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First Flight RV-8 and Prop Contrail

tinman

Well Known Member
RV-8Contrails.jpg

Last Friday at 0700hrs, N451BZ took to the air for the first time. I was pleasantly surprised to discover that she flew in good trim. The temperature and dewpoint had nearly converged which resulted in the visible prop contrail. I flew for about 20 minutes while keeping a close watch on the engine temps and pressures. The landing was probably my last good one for a long time...

I'm going to spill the beans for all of my VAF head shrinks to comment on...
In spite of the perfect first flight, I did not have the famous RV Grin at the end of my flight. I felt sort of empty inside, much like I did right after I was handed my diploma at The Citadel after four years of military college...
It feels strange to have moved on beyond the build and to the flying.
 
Congratulations!

Great picture too! You should send a high res one to that guy making the RV coffee table book.
 
First Flight

Congrats Don!

Can't wait to see you introduce the -8 to the "SC Breakfast Club". The workmanship on this aircraft is outstanding.

Regards,
 
Waxing Nostalgic.

I'm going to spill the beans for all of my VAF head shrinks to comment on...
In spite of the perfect first flight, I did not have the famous RV Grin at the end of my flight. I felt sort of empty inside, much like I did right after I was handed my diploma at The Citadel after four years of military college...
It feels strange to have moved on beyond the build and to the flying.

You and your plane have moved on to a different stage in your relationship.

You have been a doting servant of your plane for a very long time, its your planes turn to serve you.:)

You wont be doing as much for your plane, you will be doing more with your plane, and then a new relationship will start to grow and become more fulfilling.

Your plane will not realize any of this, but you will.

There, that's my best and sincere shot at being an RV whisperer.:rolleyes:

BTW, I saw the picture, she sure is beautiful.:)
 
Congratulations Don - on the first flight, a beautiful airplane ... and a really neat photo!

Paul
 
First flight

Don,

Just a quick note of congratulations. I had the pleasure of meeting you and your dad several years ago at KCUB (if memory serves correctly) at a Palmetto fly-in. I thought it was a bit unusual to have three Don Alexanders in attendance, all RV builders at a single small (about 100 people) fly-in. So from one Don Alexander to another, you did well and I'm looking forward to my first flight - hopefully in 2010.

Don
 
Congrats Don! Great picture also. I kind of know what you mean about feeling moving from building to flying. However, if you are like the rest of builders, you will be sort of doing both for awhile. There will be adjustments, fixes, modifications, inspections, etc. for some time. Consider it a way to ween yourself off of building and into flying.
 
My best wishes Don! The picture is excellent and will be a good addition to RV Coffee Book. Please send a copy to Bruce Sturgill.
POZDRAVLYAU!
 
Awesome

Very cool plane, and pic.

As for that empty feeling....I had that as well.

So I just started building another one.

Welcome to the Flying RV club!!!!!

Regards,
Chris
 
Thanks eveyone. It is pretty neat to fly her after all of those years.
Tom B- I have some of your parts in her. Your company was one of the excellent vendors that I had the pleasure of supporting along the way.

Don A- I remember the gathering at KCUB where the three Don Alexanders posed together for a photo. I have enjoyed your website and the funny things that you say along the way...perhaps it is an Alexander thing??? I had an opportunity to fly and land a 9-A a couple of months ago...you are going to love your plane!!!

Tom V- Thanks for the nice comments...I wish that I could have done a better job with the painting process, but in spite of herculean efforts, the end result wasn't what I had hoped for. Perhaps after a professional paint job, she will turn from a MaryAnn into a Ginger. (This is a reference to Gilligan's Island, for those who are too young to figure this out on their own... back then, I always thought that MaryAnn was the hottie.) Right now, MaryAnn is fine...she doesn't care so much about chipped nail polish and so forth...sort of a cute, athletic type.
 
first flight

It was my pleasure to meet you and your daughter at the airport on Sunday afternoon. The plane is beautiful, and you should be justly proud of your accomplishments. Now the fun begins. It may be hard to transition from building to flying, but you will find the more you fly her, the more you will want to. Don't forget your first love is flying, and the building was a means to that end. Have fun each time that you go up, and try to learn something from each flight. Fly safe and soon you will be carrying your first passenger, your lovely daughter and helper. Say hello to her from me. See you soon.
 
Congratulations

Beautiful plane. That feeling you had is what I call the "Day after Christmas" feeling. The build up to the big day is so big, that when it comes and goes, it's natural to feel a bit empty inside. Don't worry, it will be replaced by phase II.
 
congratulations

congratulations on the first flight. Your aircraft looks beautiful in flight. Don't worry about the finish on it. I'm sure that it looks fine. You painted it so you know were all the imperfections are. the average guy will not find them unless you point them out. I paint hot rods for a living and I feel the same way on every car. I don't know if I will ever have that perfect paint job. Sometimes we are our worst critic, this drives me to be better at what I do.
Congratulations again and enjoy phase I....

