jon

Hi Mitch - amazing stuff. Emailed SS and their 'official' reply - "It is not necessary to use Alodine. A clean etched surface will bond extremely well with our EkoPrime or EkoPoxy primers. You can Alodine if you like. " As you say alodine is toxic so I am going to give the SS (clean/etch/prime) way a go and maybe (if I am game enough) apply the masking tape rip test and maybe Duralac the rivets and bolts. Thanks for your help, John

Hi again Yes the decisions are taking some time regarding avionics. Further to the priming system which is now on its way from NZ but I was speaking with a qantas engineer yesterday and his advice was to alodine everything before priming to ensure adhesion. I have emailed SS to clarify whether this would be compatible with their system or not - it is either a belt and braces thing or incompatible. Any thoughts?

Thanks for responding Mitch. That all makes sense to me. I have contacted the NZ 'supplier' although still waiting for pricing. Yes tricky it is - those drawings need watching and countersinking rivets is an aquired art just to get the cage adjusted right. A list of the accredited (?) tricky bits to look out for would be a useful resource. Yours must be flying by now? What happened with your avionics kit - Vans seem to be still working on that. I am registering E-LSA although a non current CPL. All the best John

Hi All Took delivery of my empennage kit last week (for RV12 #589). Have done quite a bit of work so far on preparing parts but unable to assemble anything due to difficulty in deciding on/obtaining a suitable idiot proof priming system. I have heard of the Stewart Systems water borne materials which seem pretty easy to use but have questions about later compatibility with external finish options. Has anyone any ideas or firm advice on what NOT to do? Jon

OK - if you are in WA we are 3 hours out of whack and I won't be in front of my screen. However I agree to the PM and will leave my email address for you if I can! Jon

Not sure how to do that? A PM that is.

The current list above shows 6 in Vic - so there are more?

Have communicated with Steve - he is sending a builder's kit. Also have made contact with L4's to get the 'gen' started. Kit# 120589.

Thanks rgmwa - yes I have been a fan of that forum - amazing stuff. Seems I need to have things signed off by a L2 or L4 at various times. Any help out there about locating any such clever chaps that would be interested in vetting my build at Acheron (Near Alexandra in Vic) Cheers Jon

Finally just ordered RV-12 empennage kit and tools. Due in a month I am told. Just missed the high dollar but no worries. Jon

Still waiting to sell a property before placing an order or look any closer at anything. I think I have now pretty well decided on the RV-12 though complete with wheel pants. Seems a well thought out little plane and looks like great fun to build. Cheers Jon

Thanks Dazza - that's very kind of you!

Yep - and the lawn still has to be mown!

Savvy like that makes you a Wing Commander and me a Pilot Cadet eh!

Hi Fly I would hate to end up on that website. I take your point however about biting off more than you can chew. Cheers Jon

Hi davehw I am giving some thought to the Sierra 100. Yours is probably finished and flying by now. How did you find the build experience overall? Was cost as you predicted? How did the registration process pan out? Cheers jon

Thanks rgmwa, I will keep digging! You have built the RV12 you fly? The pricelist only allows for the 912s donk and not a Lycoming option so maybe it isn't an option. With a 100hp engine the RV12 appears from the performance tables to cruise at 100kts @ 75% power. The Sierra somehow betters that with the same power by 10+ kts (as yet unconfirmed). Possibly due to a better power:weight ratio or lower drag coefficient. This however translates into more fuel efficiency = lower operating costs. jon

Thanks for the responses from fly_tornado and denmit. Have now had a bit of a gander at both websites. The Tornado ss is maybe a trifle too light for long trips (say Vic to WA) from my point of view. The RV12 is from the USA obviously and the pricing is a bit hard to pin down so far. Costs to get it here are to be added of course. I am now wondering how it compares against the Sierra 100 in the value for money columns and the access to manufacturer and parts? This is getting harder as it goes along - but very interesting! Thanks again for your advices.

Right! Never heard of the Tornado SS as a combined statement. Will look into it. The reasons why I plumped for the Sierra rather than Garry's other children were I guess the speed, removeable wings, all metal covering (apart from a few bits if 'glass). Yes I like the the all Aussie origins of the Brumby and the Aeroworks craft. The Searey BTW is an amphibian reminiscent of the Catalina which has always fascinated me after the stories written by Sir PG Taylor involving this iconic aircraft in the Pacific. Engines? I have been most taken by the (uncertified) Lycoming 0-235 100HP rather than entering into that 'other' tussle that Guernsey alludes to. Looking for? I am trying to avoid a hangar as I have a barn - but no easy access to a strip - so the folding or removeable wing is of interest. Good visibility, roomy but enclosed cockpit 'cos I ain't tiny, efficiency and fun (that is the Searey for sure but it is expensive), challenging to build but logical. Thanks for your comments. Cheers John

Interested in starting a kit. Looked at Searey - too expensive over here in spite of $ parity - very neat tho. Brumby - great little Aussie machine - a lot of real 'building' to do Cheetah Sierra 100 - seems a good little performer on similar HP engines. There do not seem to be many threads relating to these kit builds. Any reasons for that? Cheers all.

Thanks David I like your photography. My days are spent as an architect but we live in a very picturesque part of Vic (near Cathedral Range) Cheers John

I am a tyro at this caper - so I hope I am typing in the right space! Learned to fly on a Tiger in '62 then on to CPL and CIR but haven't flown for a while (the ASIC issue rubbed me up the wrong way). Now keen to build a kit plane but still unsure of which one gives best value. Love the Searey (expensive over here despite parity), keen on the Brumby (really requires 'building'), impressed with Garry Morgan's Sierra 100 (seems to get best performance from the same engines). Haven't seen too many threads on the above types - is that because nobody has them or knows something I don't? Cheers John:wave: