Kyle Wallace’s RV-12iS | Winchester, VA RV-12iS #121240

Kyle Wallace’s RV-12iS flew for the first time. Here’s more:

After nearly five years of patient assembly, the day had finally arrived. The morning began with a thorough preflight inspection. An experienced pilot, and RV-12iS builder would be the test pilot for this first flight. The Rotax 912iS engine, already well-tested during taxi runs, started easily after the first turn of the key. Oil pressure came up within seconds, and idle RPM was steady. The waiting for the oil temps to reach 120° F seemed to take forever.

At 11:17 a.m., the N588KW accelerated down runway 32 for the very first time. Over the Shenandoah Valley, with the Blue Ridge Mountains glinting in the autumn sun, the realization of hundreds of hours of careful craftsmanship fully sank in.