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Chase Plane?

David Paule

Well Known Member
Why have one? As far as I can see it offers only these benefits:

1. It's a platform for someone to take photos.

2. If the test plane has an avionics failure the chase plane can make the radio calls.

3. The chase plane can look out for traffic.

Anything else?

The reason why I'm asking is that a friend is going to make the first flight of his plane soon, and has asked me to fly chase for him. We have flown formation together numerous times and have briefed on that and other appropriate aspects of the flight.

I will not go in close enough to identify potential leaks, so that possible task isn't going to happen.

But if anyone can give me some advice, something to help make the flight safer or let me relieve the test pilot's workload, I'd be grateful.

Thanks!

Dave
 
These are some others.

- Coordination with tower or other airspace requiring communications.

- Clearing the area for the flight.

- Ckecking for any leaks (fuel, oil, etc) or smoke.

- Airspeed comparizon.

- Coordination with ground/air facilities in case of emergencies.

- SAR coordinations.

- An important one; some one to hold your buddy to his/her plan. NOGOs

That being said. The chase should never be in the way of the aircraft conducting it's first flight. That test pilot has way too many things going on.
 
These are some others.
...

- Ckecking for any leaks (fuel, oil, etc) or smoke.
...

- An important one; some one to hold your buddy to his/her plan. NOGOs

That being said. The chase should never be in the way of the aircraft conducting it's first flight. That test pilot has way too many things going on.
Looking for leaks or smoke was the only real reason I wanted a chase plane on my first flight.

The second item wasn't an issue for me as I knew I was going to stick to the plan and did.

As for keeping out of the way, my chase pilot and TeamRV member, Tad Sargent was very helpful.

If nothing else, he was a calm voice on the radio during a stressful flight.
 
Chase Planes

Years ago I went to support a friend on his first flight of an RV 4. Half the RV community in a large Metro-area was there too. He must have had 5+ chase planes. I opted out of joining the Circus and stayed on the ground. I am sure that their unplanned escort was fun. Fortunately it turned out fine. I won't even go in all the reasons this should never have happened.

Steve "The Builders Coach"
 
Axel - where did you get a copy of our pre-test plan for last weekend? ;)

You nailed pretty much the reasons we had on paper for having a chase plane. Of course, you and I are both used to doing flight testing in a team environment. You have to have faith in your team to make it worthwhile!

If a person plans to stay in radio and visual (not to mention gliding) range of the airport, many of these reasons go away, and many first flights are conducted safely without them. if you aren't trained in the use of a chase, and can't practice with one, then you might very well be safer without one. For our test flights last weekend, we did mission-specific training to know what we were going to do. It paid off well for the plan we used.

Just don't feel pressure to have a chase plane "because other guys do it" or worse, just because you have someone who is excited about doing it. Have good, solid rationale for everything you are going to do in your test program.

Paul
 
Axel - where did you get a copy of our pre-test plan for last weekend? ;)

Maybe the right question is when are all of us going to be able to buy a copy of your pre-test plan? . . . on Amazon?

Seriously, Paul. I think you should be writing a book, if not now, then soon after your pending move to the quiet confines of the desert southwest. Best Practices in Experimental Aviation: lessons in mission control, by Paul F. Dye. I'll pay for my copies in advance!

--
Stephen
 
Dave (and others)

From my pov, all summed above. It can have it's place, especially when seen in the wider entire test phase e.g. at some point an IAS / Alt comparison can be made - although since the chase will often be (need to be!) an RV, you need to ask how well calibrated that one is ;)

Our "regulator" over here (the LAA) gives a list of the "aims" / "targets" of the 1st flight, and Formation is not one of them. It will only be a 15-20min flight to achieve those aims, and will be high power early on, and then some slow speed stuff, so hard for anyone else to formate on, especially since the target aircraft will not be over-helpful.
Years ago I went to support a friend on his first flight of an RV 4. Half the RV community in a large Metro-area was there too. He must have had 5+ chase planes
Something I was told, and agree with, is keep those who "know" of the 1st flight, as small as possible. This reduces pressure to make the flight with either aircraft or weather issues. We can just walk away and await the issues solved without leaving anybody else any the wiser.

