Victor Taylor wrote: .....>> I’m not saying don’t get someone else to fly it for you. You built it and deserve the joy in launching it for the first time. But only if it’s safe to do so. <<
This was an excellent reply, and would be hard to improve on. I was hoping you'd be the guy to answer it. I have no right to answer this, as I invited Troy Petteway to fly mine first, and fortunately it went quite well. I thought about flying Robert Pesak's for the first time, but got antsy when I thought about the tri-gear vs a taildragger (which should be no real difference), but more importantly....the engine controls. Nobody is more familiar with the engine and other system controls than you, Pete, and for that reason I'd say you're the best guy to make that first flight. You'd never forgive them if somebody else piled it up because they did something stupid because of a misunderstanding of the controls. Just make absolutely sure you've tested fuel flow at climb attitude to be at least 1.5X what the engine will need at full throttle, and that the engine will run wide open for at least a minute (that'll get you plenty of altitude and a good shot at a decent forced landing). After my first engine failure, I adopted a takeoff policy of climbing out to the right about 30 degrees from centerline, just in case I need to turn back (left) to the runway. This helps mitigate a sharp S-turn if you have to turn back. Also, make sure you climb high enough to stall it at least once so you know what your indicated airspeed is when it quits flying, and land 10% faster for the first few landings. I'm also a fan of taxi testing, but some folks will assure you that's a dumb idea. Still, I think you'll do fine if you follow Victor's advice and get a little stick time in a KR. I'd volunteer, but N891JF is a very tight fit, and the heaviest person I've flown was my 100 pound daughter. But as Troy Petteway told me after he flew N56ML, "it's the best ground handling KR I've ever flown, and KRs in general are pussycats on the ground anyway." Mark Langford, Huntsville, AL ML "at" N56ML.com www.N56ML.com _______________________________________________ Search the KRnet Archives at https://www.mail-archive.com/krnet@list.krnet.org/. Please see LIST RULES and KRnet info at http://www.krnet.org/info.html. see http://list.krnet.org/mailman/listinfo/krnet_list.krnet.org to change options. To UNsubscribe from KRnet, send a message to krnet-le...@list.krnet.org
