Newbie Question, really: That first flight

A question I've always wanted to ask homebuilders is based on how I can see
one could go through the process of building through lots of hard work and
dedication - but how do you get yourself to do that first flight? I would
think a thousand questions would fill one's mind (ex: did I tighten or
overtighten that blank, are the rivets going to hold,,,, etc.).

How does one safely test an 'unknown'..... just curious.....

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Good Flights!

Cecil
PP-ASEL-IA
Student - CP-ASEL

Check out my personal flying adventures from my first flight to the
checkride AND the continuing adventures beyond!
Complete with pictures and text at: www.bayareapilot.com

"I fly because it releases my mind from the tyranny of petty things."
- Antoine de Saint-Exupery -

"We who fly, do so for the love of flying. We are alive in the air with
this miracle that lies in our hands and beneath our feet"
- Cecil Day Lewis -

On Thu, 16 Sep 2004 16:48:24 GMT, "Cecil Chapman"
wrote:

A question I've always wanted to ask homebuilders is based on how I can see
one could go through the process of building through lots of hard work and
dedication - but how do you get yourself to do that first flight? I would
think a thousand questions would fill one's mind (ex: did I tighten or
overtighten that blank, are the rivets going to hold,,,, etc.).

How does one safely test an 'unknown'..... just curious.....

The answer is really quite simple, you don't.

Really, if you think you are going to be all a-quiver with emotions
and questions while attempting to pilot the airplane during the
momentous first flight, maybe you should hire someone who doesn't have
so much emotion and time invested in the airplane.

You should be aware, if you aren't already, that the first flight is
deadly, statistically speaking. It's the single most deadly flight
you'll ever take. There are many reasons for this: The pilot may not
have current skills (because he's been building and not flying), the
pilot may be low time, the pilot may not have any flight training in
type, the airplane may have a performance greater than the pilot is
used to, the engine may not have run for a long time, the engine
installation may include non aviation type fasteners and tubing, the
engine installation may be a non certified type, the engine may not
have been tested at full power for a time equal to takeoff and climb,
the airplane may not have been built to plans, the airplane may not
have an improper center of gravity. Or the situation may include ALL
of the above.

If your situation includes one or two of the above, or more, you might
ask youself what it is you are trying to prove by being the one to
take that first flight.

Corky (as you can see I've thought about this a lot) Scott

On Thu, 16 Sep 2004 14:45:56 -0400, Corky Scott
wrote:

the airplane may not
have an improper center of gravity.

Sorry, this of course was supposed to read: The airplane my have an
improper center of gravity.

Corky Scott

On Thu, 16 Sep 2004 14:45:56 -0400, Corky Scott
wrote:

You should be aware, if you aren't already, that the first flight is
deadly, statistically speaking. It's the single most deadly flight
you'll ever take.

Some numbers to go with that: The accident rate for homebuilt aircraft is
about 1% a year. Coincidentally, about 1% of new homebuilts crash on their
first flight.

That means that the first flight packs a full year's worth of danger into a
single takeoff and landing.....

Ron Wanttaja

"Ron Wanttaja" wrote in message
...
On Thu, 16 Sep 2004 14:45:56 -0400, Corky Scott
wrote:

You should be aware, if you aren't already, that the first flight is
deadly, statistically speaking. It's the single most deadly flight
you'll ever take.

Some numbers to go with that: The accident rate for homebuilt aircraft is
about 1% a year. Coincidentally, about 1% of new homebuilts crash on
their
first flight.

That means that the first flight packs a full year's worth of danger into
a
single takeoff and landing.....

Ron Wanttaja

Those are good numbers, meaning a first flight is a worthy risk. If more
people would preflight and not race against time or an airshow event the
numbers would be even better.

A Moni killed a good doctor here on first flight. He was under pressure to
please the crowd, including his young family, and took off in too much gusty
wind.

On Fri, 17 Sep 2004 13:09:10 -0400, " jls"
wrote:





All in all, I would suggest that having someone else make your first
flight would be tatamount to having a stand in take the first shot at
your new wife.

Ed Sullivan

Ed Sullivan wrote:

On Fri, 17 Sep 2004 13:09:10 -0400, " jls"
wrote:





All in all, I would suggest that having someone else make your first
flight would be tatamount to having a stand in take the first shot at
your new wife.

Ed Sullivan


Dibs!

;-)
Just Joking

All in all, I would suggest that having someone else make your first
flight would be tatamount to having a stand in take the first shot at
your new wife.

Ed Sullivan


Only if your wife is likely to KILL YOU if you make a mistake.

Bob Reed
www.kisbuild.r-a-reed-assoc.com (KIS Builders Site)
KIS Cruiser in progress...Slow but steady progress....

"Ladies and Gentlemen, take my advice,
pull down your pants and Slide on the Ice!"
(M.A.S.H. Sidney Freedman)

Ed Sullivan wrote...

All in all, I would suggest that having someone else make your first
flight would be tatamount to having a stand in take the first shot at
your new wife.

If your new wife has the potential to crush you, stab you,
and burn you to death due to your inability to handle her,
you might consider getting a stand-in until you've polished
your skills a bit. So to speak.

Pride has no place in flight test.

Dave 'long fall' Hyde

"Cecil Chapman" wrote in
. com:

A question I've always wanted to ask homebuilders is based on how I
can see one could go through the process of building through lots of
hard work and dedication - but how do you get yourself to do that
first flight? I would think a thousand questions would fill one's
mind (ex: did I tighten or overtighten that blank, are the rivets
going to hold,,,, etc.).

How does one safely test an 'unknown'..... just curious.....

Sounds like a wedding night. G


Seriously, remember that you don't just "take to the sky" the minute the
last rivet is set. By the time you have the thing built a lot of pieces
have been assembled and disassembled and reassembled, and you are
probably (certainly should be) VERY familiar with pretty much every
piece of that plane.

There are test runs of the engine. Even taxi tests. Leak checks are
performed. And everything SHOULD be rechecked for proper torque.

Rules vary from country to country (some require stage checks), but in
the US there is a final exam that must be passed. An examiner goes over
the plane (hopefully with a fine tooth comb) for anything that does not
look save and conform to safety standards. Only then do you get a
certificate to go flying.

The first flight itself is interesting. There are books and tapes (and
not all agree) on how to do it. Test hops (just a couple of feet in the
air) can be made. But usually once you do commit to flight, you go fly.
The plane is climbed to a safe altitude (about as high as practical) and
a series of test maneuvers is made to verify things like stall speed and
wing drop -- things you probably need to know before trying to land. G

Yes, mistakes do happen, but considering the number of safe "first
flights" taken by experimental aircraft every year, aircraft built often
by first-time builders, the success rate is IMHO amazing.

jmk