Clearly if you the resources, experience and plan to do it "properly" (and above all discipline) then fine e.g. as with Paul. But I don't think anyone should feel pressurised to try and emulate that without the other elements in place...
 
I did not use chase for three reasons: 1) I was flying out of an airport under a class B and next to a Class D. I did not want any geometry of the chase, relative to me, ever box me in with air space or access to an airport. 2) My first flight plan was always within sight of the airport due to reason 1. 3) I felt dis-simialar aircraft would be bad. We have no RV on the field and did not want a slow Cub or big Bonanza trying to keep up.
Dave (and others)
Something I was told, and agree with, is keep those who "know" of the 1st flight, as small as possible. This reduces pressure to make the flight with either aircraft or weather issues. We can just walk away and await the issues solved without leaving anybody else any the wiser.

This is a very good point. I did a taxi test in the morning and had a slight oil leak issues when I took the cowl off. By the time I was ready to fly the winds were up. Since there was only the essentials people there, I was under no pressure to go fly. I waited 6 hours to early evening when the winds where down to fly.
 
I used one

I used a chase on mine for all the reasons previously mentioned. I was lucky, my chase pilot is ex-military, built his RV-4, and is very good at formation.

One thing that hasn't been mentioned that may be unique to me was the comfort factor. Even though we were in separate airplanes, it settled my nerves a bit to have someone else with me - maybe 'human factors'?

And I think I would have been more disciplined in an emergency with someone watching - less likely to go for a hail mary.

I also agree that having a chase does not fit every circumstance.
 
Maybe the right question is when are all of us going to be able to buy a copy of your pre-test plan? . . . on Amazon?

Seriously, Paul. I think you should be writing a book, if not now, then soon after your pending move to the quiet confines of the desert southwest. Best Practices in Experimental Aviation: lessons in mission control, by Paul F. Dye. I'll pay for my copies in advance!

--
Stephen




Stephen - books take time! ;) You might check out a new series in Kitplanes Magazine that starts with the February or March issue for a few of the things you might be interested in. I'm working to get some stuff writen up in a coherent package talking about planning, training, and flying first flights.

And man, Andy (and others) are right about keeping the crowds down. We had a TOTAL of 5 people on our first flight team, and one "SO" who has years of experience inspecting airplanes that tagged along on the preflight. Any more would have been too many - and every one was ready to scrub if we didn't met our pre-planned criteria for the flight. Chase planes seriously complicate the process if you don't know how to use them correctly.
 
- and every one was ready to scrub if we didn't met our pre-planned criteria for the flight.
Learned a lot from my X-45A experience at Dryden. The building was filled with VIPs that flew in to see first flight. No go was I think 10 kt winds. They were 11 kts and it was a no-go. There was even additional pressure for it to happen due to the crew work schedule. They were required to be down a day if they did not go. I learned a criteria was a criteria. They were set in a rational thought process and no short term pressure should change them.
 
Maybe the right question is when are all of us going to be able to buy a copy of your pre-test plan? . . . on Amazon?

Seriously, Paul. I think you should be writing a book, if not now, then soon after your pending move to the quiet confines of the desert southwest. Best Practices in Experimental Aviation: lessons in mission control, by Paul F. Dye. I'll pay for my copies in advance!

--
Stephen

I'd buy a copy. That title is perfect. Do it.

Dave
 
Also read AC90-89a

I found reading the FAA's AC90-89a useful in understanding my role and responsibilities as test pilot. Of particular note, and not stated previously in this thread, there should be TWO qualified pilots in the chase plane. I was responsible for the safe flight of the chase plane and communicating with the outside world (monitoring the pattern traffic, announcing our approach, telling other traffic our intentions). Steve did ALL the communication with Paul and inspection of the -3.

When the off-field landing happened, we were able to fly over and immediately have a precise and accurate GPS location on the site. If Paul's phone couldn't have reached a tower, we knew exactly where he was.

Lastly, if something had happened that had shaken me up so badly that I wasn't safe to fly the airplane, Steve would have taken over. We all like to think we're tough enough to suck it up and perform under the worse of circumstances, but having a more emotionally detached but highly competent second pilot in the chase plane was comforting.
 
