I just finished giving transition training to builder pilot RV-12iS. He is a 8 yr pvt pilot, 130hr pilot, with Cherokee time. He spent most of his last 4 yrs building his plane not flying. He flew, just not a lot. He had current flight review, last flew 3 mo earlier, and medical, but that is not a high bar. Never flow an EAB much less a RV-12iS. Not an uncommon scenario. Insurance required transition training. which I gave him. I also was Additional pilot during Phase 1. After he brushed off some rust, rooting out some bad habits and implementing good ones, learning tips and tricks he was never taught or forgot, he flew the plane well. All of a flight is tiedown back to tiedown is important, but landing accidents like this one are all too common and avoidable.
EAB or Standard Category planes, I find pilots, especially fairly new pilots or low time pilots I fly with, started round out too early, too high. Than they start to slow, start to sink slowly or not so slowly, as airspeed decays, slight nose up attitude to flare. Then if they have power they chop it a few feet off th ground, If they don't stall too high above runway it may be fine firm but friendly landing. Gear can handle the drop or plop, if they don't have too much sink. I helped this issue with "AIM point" and other tips.
This is a transition so it is expected. The sight picture is different, stick, responsive lighter controls, 1000lbs lighter, Rotax, G3X and Non steerable nose wheel. The last one was a challenge for him, Nose wheel steering is better for taxi takeoff landing. Yes I know it can be done, but I prefer tailwheel plane over free castering nose wheel, but it's fine but takes training and practice if new to it.
That is why new to RV pilots need training, especially lower time and/or not super current pilots transitioning into an RV for the first time. However these early high round outs and lack of stabilized approaches I see too much. It is a pet peeve of mine.
I am somewhat surprised many students I get come to me for say aircraft checkout, flight review, high performance endorsement, don't know what an aim point is and how to use it. If you have a VASI or PAPI fine but not all airports have that and AIM POINT is still IMHO a must. This RV-12iS builder did get the hang of it. I hope practices and stays current. I can't control that.
We also had trim setting issues, meaning he flew out of trim or tried to take off with trim too nose up (still set for landing). I had briefed the pilot on this from the beginning. I reminded him a few times. The plane is easily controllable out of trim. On this take off it POPPED up and startled him, me a little. He was slow to correct. If pilot freezes it could get sketch fast. I politely said LOWER NOSE while guarding stick, if he over corrected. He lowered nose and recovered, accelerated, climbed out.
Trim error or being not set can happen to anyone. In this case he got distracted on landing with directional control, again learning free castering nose wheel, brought flaps up but did not reset trim. Not a fan of T & G's for that reason. Pilots get rushed especially if learning how to land and track with free castering nose wheel. I did not look frankly at G3X trim indicator, but not sure if I did I would notice it was not correct. T/O trim and nose up or Ldg trim indication is not that different on tiny trim scale. Also if I was flying I could feel the lightness on stick before rotation, he yanked it up. That is why we train. The old saying "won't do that again".
When I researched RV-12 accidents in Aviation Safety Network, one of the most early fatal accidents involved trim as a factor. This was on first takeoff on FIRST FLIGHT. Too much trim too nose up accident on takeoff. Two people were on plane. One did not make it.
TRIM on RV-12iS has a lot of authority. Three things I don't like. There is no aural warning trim is in motion. Second TRIM indicator on the G3X is small relatively speaking, white and surrounded by bigger, more colorful data and indicators. He is new to G3X and needs to get that into his scan, but I would like a more prominent trim display regardless. He just was not checking. Another thing I don't like is trim buttons on stick that are too easy to hit and look like other buttons close by. Yes they are great, fighter pilot stuff, but also subject to being activated inadvertently. Being there are 4 buttons, all look the same, same size and shape, fairly close together, no guard. They can be hit. His Freq flip flop is on stick. He hit it by accident a few times. I started putting AWOS or ATIS back in standby after flipping from Ground to Tower after takeoff just in case he hit it while doing T/G's. No need for lost com. I think he said he was going to disconnect it. I would put a raised guard around it. "Human Factors" is a big area of cockpit design in commercial and military planes. Many accidents happen because the machine was made in a way that increased chance of mistakes going unnoticed.
RV-12iS like any plane, ABIT.... Always Be In Trim, Stabilized Approach on Speed, On path, fully configured (full flaps). Use the numbers as aim point and start round out to cross the threshold more or less level. As you transition to flare go to idle, and hold it off. If you are WEAK on cross wind landings get some instruction and practice. In our case we had plenty of cross wind days. That is a SIDE SLIP in touch down. The KICK IT STRAIGHT method, last second method will get you in deep do do. Again no steerable nose wheel. Think of RV-12iS like a taildragger, it wants to weathervane and the only thing stopping it is your pilot inputs on rudder, ailerons, elevator and (differential) brakes if needed.
Stabilized approach is mandatory. On speed, in trim on glide path (aim point) will help make landings safe.
