIC REPAIR ESTIMATE, BUT CONVINCED THE INSURANCE COMPANY TO TOTAL THE AIRPLANE AS BEING “TOO TIME CONSUMING TO FIX” AND THE INSURANCE COMPANY AGREED, WITH THE HELP OF THE AMOUNT
I PAID THEM FOR THE AIRPLANE.

I PURCHASED THE AIRPLANE AS PART OF THE SETTLEMENT WITH THE FLIGHT SCHOOL, WHICH ALLOWS THEM TO PAY OFF ONE OF THEIR NEWER 912IS AIRPLANES, SO THEY WIN.

THE BUYER OF THIS AIRPLANE WILL NEED TO:

REPAIR THE GEAR CARRY-THROUGH DAMAGE, INCLUDING BRACKETS, BUT NOT THE GEAR LEGS THEMSELVES.

THERE IS NO FURTHER KNOWN DAMAGE TO THIS AIRPLANE!!

YOU WILL NOTE THAT THERE ARE SEVERAL AREAS OF SANDED AND TOUCHED UP PAINT SCATTERED AROUND THE AIRFRAME, AND SOME AREAS THAT WERE JUST SANDED SMOOTH DURING THIS 100 HOUR BUT NOT YET TOUCHED UP BEFORE THE SIDE WRINKLE WAS DISCOVERED.

IN GENERAL, THE OPERATOR BELIEVES THAT THE PRIMER UNDERNEATH THE FANCY “PLATINUM EDITION” PAINT ON THIS EARLY S-LSA VERSION AIRCRAFT WAS IMPROPERLY APPLIED, APPLIED TOO LIGHTLY, OR POSSIBLY SKIPPED!

TO MAKE THIS AIRPLANE LOOK REALLY NICE AGAIN, A PARTIAL OR COMPLETE RESPRAY IS IN IT’S FUTURE.

BUT THIS WAS NOT AN ACCIDENT, NOT A CRASH!

THE AIRPLANE WAS FLOWN AND PARKED THE DAY BEFORE THE INSPECTION STARTED, SO THERE ARE NO OTHER KNOWN ISSUES.

THE AIRPLANE WAS STORED ON IT’S GEAR, WITH THE WINGS REMOVED, WHEN I PURCHASED IT.

ONE OF THE GREAT FEATURES OF THE RV-12IS IS THE 5 MINUTES PER SIDE WING REMOVAL OR REINSTALLATION, WITHOUT TOOLS, AND WITHOUT HOOKING UP AND FUEL, HYDRAULIC OR ELECTRICAL LINES!!

STORE IT IN A CORNER OF YOUR HANGER AND ASSEMBLE IT WHENEVER YOU WANT TOO (2 PEOPLE REQUIRED, OR I SUPPOSE YOU COULD MAKE A MOVING FIXTURE).

THE AVIONICS ARE ALL INCLUDED IN THIS LISTING!

AS ARE THE LOGBOOKS SINCE DAY 1 FOR THE AIRFRAME IN 2018, THE ENGINE 10/2022 AND THE SENSENICH GROUND ADJUSTABLE PROP SINCE NEW (ALSO 10/2022)

AND A WHOLE BOXFUL OF MANUALS, OPERATING HANDBOOKS, MAINTENANCE PAPERWORK, ETC.!

BASED ON THE PREVIOUS ENGINE’S LIFE, YOU WOULD EXPECT 100’S OF FURTHER LIFE FROM THIS ENGINE!

NO REPAIR ESTIMATE HAS BEEN DONE ON THE CENTER SECTION SIDE SKINS/REINFORCEMENTS, PUT REMEMBER, ALL NEW PARTS ARE AVAILABLE, AND CHEAP, FROM VAN’S AND YOU COULD BUILD THIS WHOLE AIRPLANE, FROM FLAT STOCK IN 700 HOURS OR SO.

SO IS THIS REPAIR 25 HOURS, OR 50 MAYBE?

THE CURRENT RV-12IS PLATINUM SELLS FOR WELL OVER 3 TIMES MY ASKING PRICE HERE, SO THIS IS A TRUE, SCREAMING DEAL!

CURRENTLY LOCATED IN A STORAGE LOCKER NEAR PORTLAND, OREGON WITH THE PROP AND SPINNER OFF TO MAKE IT FIT!

ON IT’S WHEELS, SO IT ROLLS AROUND EASILY, WE USED A U HAUL TRAILER AND 2 GUYS TO MOVE IT IN 1 TRIP!!

ONLY 1 LIKE THIS AVAILABLE BECAUSE OF THE CRAZY LOW PRICE.

Price: $69,999

More info: Click here to see original eBay auction and get more information (Affiliate link)

Seller's other items: WENTWORTHAIRCRAFTINC (Affiliate link)

Location: HILLSBORO OREGON, United States