Sage advice from Larry. A test plan is all about risk mitigation. We plan in order to address the known risks and achieve a comfort level with the unmitigated risks we’re choosing to accept. The wise test pilot always gets help from piers in assessing the unmitigated risks. As Larry said, use all of the resources available to you, which includes input from people you trust and the experience of those who have come before you. There are also unknown risks, and unknown unknowns, so looking at your plan throughout the build process, again as Larry suggested, helps reduce those to a minimum.
The primary objective of the first flight is to get away from the ground and learn how to land the airplane. Anything else you learn on that first flight is gravy. You have 40 hours, no need to be in a rush. Cheers, Rick Rick Junkin Integrity Demands Courage rick.jun...@me.com > On Feb 1, 2021, at 6:54 PM, Flesner via KRnet <krnet@list.krnet.org> wrote: > > > 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 > > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > 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 _______________________________________________ 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
