semperfubar
I'm New Here
We are close to finishing up an RV-8, Fernando (airbuspilot), who already owns a RV-8 will be doing the maiden flight and approximately the next 5 hours of test flying. I have rather enjoyed helping Fernando and the owner in finishing up the plane over the last few months and it has really opened my eyes to all the possibilities. I had never even considered building a plane before!!!
Getting to the point, the owner would like me (1000hrs and about 100+ taildragger) to do the rest of the phase one testing ( finishing at total of 40hrs). I am familiar with the "Required crew" requirement, however I am thinking on turning down flying the RV-8 for the owner (also friend) since he seems to want to just pop in the back seat at hour 5 and fly along with me.
As much as the plane has been beautifully built and with lots of dedication and care, and I would not anticipate any sort of problems with the design, this situation makes me uncomfortable. I would prefer the owner to come along maybe for later flights (even after hour 10-15) and/or CG related flights.
My question is, am I exaggerating the risk with the Vans line of aircraft? I realise that it probably is the worlds most popular kitplane, but I still think a healthy attitude and some level of care during this test phase is necessary. Whatcha think?
Getting to the point, the owner would like me (1000hrs and about 100+ taildragger) to do the rest of the phase one testing ( finishing at total of 40hrs). I am familiar with the "Required crew" requirement, however I am thinking on turning down flying the RV-8 for the owner (also friend) since he seems to want to just pop in the back seat at hour 5 and fly along with me.
As much as the plane has been beautifully built and with lots of dedication and care, and I would not anticipate any sort of problems with the design, this situation makes me uncomfortable. I would prefer the owner to come along maybe for later flights (even after hour 10-15) and/or CG related flights.
My question is, am I exaggerating the risk with the Vans line of aircraft? I realise that it probably is the worlds most popular kitplane, but I still think a healthy attitude and some level of care during this test phase is necessary. Whatcha think?