Largest kit builder
working on LSA
With Cessna, one of the
world’s largest general aviation aircraft manufacturers, expected to
enter into the S-LSA market, it only seems reasonable that the largest
manufacturer of kit airplanes would enter it, too.
Van’s Aircraft Inc., of
Aurora, Oregon, is showing components of a proof-of-concept version of
their RV-12 here at AirVenture. The RV-12 is Van’s first effort to
build a kit conforming to the LSA standard.
Projected features for
the kit include removable wings, full-span flaperons, and an all-moving
stabilator.
Power for the RV-12 will
come from a Rotax 912S 100-horsepower engine, the same engine expected
to power the Cessna offering, and the engine of choice for many of the
available S-LSA models.
The airplane likely will
be offered first as a standard Van’s kit, then progress to a
fast-build kit option. An S-LSA kit option, where the builder is not
required to complete at least 51% of the construction, also is under
consideration the company says. According to Van’s, factory built,
fly-away versions of the airplane will not be available.
Pricing for the kit will
be similar to prices for other Van’s kits.
A prototype airplane is expected to fly
in September or October of this year. Kits likely won’t be available
until late 2007.
