First Take off Nerves

[Sam Buchanan]

Originally Posted by Carlos151

I would consider transition training a must do and number one on anyone’s list. Mike Seager in OR or several others available nationwide. Money well spent and your insurance might require it.

Thorough aircraft prep and adequate transition training are the keys to a stress-free first flight. If you are apprehensive about first flight that is your little voice telling you that you aren't ready for the task.

Have your flight skills up to speed and so your first flight is......routine.

[Cyclone]

I wouldn't take the first flight without transition training even if you are taking a
qualified pilot with you. After a few hours and a dozen or more landings in all sorts of conditions with Side By Side in Waukesha, WI, the nervous part of the flight was taxiing out. Once the throttle went in it was just another flight.

[kbalch]

Originally Posted by Sam Buchanan

Thorough aircraft prep and adequate transition training are the keys to a stress-free first flight. If you are apprehensive about first flight that is your little voice telling you that you aren't ready for the task.

Have your flight skills up to speed and so your first flight is......routine.

Exactly this. Get transition training sufficient to ensure that your competence and confidence are up to snuff for the first flight.

In my certain-to-be-unpopular opinion, there's no need whatsoever for a second person to ride along on the first flight of a single-pilot airplane. Any reason (excuse) that people give for doing so is simply the rationalization of those too inexperienced or fearful or both to make the flight themselves and too wrapped up, ego-wise, in the whole first flight "thing" to let a more experienced pilot do it solo.

The fact that the EAA acceded to the status quo (and even helped to "legalize" it!) of an apparently increasing number of people conducting accompanied first flights of simple airplanes is one of my greatest disappointments with them over the last few years. I'm all for the new flight test cards, but not for giving an official blessing to first flight handholding. It's a race to the bottom, from a pilot skills perspective.

[rocketman1988]

"...In my certain-to-be-unpopular opinion, there's no need whatsoever for a second person to ride along on the first flight of a single-pilot airplane. Any reason (excuse) that people give for doing so is simply the rationalization of those too inexperienced or fearful or both to make the flight themselves and too wrapped up, ego-wise, in the whole first flight "thing" to let a more experienced pilot do it solo..."

...and you are entitled to your opinion...even if it is wrong and not supported by the data.

[Ironflight]

Hi Ken,

You?re getting a lot of advice here, and most of it is pretty good. The best thing, however, is that you don?t have to do this with nothing but internet advice! There is a lot of tuff out there to help you prepare the airplane (and yourself if you want) for a first flight.

1) The Flight Advisor program is FREE, and designed exactly to help you through this. Take advantage of it. There aren't as many FA?s as Tech Counselors, but the FA?s out there are pretty experienced, and can help coach you through the many decisions to be made.
2) The EAA Flight Test Manual doesn?t start with brake release on the first fight - it goes over aircraft testing prior to the first flight as well - just exactly the questions you are asking.
3) As Ed mentioned, if you DO decide to take advantage of the Additional Pilot Program, do it legally by reading the AC and understanding the qualifications needed for the Qualified Pilot. The qualifications can be a little tricky. If you grab someone that doesn?t meet the necessary qualifications, and you have an incident, you are operating outside of your Ops Lims. Don?t do that!


And as I tell everyone that I talk with in my role as Flight Advisor, remember that the airplane can have its first flight, and you will have your first flight in your aircraft. They don?t have to be the same flight. NO ONE else will ever remember who did the first flight, and if you decide that its better to have someone else do it, and are satisfied with the way you get to that decision, you?ll never regret it.

There is a LOT of information available from the EAA - take advantage of it. We have reduced first flight accidents notably in the past few years, and a lot of it is because of the emphasis on getting builders good, usable information on how to operate with less risk.

Paul

[snopercod]

I second what carlos151 wrote about the fuel flow test. Before you get to that point, though, flush your fuel system over and over from end to end. I recommend fast taxi testing to confirm that your ASI and brakes are working. When I did mine, I had a GPS-enabled video camera looking at the panel so I could compare my actual ground speed to what the ASI was telling me. I stayed 10 Kts. below "takeoff speed" but was ready to fly just in case.

[Discus2b]

Regarding engine failure and having a place to land.....you?re not flying a B-52.
The RV-14a is closer to a U-2 in that it climbs above its glide performance. So,
make a circling climb to a happy altitude above the field increasing radius to stay within gliding range.
If your field has a tower, go over and talk with the controller and let him know what you want to do. Remember, your first flight will be focus on getting airborne and breaking in your new engine at a high power setting for a couple of hours. You will be ?hauling a$$?, thinking you?re Rocket man. It?s all about seating the rings.
Checklist, checklist checklist.....
Base on your opening statement, I would find someone experienced to handle the PIC duties while you support him with watching the big picture and enjoying the event. If everything is working at run up...odds are extreme everything (important) will be working at landing.
Bring water and candy bars....Snickers are best. You will get hungry.

R

[jbDC9]

Originally Posted by rocketman1988

"...In my certain-to-be-unpopular opinion, there's no need whatsoever for a second person to ride along on the first flight of a single-pilot airplane. Any reason (excuse) that people give for doing so is simply the rationalization of those too inexperienced or fearful or both to make the flight themselves and too wrapped up, ego-wise, in the whole first flight "thing" to let a more experienced pilot do it solo..."

...and you are entitled to your opinion...even if it is wrong and not supported by the data.

So, Bob, how is his opinion WRONG?? It differs from yours, sure, but that doesn't make it wrong. The last time this discussion came up you voiced your opinion; in my view, your opinion is wrong. See how that works?

I'm no NASA test pilot, have done only 4 RV first flights plus the first post maintenance test flight on a years dormant hangar queen T-28D; never felt the need to have a copilot along. On the T-28, my brother (partner owner on the plane) wanted to ride along... nope! Mom would have been quite upset to lose her twin sons in the event something had gone wrong on those first few test flights...

Originally Posted by kbalch

In my certain-to-be-unpopular opinion, there's no need whatsoever for a second person to ride along on the first flight of a single-pilot airplane. Any reason (excuse) that people give for doing so is simply the rationalization of those too inexperienced or fearful or both to make the flight themselves and too wrapped up, ego-wise, in the whole first flight "thing" to let a more experienced pilot do it solo.

Agreed!

[Ironflight]

Originally Posted by snopercod

I second what carlos151 wrote about the fuel flow test. Before you get to that point, though, flush your fuel system over and over from end to end. I recommend fast taxi testing to confirm that your ASI and brakes are working. When I did mine, I had a GPS-enabled video camera looking at the panel so I could compare my actual ground speed to what the ASI was telling me. I stayed 10 Kts. below "takeoff speed" but was ready to fly just in case.

I know that you?re not flying an RV, so you might not realize that fast taxi testing in one of these is really not a great idea. By the time most people get the throttle all the way in, they are almost at liftoff speed - trying to balance throttle and controls to stay 10 knots below take-off numbers is actually a challenging task. Very few experienced RV pilots/trainers recommend high speed taxi testing. Brakes are easy to test at low speed, and ASI can be tested with a piece of surgical rubber tubing.

The reason I recommend documents such as the Flight Test Manual instead of relying on internet advice is that publications like that are compiled and vetted by a very large number of people, and represent a good consensus.

Paul

[rocketman1988]

I posted a reply but decided to delete it.

Listen, do what you want.

It is telling that both the EAA and FAA appear to agree with the additional pilot program...

Believe what you want, do what you want...

Happy Thanksgiving...