P.S. Doug that sure would make a nice pic for next months calander,,,,,Just a thought, I wouldn't mind having that on my desk top

Rich
 
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Congrats Don! Good job on the first flight! Yea, sometimes it's kind of like the final line in "Finding Nemo" (I've got the little kid and have see this a hundred times!). After all the fish roll across street in the bags, fall into the water in the harbor and finally escape the tank, Bloat looks over and says "well now what?"

Just go fly and have a good time!

And GO DOGS!
 
Don -

As a long time aviation fanatic, low time pilot and "can't wait to get started" builder, I thank you very much for your post. I've had my tail kit since December. Have not had/made time to get started due to business and other concerns, but I've kept my stress down by building time in my club's 172 (including a trip to OSH). I often stop and wonder if building will be right for me. Never done anything like this before. Can I finish it? Can I handle flying less (maybe not at all) while I'm building? Well, your short but sublime story of your first flight has me thinking I'll spend the weekend getting my garage shop ready. Thanks.

Forrest
 
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Forrest,
You can never go wrong by starting such a project. It is mostly a voyage of self-discovery. You will learn both good and bad things about yourself. You will also become part of an incredible community that will do their best to make sure that you succeed. I am a very low time pilot (Just hit 150 hours spread over almost 20 years...pathetic...) and often wondered if such a sporty plane was right for my flying skillset. Never did I doubt that it was outside of my building skillset. Vans has taken care of that doubt by engineering a great kit and we all do a good job of looking out for each other when the dead-ends occur.

Now after having flown her for several hours, I can't imagine ever flying Spam Cans again. I tell folks that it is like I have been driving VW bugs for my entire life and someone handed over the keys of a Formula One race car to me...the difference is this startling. At the same time, she is the mildest taildragger that I have flown to date...what a package!

So what now? How do you top building your own airplane? When I am asked this question, I answer that I am going to build an ark:)
 
RE: BZ

Hi Don

Congrats on you wonderful accomplishment. From N74BZ to N451BZ "BZ" ......

WELL DONE!!!!:D



Frank @ 1L8 and SGU ...RV7A... N74BZ Phase 1
 
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Thanks everyone. It is pretty neat to fly her after all of those years.
Tom B- I have some of your parts in her. Your company was one of the excellent vendors that I had the pleasure of supporting along the way....

I am assuming that I am Tom B.
We may have supported you along the way, but that go's both directions.;)

We thank you for your support and rejoice in your success.

I will be riveting my firewall assembly on my 6 tomorrow morning. Give me a year or so and I will try to catch up with you.

I know I will miss the build stage when I am done, but I will enjoy getting sky on a regular basis.:):):)
 
building withdrawls

If you are having building withdrawls, I know were there is an RV8 emp sitting in a work shop with all the tools.....I sure could use a helping hand....what do you think ????????? I could use someone with your skill set..Fly off phase I and make your first X country to Plant City, Florida and pound some rivets...
LOL

Rich
 
Building Withdrawal Pains

If you are having building withdrawls, I know were there is an RV8 emp sitting in a work shop with all the tools.....I sure could use a helping hand....what do you think ????????? I could use someone with your skill set..Fly off phase I and make your first X country to Plant City, Florida and pound some rivets...
LOL

Rich

Hey, I?m going have to chime in to protect my fellow airport bum, RV-8 Builder Extraordinaire, Don Alexander! You are attempting to catch him on the rebound, similar to a recent divorce, he is highly susceptible to re-entering another long term building relationship. We have to allow him time to step away from the urge to drill, dimple, and buck, every waking minute of his day. It?s time to fly, fly, fly!

Now, please give the man some room!:D:D:D
 
Thanks Tom...
My tall bride (Whom you have not met ) tells me that there is a long list of Honey-do's waiting for me at home. It will be another couple of years before I am able to take on another build, but I have a feeling that it will be tube and fabric for the next one...a classic oldie perhaps...

Tom- your tips on landing have helped. I took her out for a dance last night and today for a little bit of practice and things are starting to come together. I was having a hard time slowing her down which resulted in an in inconsistent approach...bad approach = bad landing. I have reduced the idle rpm a bit and extended my pattern until I am better at managing the energy. Of course, you weren't around to witness the landings, so you will have to take my word for it :rolleyes:

Some interesting numbers for any fence-straddlers:
I saw 200 mph and 1500 fpm climb for the first time this week...AMAZING PLANE!!!
 
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