Schmetterling Aviation

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The Van's RV-12 is an extremely popular airplane for a number of reasons. It is economical but also offers great performance with a high climb rate, a cruising speed on par with airplanes like the venerable Cessna 172, and is equipped with modern high-tech avionics. It's handling qualities are light and enjoyable for short flights around the local area, but it is also a very capable cross country machine, especially when equipped with a two-axis autopilot.

So what's the catch? Well, that's a matter of opinion. The Van's RV-12 is a kit plane, which means that it comes from the Van's factory as a kit to be built by the buyer. People that aren't interested in building an RV-12 can either buy a fully-assembled one from the factory, or buy one used. I chose to build mine.

This book tells the story of the three years that I spent building my RV-12. It shares the good, the bad, and the ultimate joy of having built it and the equal joy of finally getting to fly it. I wrote this book for the person that I was before I assembled my kit. I knew that I wanted to build a kit, but I didn't know if I was capable of doing it. I didn't know what kind of skills it would require, and I didn't know if I had the skills to do it.

This book is a story of the ups and downs, the highs and lows, and ultimately the immense satisfaction of having finished it. Along the way I learned what I was capable of, what I was incapable of, and I made some great new friends. I learned about tools that I had never heard of, and I learned how to use them.

In short, this is the story of how building my airplane changed my life.