Why have one? As far as I can see it offers only these benefits:

1. It's a platform for someone to take photos.

2. If the test plane has an avionics failure the chase plane can make the radio calls.

3. The chase plane can look out for traffic.

Anything else?

The reason why I'm asking is that a friend is going to make the first flight of his plane soon, and has asked me to fly chase for him. We have flown formation together numerous times and have briefed on that and other appropriate aspects of the flight.

I will not go in close enough to identify potential leaks, so that possible task isn't going to happen.

But if anyone can give me some advice, something to help make the flight safer or let me relieve the test pilot's workload, I'd be grateful.

Thanks!

Dave

Leak, smoke AND fire was my primary goal for having a chase plane.
 
I agree with most of the chase reasons posted so far but have a couple of other cases where I would prefer a chase - envelope expansion and stall/spin testing. A set of eyes on the outside who can give me clean-and-dry calls (as was already posted) and can look over the airplane for loose bits or damage should I hear, see, or feel anything unusual at the edges of the flight envelope. For stall/spin stuff I want someone who can tell me departure/spin direction (left/right) and attitude (inverted/upright) if I get disoriented, and someone who can give me altitude calls while I'm figuring out the recovery if things aren't going well. I'd appreciate a good firm '500 feet' call, and if I haven't recovered yet hopefully it goes to an empty cockpit ;)

I also want someone who understands the difference between 'formation' and 'chase'. -2's first job is to stay out of my way no matter what I do, everything else is secondary. Cleared aboard for external checks, outside of those take up a very loose cruise/dispersed ('combat spread') position where you can keep an eye on me but we aren't going to smack into each other if I maneuver unexpectedly.

I have not used a chase for any RV test flights so far (plenty for others, however)...but I expect I will in the future. Back when I first flew my 4 I could not find anyone I knew and trusted within a reasonable distance (that's a reflection on *me*, not the local talent)...so I tailored my flights and test area accordingly - and still have not completed the spin testing. :D

Note that none of my reasons for *flight test safety* chase include photos.
 
My first flight was performed by Mike Stewart (aka Kahuna of Team RV fame) . I was riding right seat in the chase plane piloted by Scott Will (RV-7A). On the turn from upwind to downwind Scott and I spotted smoke coming from the cowl (leaking prop oil hose). We called it out to Mike so he could focus on oil pressure and it was indeed dropping. He killed the engine and performed a gorgeous dead stick landing at the airport.

You would have a very hard time convincing me that there is no value in a chase plane.

A chase plane is not flying in formation! It's...chasing the other plane from a safe distance.
 
Provide the chase plane copilot and ground crew with binoculars. Then chase does not have to get so close. I had one and would do it again. First flight- one hour. Never got out of glide range of an airport for first 10 hours.
 
Post-Chase Lessons Learned (Long)

First, I want to thank the people who contributed to this discussion. I learned a lot that I was able to apply today.

I flew chase today for the first flight of a homebuilt. We flew from a private airpark. Here's what I learned, and my apologies for the length.

1. It's a maximum workload job. It takes 100% of your effort and don't kid yourself about that. If the pilot skills are not up to the task, don't do it. Having a co-pilot available to check traffic and and talk about things is a very good plan. The co-pilot should not be a photographer or member of the family of the test pilot. Instead you want a capable, disinterested and competent pilot. My neighbor, Dallice Tylee, did well.

2. For communications between the test aircraft and the chase aircraft, the names "Test" and "Chase" are better than the N numbers.

3. Approaching the pattern near the end of the flight, in this case an uncontrolled field, it's advisable for the chase plane to request that other aircraft remain clear of the pattern until the test aircraft is clear of the runway. I didn't do that, and the test aircraft had to hold while a poorly organized flight of three tried to get in before us. My bad.

4. It's extremely difficult to maintain visual contact with a small unpainted metal aircraft against ground clutter, especially when there's some snow. The test aircraft didn't have strobes, and they would have helped. Chase can sometimes help by providing some relative movement compared to the test aircraft, by descending or climbing relative to them - keeping clear at all times.

