Sparky
Well Known Member
After 10 years of building, my RV-7 flew for the first time on Saturday, April 16th!
N77PB received an airworthiness certificate last Saturday, April 9th, after a DAR inspection by Vern Darley. Vern is a very professional DAR inspector and did a very thorough inspection. He did point out a couple of very minor items, but overall the inspection went very well with no significant findings. Thanks, Vern!
For the first flight I had always intended to get an experienced RV pilot to perform the first flight. I'm a fairly low time pilot with a recent tailwheel endorsement, and just don't feel entirely comfortable jumping into an unfamiliar and unproven aircraft. So I searched for a qualified test pilot and found who I consider one of the best. I had originally approached Kent Gorton, to obtain RV transition training in his RV-6. One thing led to another, and I asked him to perform the first flight, and he agreed.
Kent did a fantastic job on the first flight! As you can hear in the video, it was quite windy here in Newnan, GA on Saturday with about 20 knot winds and a left crosswind component of about 14 knots. He performed a very professional first flight per flight test plan and absolutely greased the landing!
The A/C flew perfectly for 42 minutes with no issues. She flew hands off, wings level, with no aileron trim required, and performed very close to published specifications. I downloaded the flight data from the Advanced Flight Systems AF-4500 EFIS/EMS system and all engine temps and other parameters were well within limits. The AeroSport Power IO-360-B1B engine and Hartzell composite constant speed prop and all avionics were basically flawless.
Here are some pictures and videos:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E7TkHgDaTmM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VtdTXrUaE1s
Thanks to everyone who has helped over the years, but especially to my wife, Becky, who was always supportive and positive, and helped me drive a significant number of rivets!
I really am looking forward to my first flight! Coming soon...
N77PB received an airworthiness certificate last Saturday, April 9th, after a DAR inspection by Vern Darley. Vern is a very professional DAR inspector and did a very thorough inspection. He did point out a couple of very minor items, but overall the inspection went very well with no significant findings. Thanks, Vern!
For the first flight I had always intended to get an experienced RV pilot to perform the first flight. I'm a fairly low time pilot with a recent tailwheel endorsement, and just don't feel entirely comfortable jumping into an unfamiliar and unproven aircraft. So I searched for a qualified test pilot and found who I consider one of the best. I had originally approached Kent Gorton, to obtain RV transition training in his RV-6. One thing led to another, and I asked him to perform the first flight, and he agreed.
Kent did a fantastic job on the first flight! As you can hear in the video, it was quite windy here in Newnan, GA on Saturday with about 20 knot winds and a left crosswind component of about 14 knots. He performed a very professional first flight per flight test plan and absolutely greased the landing!
The A/C flew perfectly for 42 minutes with no issues. She flew hands off, wings level, with no aileron trim required, and performed very close to published specifications. I downloaded the flight data from the Advanced Flight Systems AF-4500 EFIS/EMS system and all engine temps and other parameters were well within limits. The AeroSport Power IO-360-B1B engine and Hartzell composite constant speed prop and all avionics were basically flawless.
Here are some pictures and videos:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E7TkHgDaTmM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VtdTXrUaE1s
Thanks to everyone who has helped over the years, but especially to my wife, Becky, who was always supportive and positive, and helped me drive a significant number of rivets!
I really am looking forward to my first flight! Coming soon...
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