A little cloudbuster

Effective October 22 (when FAR Part 61 is revised by the Modernization of Special Airworthiness Certification or MOSAIC final rule), sport pilots will be able to fly many legacy piston singles. Light sport models that met the original—and far more restrictive—limits (1,320-pound maximum takeoff weight, 120-knot top speed, and 45-knot maximum stall speed)—appear hopelessly outclassed.

But Van’s Aircraft is bucking the conventional wisdom by reinvesting in its RV–12—an LSA that debuted in nearly two decades ago—adding new capabilities and increasing production rates for factory-built special light sport aircraft (S-LSA) models made at its Aurora, Oregon, headquarters.

Flying IFR in actual instrument conditions is not allowed under current light sport aircraft rules, but the same ASTM committee developing standards for light sport category aircraft under MOSAIC is also developing consensus standards permitting LSA flight in IMC. “The RV–12 will meet those requirements,” said Sam Ozenbaugh, a Van’s Aircraft engineer.

The 2026 model RV–12 will have both visible and hidden changes.

On the visible/tangible side: a pedestal-mounted throttle lever, Tosten stick grips, memory foam seats, side panels, and a parking brake. Elevator trim control moves to a hat switch atop the stick grips along with an autopilot disconnect button and radio frequency flip-flop.

“These are changes that owners have been asking for,” Ozenbaugh said. “They’ll also make the experience of flying the RV–12 more enjoyable and more comfortable.”

Another obvious change to the RV–12 is the disappearance of its distinctive spinner-mounted pitot tube. That clever item was originally made to simplify the process of taking RV–12 wings on and off. Adding IFR capability requires a heated pitot tube, however, and the tube, mast, heating element, and associated plumbing convinced Van’s officials to move it to the left wing.

“We’ve found that owners seldom remove the wings in the field,” Ozenbaugh said. “That feature just isn’t used as often as we originally thought it would be.”

Other changes to enable IFR include the addition of alternate air and static sources, dual air data and heading reference systems, and greater electrical capacity through a standby alternator. Van’s also is complying with a Rotax engine service bulletin by adding a new fuel filter and fuel pumps. Other accessories include a new radiator, and stronger support brackets for the oil cooler and radiator.

“The Rotax 912 iS in the RV–12 is getting greater cooling capacity than ever,” Ozenbaugh said.

I recently flew the 2026 RV–12 at the company’s headquarters and was impressed by the profound difference it makes in an airplane to alter the things that pilots touch on every flight.

The pedestal-mounted throttle was the biggest improvement, especially since the demo flight included a formation/photography portion that required nearly constant power adjustments. Making those subtle corrections with a throttle lever is easier and more precise than with a knob.

The throttle change led to another improvement—the stick-mounted elevator trim switch. Previous versions of the RV–12 placed an elevator trim rocker switch on the instrument panel close to the throttle knob. Now that the throttle knob has been replaced by a throttle lever, it makes sense to relocate the trim switch, too.

The demo flight was a long one—nearly two hours—and the memory foam seats made it especially comfortable. I don’t know how much heavier the upgraded seats are, but they sure are an improvement over earlier models, and they’ll no doubt be a popular retrofit for existing RV–12s.

The parking brake and radio frequency flip-flop switch are of far less importance, and frankly, I didn’t use them on the demo flight.

Since upgraded 2026-model RV–12s are sure to be flown in rain and mist, Van’s also is adding tighter weather seals to the canopy in an effort to keep the baggage area dry. Van’s also is offering the RV–12 with more robust Goodyear tires.

The standard IFR avionics package will include Garmin equipment: dual G3X primary flight display/multifunction displays and a GTN 650 GPS/com. The company hasn’t yet named a price for the 2026 RV–12s with IFR capabilities.

Van’s currently produces about 2.5 RV–12s a week at its factory. Amateur builders also make them from individual kits. Van’s plans to roughly double its production rate in 2026.

About 830 RV–12s have been registered and flown including 195 SLSA versions made in Oregon. About 115 S-LSA RV–12s are operated by flight schools and clubs as trainers. (AOPA operates two RV–12s as primary, commercial, and formation trainers.)

Van’s officials say most of the upgrades can be retrofitted to existing RV–12s.

[email protected]