How many of you flew your maiden flight?

[Don Patrick]

Sure did. After 8 years and 8 months of building, I took my 8 on its maiden flight on Dec 30th, 2018...what a thrill!

https://www.vansaircraft.com/first-f...patricks-rv-8/

I’ve got over 170 flight hours on it now. Miss the build, but love flying it.

Been toying with selling it and building another....

Keep pounding!


Don

[dreed]

I've not flown yet, but am very close. Already decided to have someone else to it for me (no shame). Mike Seager is going to do my initial flight or two and then I'll go up with him for some familiarization flights.

Can't think of anyone better to do a test flight in an RV and it's been a 3-4- months since I did my transition time with him so I am sure I am RV rusty already.

[DanH]

Work the odds. This is not a time for emotion. If there is a readily available pilot with more experience in type, let them do it.

So far, I've had someone else fly two, and I flew two. My first flight in the former pair was just as much fun as the second pair.

[wirejock]

Originally Posted by dreed

I've not flown yet, but am very close. Already decided to have someone else to it for me (no shame). Mike Seager is going to do my initial flight or two and then I'll go up with him for some familiarization flights.

Can't think of anyone better to do a test flight in an RV and it's been a 3-4- months since I did my transition time with him so I am sure I am RV rusty already.

I'm planning to hire a Test Pilot. Nice to know Mike does it. I may look him up when the time comes.

[wilddog]

I flew my -8’s first flight and would not have missed it for anything. Made the best landing so far! It was the only RV-8 I’ve flown but I was current in my now sold RV-3. Also flew first flight of a Hatz biplane I built years ago. I don’t think I would build a plane with the intention of somebody else testing it. It is my responsibility and my thrill.

[Canadian_JOY]

I did the first flight in my aircraft. I'll commit heresy here by saying it was also my very first flight in the type, my very first time moving the airplane under its own power, but a long way from my first rodeo.

Throughout the build I remained current in my other airplane, one which is far more demanding of the pilot. I was lucky enough to get a few minutes of stick time in the smaller/older version of my aircraft so I had some vague idea of how the airplane should handle.

Of course it was a brand new airplane, brand new prop, brand new avionics, but all fairly well proven equipment. It took 10 ground runs to get the engine/prop dialed in so I was very comfortable with the engine, prop and their operation and instrumentation.

So all of the above sounds pretty conceited and maybe a bit dumb. But I had a plan... I availed myself of the services of an experienced flight instructor who would ride in the right seat with me for the first flight or two. He has a good deal of experience in certified airplanes and is a homebuilder himself. He also took on the role of safety backstop, checking all of the criteria that went into the go/nogo decision, making sure we had briefed as many scenarios as we could.

Then I chair-flew the first flight so many times and inserted the failure scenarios into those chair-flights, closing my eyes and manipulating controls by feel, building muscle memory, building smoothness and building a sense of cockpit routine.

The first flight was conducted 17 December, 2017 and was flawless. We circled the airport in a big racetrack pattern, staying within gliding distance. After about 1.2 hours we made a normal approach, terminating the flight in a pretty decent landing. No squawks were noted in that first flight.

What have I learned from this experience?
1) having a very experienced pilot to act as your safety backstop is an excellent idea
2) having a very experienced pilot along with you drastically reduces the stress level of the first flight
3) going it alone leaves one open to biases and other influences which could be very detrimental to safe operations

I'm very happy with the way the first flight turned out and suffer no deflation of my ego from having shared that flight experience with another pilot. In fact his presence made the entire experience better, from pre-flight planning to post-flight celebration.

[Ironflight]

It was mentioned in one other post above, but let me reinforce it - the EAA has the Flight Advisor program to help you answer this EXACT question. The decision you make shouldn’t be based on what anyone (or everyone) else does - it should be based on talking one on one with an experienced flight advisor who can help lead you to a safe first flight - whether it by at your hand, or someone else’s.

Flight Advisors are free (just like Tech Counselors), and you can find them on the EAA web site. If they think that you might have some deficiencies in your approach to a first flight, they can help you decide what needs to be done to have it go the way you like.

Take the emotion out of it, do some objective, rational analysis, and make the risk to you and your plan as low as possible.

Paul

[9GT]

My RV-10 was my very first maiden flight. It was without doubt the most emotionally fulfilling thing I ever did in my life. This is in no way a recommendation for others though, just my personal experience.

[jpowell13]

I did my own first flight after some excellent transition training from Mike Seager in Ol' Blue, a 6A that is very similar to mine. I really wanted to do the first flight and had no kids or dependents. I am secure in the knowledge that the next life will be better for me than this one (which has been very good). And, if something did go wrong, as a result of a construction error on my part, it seemed right that I be at the controls. These were the most important considerations for me, but there are many times that an experienced test pilot should make the first flight. If your gut says "no" then don't go. It's also important to realize that problems can remain hidden until a later flight. John

[Mel]

Originally Posted by Ironflight

Flight Advisors are free (just like Tech Counselors), and you can find them on the EAA web site. If they think that you might have some deficiencies in your approach to a first flight, they can help you decide what needs to be done to have it go the way you like.
Take the emotion out of it, do some objective, rational analysis, and make the risk to you and your plan as low as possible.
Paul

And many on this website!