To add a handle for better grip of the fresh air vents I drilled a 4mm hole and used two spark plug caps. These are the caps we remove from the Rotax NGK DCPR8E spark plugs. They have an internal 4 x .07 thread. Drill […]
Fun Stuff
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Lifting without getting a sore back
An easy way to solo lift the RV-12 to do wheel maintenance or put it on sawhorses is this Harbor Freight hydraulic table cart. It can lift 1000 pounds, the whole RV-12, although I wouldn’t suggest lifting the whole plane since there isn’t strong structure […]
Engine
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The Perfect End To A Cable
Twist welding cable I was always looking for a clean and permanent way to finish the ends of the throttle and choke cables. A short piece of heat shrink works but the end of the cable still gets frayed. Soldering sorta works but it will […]
Engine
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Adding A Second Oil Cooler
I live and fly a lot in So Cal where the summer temps hit 110f, I don’t let the temperature stop me from flying but the Rotax does complain, oil temps will hit 245f on days when the air temp is over 80f in a […]
Avionics
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Flap Overspeed Warning
On a rare occasion I would forget to raise the flaps after takeoff. Since the Dynon is set up for a flap warning I thought I would take advantage of that feature. Adding the micro switch is fairly simple, then wire one side to ground […]
Fun Stuff
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Ultimate Fuel Stick
My RV-12 is the early design with the fuel tank behind the co-pilot seat. Checking fuel level is very important and I do it before every flight. My original fuel measuring stick was a 5/16 wooden dowel extremely warped, (Home Depot stocks lots of the […]
Engine
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Thermostatis kit
I added the thernostasis to increase warm up times and help keep engine temperatures more consistent. There isn’t a lot to say about it, it does exactly what it is supposed to do. I live in Southern California, the weather hits 110f a few days […]
Engine
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Cable Stops
At idle the throttle cables bottom against adjustable stops on the carburetors. It is important that they stop equally or the engine runs rough and this is bad for the gearbox dogs. Over time the carburetor stops bend and the idle becomes rough. I prefer […]
Avionics
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Changing to CS-8 Stick Grips
I flew helicopters for many years, having controls on the stick was very convenient so I looked for options for the RV-12. My plane had only a push to talk button on the grip, later models have 4 buttons mapped to trim and radio. I […]