Why RV-12?

Being a pilot for 10 years I have been able to fly several Cessna aircraft, such as the 150, 152, 162, and 172.  All of these have been rentals or part of the OSU Flying Club.  It has come a point that it would be nice to have my own aircraft and enjoy the freedoms that it brings.  Not having to deal with aircraft schedules and unexpected maintenance of rented aircraft will be nice.

I have thought long over the past several months as to whether to buy an aircraft, maybe a used 172 or similar. One of the concerns with older model aircraft is that there may be maintenance/repair issues and that it is more difficult or expensive to add current technology into the aircraft.

That is when I came across experimental aircraft as an option.  After researching many I narrowed my search down to either the Zenith 750 STOL for its short field capabilities or the RV-12 for its overall general performance and fuel efficiency. Both of these aircraft I could essentially completely build in my shop at home and then trailer them to the airport. I figured having the total build at home would allow me to complete the aircraft sooner as it would be right there available to work on. I finally have decided on the RV-12 as it would be better suited for the type of flying that we will be doing most often. Vans Aircraft is also located 75 miles away so it will be very easy for me to go and pick up the subkits. There is also many pilots in the valley who have built and fly Vans aircraft so I would have a great support group to go to for help.

So have I ordered the kit yet?  No. I have signed up to take a Fundamentals class at Synergy Air on Jan. 3rd to get some hands on practice and knowledge of the tools involved in aircraft construction.  I want to make sure this is something that I want to dive into.  I would also like to visit Vans for a factory tour and ride in an RV-12 before buying the first subkit.

While I wait for those things to happen I will get started on building some workbenches and get things prepared in the shop.  I am also researching tools kits so that when I for sure make the decision to go ahead I will be ready to order.