First flight (N430PM?RV-7A) - I?m not much of a writer so I will just jump in where I remember. 
Dang, I am up in the air. I am thinking this must be a bunny hop so I nose over slightly. How could this happen so fast? Smooth application of the throttle to full power and a slight pressure on the stick to lift the front wheel (yes it is a tike) and it is airborne. It just hopped up in under 350 ft? but I am flying now. The small group standing by the picnic are taking notes. Where did they all come from? I climb faster than I had figured and am past the profile for putting it back on the runway comfortably. I jinx the elevator just enough to know that this climb is sustainable and not building speed too fast; stick the speed at 100 knots. Oh yeah this is what I had planned! By the end of the 2,700 ft runway I have hit pattern altitude and am still climbing. No problem with nerves I have just been flying the return to earth plan Triggs helped me write. I can now switch from calculating how to get?er down to flying the sweetie.
Off to the west is the weather system moving in? fast WOW. Shoot, I need a little time to figure things out. I climb out to 2,800 ft just below the class B Seattle air space and start looking over all the instruments. Everything looks good except the fuel pressure which is missing from the screen? I don?t care. I know it is correct from the earlier engine run in. For the new engine I choose to set everything on 26 squared and fly around carefully testing and learning the controls. By now, about a half hour later the weather has almost obscured the airport in a low layer of clouds and the winds are kicking up in a stiff cross wind. I fly to the east to slip under the cloud layer and re-enter the pattern. I end up with the weather just above minimums (always? grin). The low layer clouds were getting too thick to see through and I am not IFR. One quick stall test and I find the nose a little heavy. I am not able to get it to break with simple back pressure. She shakes like a wet hunting dog but does not cut loose or drop a wing. That is reassuring. Sandy my wife has more confidence than I because she has gone inside to make coffee for the neighbors that have stopped to ask if I have finally got the thing flying.
By down wind Sandy has made it back with the coffee and I have discovered the 15 knot cross wind is 90 degrees to the runway with the wind sock sticking straight out. The rain has started 2 miles west and a few cells are moving in fast. Hey this is Settle right! I smile thinking that I am glad this is a nose wheel plane and not like the Citabria which tries to weathervane into strong winds on rollout. I also am thinking of the RV-7 that hit his wing getting it low with the gusts out of the taxiways. I have long ago decided to watch out for that and I keep it vectored in the wind with only a slight crab, followed by a strong rudder kick to straighten it out on center line as the mains touch. Hey it worked! Still a bit sporty and it is a new plane to me. The audience think this is quite professional and I am glad to let them keep thinking that way. It is hard to impress anyone here.
The flight was cut short and I have pushed my allotted luck for the next couple of days. I will go tear everything down and write thank you letters to all my neighbors and friends who have been teaching me to build and fly. Crest Airpark (S36) has some of the most fascinating and knowledgeable airplane people in the world. I can?t list you all here but when you quit shaking you heads you can take credit for keeping me alive. No Dave there were no aileron rolls, loops, or stuff like that. Once again any FAR violation were purely your imagination only.
Dang, I am up in the air. I am thinking this must be a bunny hop so I nose over slightly. How could this happen so fast? Smooth application of the throttle to full power and a slight pressure on the stick to lift the front wheel (yes it is a tike) and it is airborne. It just hopped up in under 350 ft? but I am flying now. The small group standing by the picnic are taking notes. Where did they all come from? I climb faster than I had figured and am past the profile for putting it back on the runway comfortably. I jinx the elevator just enough to know that this climb is sustainable and not building speed too fast; stick the speed at 100 knots. Oh yeah this is what I had planned! By the end of the 2,700 ft runway I have hit pattern altitude and am still climbing. No problem with nerves I have just been flying the return to earth plan Triggs helped me write. I can now switch from calculating how to get?er down to flying the sweetie.
Off to the west is the weather system moving in? fast WOW. Shoot, I need a little time to figure things out. I climb out to 2,800 ft just below the class B Seattle air space and start looking over all the instruments. Everything looks good except the fuel pressure which is missing from the screen? I don?t care. I know it is correct from the earlier engine run in. For the new engine I choose to set everything on 26 squared and fly around carefully testing and learning the controls. By now, about a half hour later the weather has almost obscured the airport in a low layer of clouds and the winds are kicking up in a stiff cross wind. I fly to the east to slip under the cloud layer and re-enter the pattern. I end up with the weather just above minimums (always? grin). The low layer clouds were getting too thick to see through and I am not IFR. One quick stall test and I find the nose a little heavy. I am not able to get it to break with simple back pressure. She shakes like a wet hunting dog but does not cut loose or drop a wing. That is reassuring. Sandy my wife has more confidence than I because she has gone inside to make coffee for the neighbors that have stopped to ask if I have finally got the thing flying.
By down wind Sandy has made it back with the coffee and I have discovered the 15 knot cross wind is 90 degrees to the runway with the wind sock sticking straight out. The rain has started 2 miles west and a few cells are moving in fast. Hey this is Settle right! I smile thinking that I am glad this is a nose wheel plane and not like the Citabria which tries to weathervane into strong winds on rollout. I also am thinking of the RV-7 that hit his wing getting it low with the gusts out of the taxiways. I have long ago decided to watch out for that and I keep it vectored in the wind with only a slight crab, followed by a strong rudder kick to straighten it out on center line as the mains touch. Hey it worked! Still a bit sporty and it is a new plane to me. The audience think this is quite professional and I am glad to let them keep thinking that way. It is hard to impress anyone here.
The flight was cut short and I have pushed my allotted luck for the next couple of days. I will go tear everything down and write thank you letters to all my neighbors and friends who have been teaching me to build and fly. Crest Airpark (S36) has some of the most fascinating and knowledgeable airplane people in the world. I can?t list you all here but when you quit shaking you heads you can take credit for keeping me alive. No Dave there were no aileron rolls, loops, or stuff like that. Once again any FAR violation were purely your imagination only.
