Van's RV-12iS
Train in a light sport aircraft that keeps your early lessons clean, visual, and precise. The RV-12iS gives you Garmin glass cockpit training, strong visibility, and a responsive 2-seat platform for private-through-commercial development.
See more outside, manage more inside from lesson one
The cockpit sits ahead of the wing spar, so you get room to move and strong visibility for traffic, references, and instructor coaching. That makes each lesson easier to connect: what you see outside, what the Garmin display shows, and what the airplane is telling you.
Know the RV-12iS numbers before you choose your aircraft
Good aircraft selection reduces friction. The RV-12iS gives you a light, responsive platform with modern avionics, so your instructor can focus each lesson on control, judgment, and cockpit discipline.
- Top speed: 144 mph, giving you a capable light sport trainer for structured flight lessons.
- Engine: 100 HP Rotax, with the Rotax 912 iS powerplant supporting a clear training platform.
- Seats: 2, which supports clear instructor-student communication and focused cockpit flow.
- Ceiling: 17,300 ft, more than enough for the training environments used in this aircraft.
- Fuel capacity: 20 US gallons, a straightforward number to plan around during training.
What this aircraft helps you build before the checkride
The RV-12iS is not just a smaller airplane. It gives you a clean training environment where control feel, avionics awareness, and cockpit discipline have fewer places to hide.
Build scan habits on Garmin displays
The RV-12iS is equipped with Garmin G3X Touch avionics, giving you modern cockpit information early in training. That helps you connect aircraft control, navigation, engine data, and situational awareness in one clean picture.
Manage a modern Rotax powerplant
The RV-12iS uses a FADEC-controlled, fuel-injected Rotax 912 iS engine. You learn power management in an aircraft designed to make cockpit workload clear and teachable.
Know the fit before you commit
The RV-12iS is a 2-seat light sport trainer with a 230 lb weight limit. Admissions can help you confirm aircraft fit early, so your training plan starts with fewer surprises.
RV-12iS gallery
Look closely at the airframe, cockpit, and ramp presence before you visit. These photos help you picture where your early habits will be built at Magnolia.
A focused path for students who want professional habits early
If your goal is a career path, the RV-12iS supports the habits that matter later: stable procedures, clear communication, and disciplined use of cockpit information. You do not just learn to move the controls. You learn to think ahead of the airplane.