5. It's not a formation flight. We had briefed that the only time I'd come in close to the test aircraft was at the top of the initial climb to check for leaks, if they called it, and not otherwise. He didn't call and I stayed reasonably far out. We agreed that I would never be in a blocking position with him. The test airplane could maneuver at will without bothering to check my position since I would always remain clear. And sometimes I had to maneuver aggressively to remain clear.

6. To minimize distractions, we agreed that I wouldn't talk on the radio much. He'd talk, I'd listen. We both had copies of the test plan and agreed that unless something of importance was going on, he wouldn't call. Silence means that the test plane was good and continuing with the plan. We knew that if he had a problem, I'd know it anyway by his body language - he'd be heading to the field.

7. We briefed before the flight. This is essential. Part was going over the test plan in the weeks beforehand, part by emailing back and forth about procedures, and part at the plane on the ground before starting up. Gotta have a plan and everyone has to know what it is. My co-pilot was also familiar with the plan.

8. The chase pilot has to be absolutely familiar with stick and rudder flying at all points in the envelope. In our case, the test plane had excellent acceleration but test-limited the top speed. It's projected climb rate was anticipated to be greater than the chase plane's, but in the event the chase could keep up in the climb with no difficulty. The test aircraft had a superior low-speed capability which I had to work around to maintain a suitable position. I think that test could descend faster than the chase plane, too, and we nearly lost track of him at one point because of that. The chase plane had more momentum than the test plane and that was simply something I had to manage.

These points of similarity and difference aren't going to be necessarily as briefed, but a competent pilot should be able to work with them. Your attention will be focused primarily out of the plane - have your co-pilot checking the engine gauges if you wish - and you might find yourself at virtually any throttle, flap or trim position.

I think that reasonably compatible aircraft are necessary. If the expected performance envelopes are too different, it's not going to work.

9. We briefed that I'd orbit the field in the pattern and that he'd start his take-off while I was on a long final at pattern altitude. He had rising CHT and elected to launch while I was on downwind. We'd briefed for this possibility and I turned at midfield to follow. One thing worth mentioning that worked well here and we felt was safe (we set it up for safety) was that while chasing I wouldn't go below pattern altitude. No buzz job to salute the test plane. Keep it safe, and in the pattern, call the positions.

Again, thanks to all of you, and the professional approach of the test pilot, all went well. It was a safe event.

Dave
 
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Great report Dave (IMHO). You had some lessons learned that were great to share, and that didn't affect safety because you planned n advance. As you pointed out, "Chase" is no more something you can do at the spur of the moment, for the first time, any more than aerobatics, instrument flying, or test flying. it is a skill and discipline unto itself.

Paul
 
Sir, thanks for the lessons learned. They are almost identical to those learned in professional flight testing.
 
I'm indebted to you guys in particular and the other contributors to this discussion. Thanks very much, everyone.

Incidentally, that flight was the most fun I'd had flying recently.

And I've got to add that within the last couple of months, I had made a concerted effort to practice slow flight. You can't just wing it, as you pointed out. That experience sure came in handy.

Dave
 
An Additional Lesson

One thing we didn't think of would have been worth while.

With the chase plane in the air in the pattern, and the test plane taxiing out, we should have made a communications test. Add this to your test plan.

I had my headset volume turned down and didn't realize that. It was hard for me to hear things. But my co-pilot, Dallice, helped me there and later, back on the ground, we figured out what the issue was.

Dave
 
Yet Another

Have the test plane take off with his transponder on and use your TCAS to verify that the transponder works. Then ask the test plane to shut it off.

In our case, he had it on the whole time and was the primary target my TCAS reported. It would have been more effective as a traffic clearing tool with test's transponder off.

The test pilot just asked about that -- I'd forgotten.

Dave
 
Here's one I rarely see addressed but (now) brief every time: Make sure lead (the airplane under test) understands that when he's transmitting he's not receiving. It's hard for dash-2 to tell lead he's streaming the last bit of oil along his belly when lead is talking about what a nice flying airplane he has. The details have been slightly altered to protect the guilty but the end result was predictable ;)

...and we will also cover the difference between "abort", "knock it off", and "skip it" calls. :D
 
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