Vans Aircraft RV-12 Build, Section 17: Wing Skins (part 8)



Reference: page 40-04, page 40-05, page 40-06; 9.5 hours


Today was a big day! Finished the landing light instillation in the RV12's wing.

Note: When making wires, label them (mark all long wires at both ends.)
Builder's note: One way I mark electrical wires is by writing the wire number and name on a piece of heat shrink tubing with a Sharpie. Then shrinking it to the wire.

Several places in this section require crimping Molex style pins. Use a proper crimper tool! Ensure that the male pins are snapped into the female housing and demale pins are snapped into the male houseing. the Molex connector housings and pin are supplied with the Wing Tip Nav Light and Landing light.

Step 8: Make a Wh-B215 (WHT) Landing Light Ground Wire by cutting a piece of 18 gauge wire 8 inches long. Strip the ends of the wire and crimp on a female Molex pin on one end. Snap the pin into a male Molex connector housing. Pin location is not critical. Crimp a ring terminal to the other end of the landing light ground wire.



Builder's note: Molex style crimpers are available through SteinAir (there's a like on the right colum of this page under links.

Step 9: Attach the Wh-B215 (WHT) Landing Light Ground Wire to the W-1223B-L Landing Light Rib using the hardware called out in Van's Aircraft plans page 40-04.



Builder's note: I use Noalox to help prevent corrosion on local grounds to the air frame. It's aviable through Home Depot. This completes page 40-04.

Reference page 40-05:

Step 1: Make two WH-B212 (WHT) Nav/Strobe Power Wires by cutting two pieces of 18 gauge wire 153 inches long. Strip one end of each wire then crimp on the ring terminal.



Step 2: Make a WH-B213 (WHT) Pulse Power Wire and WH-B214 (WHT) Landing Light Power Wire by cutting two pieces of 18 gauge wire 128 inches long. Strip one end of the wire then crimp on the ring terminal.



Step 3: Remove the wings if installed. (NA)

Step 4: Remove the W-1205-L & -R Terminal Brackets from the wings and attach the WH-B212 (WHT) Nav/Strobe Power Wires, Wh-B213 (WHT) Pulse Power Wire and WH-B214 (WHT) Landing Light Power Wire as shown in Figur 1 and 2 on page 40-05 of Van's Aircraft plans.

Step 5: On the right wing use the string installed previously to pull a WH-B212 Nav/Strobe Power Wire, WH-B213 Pulse Power Wire, WH-B214 Landing Ligh Power Wire and another strin from the wing root into the most outboard rib bay.



Step 6: On the left wing use the string installed previously to pull a WH-B212 nav/Strobe Power Wire and another string from the wing root into the wing tip.



Step 7: Install the W-1205-L and -R Terminal Brackets back onto each wing assembly, see Page 16-04, Step 7 for reference.





Step 8: Rivet the W-1223B-L & -R landing Light Ribs to the Outbd Wing Skin.



Step 9: Insert a snap bushing into the W-1223-L Landing Light Rib.

Step 10: On the right wing, route the WH-B212 Nav/Strobe Power Wire that will to the Wing Tip Nav/Position/Strobe Light- Green through the snap bushings in the Landing Light Ribs and through the snap bushing in the most outboard rib into the wing tip.

Step 11: On the right wing route the WH-B213 Pulse Power Wire and WH-B214 Landing light Power wire through the snap bushing in the left Landing Light Rib.



Step 12: Pull the WH-B213 Pulse Power Wire and WH-B214 Landing Light Power Wire out through the landing light cutout in the Outbd Wing Skin, Trim them to equal length, strip the ends of the wires then crimp on female Molex pins.

Step 13: Snap the Molex pins on the ends of the WH-B213 Pulse Power Wire and WH-B214 Landing Light Power Wire into the Molex connector housing on the end of the WH-B215 (WHT) Landing Light Ground Wire. Builder's note: The plans say a female Molex housing, however a male housing was previously installed on the ground wire.



This completes page 40-05.

Reference: page 40-06

Step 1: Strip the ends of the wires coming from the back of the LL-200 Landing Light. Crimp on male Molex pins to the end of each wire.



