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RV-9A N425KW

krw5927

Well Known Member
Moving Day!

After almost 3 1/2 years, N425KW has finally left the nest. No, not in the first flight sort of way - that'll have to wait. On Thursday morning the roll-back truck arrived to pick up my baby and haul it to the airport. (Click images for full size.)



Getting the plane up on the ramp was disappointingly anticlimactic, in that the heavens didn't part and no angels sang. However that may just mean that the towing company knew what they were doing and nothing went wrong. The tail never even came close to scraping the ground.

A few tow straps and we were ready to make the 10 mile journey to the new pad.



A few passing motorists had odd looks on their faces, but for the most part other drivers seemed rather oblivious. Probably too busy texting their friends.



Once we arrived, I hooked up the towbar to keep the nosewheel from spinning around the wrong way and gently guided it down the ramp as the truck once again did all the work.



Safely tucked away in the (heated!) hangar, alongside a friend's RV8A build:



All in all a very easy trip that went more smoothly than I could've imagined. Huge thanks to Andover Towing & Recovery for their friendly professionalism and for getting my baby there in one piece. Time for a celebratory ale!
 
Congratulations Kurt on a very important milestone! Now your life becomes different. It's only 10 miles but it's away :)
 
Great milestone Kurt. If I can figure out how to spray my friggin plane I could make a similar trip. Of course no hurry seeing how the FAA are dragging their feet on approving my special issuance. They approved it last year - not sure what the big deal is this time around. Ahead of you in the build in someways and behind in others. Let us know when you get airworthy.
 
Moving Day!

After almost 3 1/2 years, N425KW has finally left the nest. No, not in the first flight sort of way - that'll have to wait. On Thursday morning the roll-back truck arrived to pick up my baby and haul it to the airport. (Click images for full size.)



Getting the plane up on the ramp was disappointingly anticlimactic, in that the heavens didn't part and no angels sang. However that may just mean that the towing company knew what they were doing and nothing went wrong. The tail never even came close to scraping the ground.

A few tow straps and we were ready to make the 10 mile journey to the new pad.



A few passing motorists had odd looks on their faces, but for the most part other drivers seemed rather oblivious. Probably too busy texting their friends.



Once we arrived, I hooked up the towbar to keep the nosewheel from spinning around the wrong way and gently guided it down the ramp as the truck once again did all the work.



Safely tucked away in the (heated!) hangar, alongside a friend's RV8A build:



All in all a very easy trip that went more smoothly than I could've imagined. Huge thanks to Andover Towing & Recovery for their friendly professionalism and for getting my baby there in one piece. Time for a celebratory ale!

Congrats on the move, Kurt. You'll notice a difference on your routine working at the airport, but enjoyable. Not quite so on those very cold days. I used the same method to move my 9A on Nov 1. Hope to fly this summer. Good luck on the build.
 
Thanks all!

One of the biggest challenges so far has been getting all my tools and supplies in the right place at the right time. I almost need 2 sets of everything now, as I use a lot of my household tools for the airplane build.

The other challenge, of course, is making time for both the airplane and my wife. Don't want to leave either one alone very long. Hopefully the duality is only temporary and in a few months we can concentrate on flying rather than building.

The airport is 1K1, Benton Kansas. Just a few minutes northeast of Wichita.
 
The Move.

Well Done Kurt! I've seen that hanger... :)

Perhaps that will get your new roommate to finish his!

See you soon,

Gregg
 
Good job Kurt. I'm only a little jealous - it'll be a happy day when I take my build to the airport.
 
Kurt,
You will be flying in no time although there is a surprising amount of work left. Congratulations on completing one of the final milestones.

Bernie
RV 9 (an absolutely wonderful airplane. After 100 hours it is now in be painted by Midwest Aircraft Refinishers)
 
Nice job, Kurt. A heated hangar is a VERY good idea. You're not that far from me, and it's been COLD HERE LATELY!
 
20 Days....

I called the local MIDO today to inquire about scheduling an inspection for Airworthiness Certificate. Initial response: sometime in May.

Hoping for something a little sooner, I asked about options to accelerate the process. A few minutes later I received a call back and an updated date: March 24! :eek:

Wow, I should really watch what I ask for. I wasn't expecting something so soon. Guess I'll see my wife again on the 25th. Sorry, honey. ;)

The good news is I mostly have just a bit (ok maybe a lot) of fiberglass work left, along with some engine runs and taxi testing.

20 Days.
 
FIRST FLIGHT SUCCESS!

I'm happy to report that on Tax Day, April 15, N425KW took to the skies for the first time from Benton, KS (1K1).

The weather forecast looked great so my wife and I took the day off work. I finished the last hour of transition training and immediately hopped in my 9A for the real deal.

Takeoff roll:
k9ubt1.jpg


Immediately upon leaving the runway I noticed a heavy left wing, not uncommon in RVs I've come to understand. Full right aileron trim took care of the issue for this flight. Researching solutions now.

The only other squawk was high CHTs on #1 and #2 cylinders. This is a used engine so it is not due to normal break-in effects. I've since removed the air dams in front of the cylinders and closed off the inboard side of the inlet ramps on the top cowl. I'm looking forward to the next flight to note the effects.

About 20 minutes of controllability checks and slow flight, and it was time to land:
303ffx5.jpg


And of course the obligatory grin:
abh0nc.jpg


I finally understand the RV grin. For those of you who are still looking forward to your first flights in your RV, just be prepared for a numb face from smiling so much!

I want to publicly thank my wonderful wife Heather, whose unending support made my dream possible. Thank you for putting up with "airplane parts in every room of the house" for so long. I promise to clean up now. And to take you on lots of really cool trips!

I also want to thank my friend Steve for generously providing me hangar space and a helping hand whenever it was needed, and Doyle who taught me to fly RVs in his 7A. I couldn't have done this without either of you guys.

IT FLIES!!!!
 
Yeah!!!!!
Congrats on your first flight and welcome to phase 1! It's way more fun than building, but somehow seems like more work.....
Enjoy the accomplishment!
 
Congrats Kurt!!

Congrats Kurt!!

Fly off your 40 hours so we can all fly places!! Enjoy!

Everyone is happy for you!

Kent Wilkens
Wichita Kansas area
Rv 7a 294 TC AWC 09-07 690 hours sold 11-11
Rv 10 484TC AWC 10-10 349 hours
 
She flies herself huh? Congratulations!

I finally understand the RV grin. For those of you who are still looking forward to your first flights in your RV, just be prepared for a numb face from smiling so much!

you will still have the grin next time u fly and for quite a few times after that. I just went over 100 hrs and still grinning!!!!! wow what an airplane!
 
Kurt,
Congratulations. It is great to see the fruits of your labors come to fruition. After the phase one tests and all the little tweaks you will be ready for a new phase of adventure. I just completed the conditional inspection one year after my first flight.
Again, congratulations
 
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