After reading through Rick Junkin's test plan it was pretty much as I
remembered it. While I don't disagree with a single line in his check
list, my concern is that when a builder looks at the plan, in its 50+
pages, they will be overwhelmed and say "no way can I accomplish all
that." Rather than trying to eat the elephant all in one setting lets
break it down in to more manageable bites. I would break it down to the
following areas. Do your best in each area to ensure your own comfort
level. Consider each of these items during the entire build process,
even the last, pilot capabilities. Are you staying flight current?
Don't lay off during the building process and think you can do a first
light. If you do, get totally current and comfortable again or have
someone else make the first flight.
For a proven design like the KR:
A. Structural integrity - insure structure won't fail and operates as
designed. Follow proven plans or modify to incorporate changes /
improvements as have been proven by results of others
B. C.G. correct - self explanatory . After structural integrity the
most important item to insure successful flight.
C. Keep the engine running - fuel and spark. If the first two
requirements are met, eliminate what is probably one of the primary
reason for first flight failure.
D. Airport facilities adequate - Common sense says your not going to
trailer your project hundreds of miles to an ideal airport for the first
flight so identify any short comings of your airport and operate
accordingly. I'm guessing most first flights don't take place at an
"ideal" airport and most, maybe by luck, are successful. Here again,
what is your comfort level? What are the risk?
E. Pilot capabilities - When the time comes, and your comfortable with
all of the above, be honest with yourself in assessing your own ability
to conduct the first flight. If any doubt, ask someone qualified to
perform the flight for you.
Speaking from experience, on the first flight, at the point you pull
back on the stick and suddenly have air under the tires, your pucker
factor will draw enough blood from your brain that you're only capable
of flying the plane to a safe altitude while watching the engine gauges
and listening for funny sounds from the engine. At a safe altitude, draw
a deep breath, relax, and get the feel of the airplane. Have a one page
list of things to accomplish and stick to it. The only thing I look to
do on a first flight, if all is going well, is to do a straight ahead
power off stall to determine what the ASI indicates at the stall break.
I use that to calculate my approach speed for landing. It doesn't have
to be accurate, I just want a reference. If you intend to use flaps or
speed brake on the landing, extend them at altitude at the calculated
approach speed and make some gentle turns, no more than 15 to 20 degrees
to verify good control. You don't want any surprises in the pattern.
If all has gone well to that point, your biggest challenge of the flight
will be the flare and landing. Many first flight accidents happen with
a flare to high and dropping it in or a flare to low and getting a
bounce which is followed by PIO and a bad ending. Don't commit to
landing on the first approach if thing don't look / feel good. On my
first approach in the KR, without using the speed brake, things weren't
comfortable. I didn't like the deck angle, things felt mushy, it just
didn't feel comfortable. I went back to altitude, gradually extended
the speed brake to full down while testing in shallow turns, and
returned to a comfortable and successful landing.
Year ago at a Gathering I was standing next to Willie Wilson as we
watched a spot landing contest of KR drivers. I commented to Willie
that landing a 747 must really be tough. His reply was "not at all. I
just listen to that little voice in my ear, 50 feet, 40 feet, 30 feet,"
etc.. With that in mind it would be nice to have someone on the radio
assisting your visual clues saying 5 feet, 4 feet, 3 feet, 2 feet, 1
foot, and touchdown. I never tried it but I'm thinking it would be a
valuable assist.
Everyone's situation is different with different challenges in different
areas of building and flying. Use as many sources as possible to
eliminate as many errors / mistakes as possible. Give it your best shot
and more than likely it will work out just fine. The greater percentage
of the time it does.
As always, YRMV.................
Larry Flesenr
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