Step 2: Snap the Molex pin on the end of the black wire coming from the LL-200 Landing light into a female Molex connector housing opposite the WH-B215 Landing Light Ground WIre.

Step3: Snap the Molex pin on the end of the red wire coming from the Landing light into the female Molex connector housing opposite the WH-B214 landing Light Power Wire.

Step 4: Snap the Molex pin on the end of the yellow wire coming from the LL-200 Landing light into a female Molex connector housing opposite the WH-B213 Pulse Power Wire.

Step 5: Snap the Molex pins on the remaining blue and green wires coming from the Landing Light into the two remaining pin locations in the female Molex connector housing. These wires are not used and have no associated wires in the other half of the connector housing.end of the black wire coming from the LL-200 Landing light into a female Molex connector housing opposite the WH-B215 Landing Light Ground Wire.



Step 6: Connect the male and female molex connector housings for the Landing Light.. Add tie-wraps as necessarily.



Step 7: Install the LL-200 Landing Light onto the Landing Light Ribs using the hardware called out in figure 1 on page 40-06 of Va's Aircraft plans for the RV-12. First align the attach holes in the landing light with the aft end of the slot in the landing light ribs, start the bolt with washers by hand then slide the landing light forward to the front of the slots. Aim the light slightly downward so the front of the landing light is parallel to the front edge of the landing light ribs. Finish tightening the bolt using a box end wrench while holding the front face of the landing parallel to the front edge of the landing light ribs.



Builder's note: I couldn't find the Aeroleds washers, so I used washer and lockwasher for a AN3 bolts.



Step 8: Use two pieces of double backed tape or equivalent adhesive to hold the LensBacking Strips to the inside face of the Lens.



Builder's note: Ended up re-trimming the landing light lens as it was too big to fit through the cutout.



Step 9: Slip the Lens through the landing light cutout in the Outbd Wing Skin and screw it in place. Use tape to make temporary pull tabs to help start the screws.



This completes page 40-06. Nest time I finsh up sheeting the wings and then move on to the RV-12's wing tips.

Vans Aircraft RV-12 Build, Section 17: Wing Skins (part 7)



Reference: page 40-04; 4.5 hours


Spent most of the day deburring the RV-12's wing tip parts and then preping them for priming.

Step 7: Add a snap bushing to the Left and Right Landing Light Ribs.

Vans Aircraft RV-12 Build, Section 17: Wing Skins (part 6)


Reference: page 40-03, 40-04; 1.5 hours

I'm still working on the wing kit for the RV-12, however today's entry deals exclusively with installing the Lighting kit from Van's Aircraft.

Step 7: Machine countersink the screw holes in the W-00014 Lens for the corresponding dimples in the W-1203-R Outbd Wing Skin.



Step 8: Dimple the nutplates and the W-1223E Lens Backing Strip at all nutplate attach locations. Rivet nutplates to both lens backing strips.





Step 9: Temporarily position the Lens Backing Strips on the Lens. Use the edge of the lens cacking strips to mark the lens for trimming.

Step 10: Trim back the corners of the Lens to match the edges of the Lens Backing Strip.

Step 11: Radius the edges of the Lens. Smooth all trim marks with 220 grit sandpaper. Deburr the interior sides of the screw holes.

This completes page 40-03

Reference: page 40-04

Step 1: Use a step drill to final-drill the two tooling holes in the W-1223B Landing Light Ribs to 3/8 inch.



Step 2: Remove the shaded area on the Landing Light Rib to seperate the part into the right and left ribs Builders note: I did this previously.

Step 3: Deburr the slots and edges of both the W-1223b-l & -R Landing Light Ribs. Flute the rib flanges between the hole if necessary. check that an AN3 bolt will easily slide in the slot.



Step 4: Machine countersink both W-1223C Rib Doublers for AN426AD3-4 rivets.



Step 5: Debur the slot in both W-1223C Rib Doublers. Check that an AN3 bolt will easily slide in the slot.



Step 6: Rivet the Rib Doubler to the Left Landing Light Rib and Repeat this step for the remaining rib doubler and Right landing Light Rib.

Builder's note: The doubler goes on the side of the rib opposite of the rib's flanges.