On 7/30/2024 9:11 AM, Mark Langford wrote:
My point is that high speed taxi testing has a very useful purpose,
and may save your newly minted plane from untimely destruction before
you ever get to experience the joy of flying it.
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This is the kind of subject that makes great "click bait" discussions
for the Gathering camp fire. With Mark having more than 1000 hours of
KR time and surviving 3 off airport landings (that he has told us
about), no one is going to question his ability to fly a KR. We must
however be conscious of exactly what we are testing in high speed taxi
test. If any airplane to be tested can safely ,and with full control,
be taxied from the hangar, navigate the ramp, taxi to the runway for a
test, accelerate to near lift off speed, cut the power, remain under
control for the slowdown to stop with a safe amount of runway left, you
know all you need to know about the (ground handling) control-ability of
the airplane. If you feel certain the airplane can touch down on
landing on any part of the runway you used to accelerate, it is ready to
fly. Any testing beyond that point is to train the pilot, instill
confidence in the pilot that he can handle it, or increase the pilots
comfort level and any additional testing may have undesirable consequences.
With three successful "first flights" and a forth "first successful
flight" on an experimental, I would never feel comfortable making a
"crow hop" where you make the first takeoff in an untested airplane and
then attempt to land it 3 or 4 seconds later. On each first flight I
took off, climbed to altitude and got comfortable with the airplane,
did at least one straight ahead power off stall, then practiced a decent
at approach speed. All were uneventful.
Anyone contemplating making a "first flight" should self-evaluate their
comfort level and recent flight time. If I were making rules to live by
I would require the following. No one makes a "first flight" or even a
maintenance test flight with less than 250 hours total flight time and
no less than 50 hours in the past 12 months. The pilot must have a very
good comfort level getting in to an airplane so it doesn't slow his
reaction time when unexpected things happen. If you're not comfortable,
consider someone more capable to make the first flight.
The FAA came out with the "second pilot rule" several years back.
Terrible thinking as far as I'm concerned. Their intent, they say, is
to minimize loss of control accidents. So, on most small two place
airplanes you intend to make the first flight at near gross weight with
two souls on board at what is probably a more rear CG configuration.
Why in heavens name would you do that? If the PIC is not capable of
controlling the airplane if experiencing marginal control ability,
someone else should be making the test flight.
Bottom line, know what you're actually testing for, consider failure
modes, self evaluate your abilities, and do so as safely as possible.
See you at the Gathering...........and bring a list of topics to the
evening camp fire.
Larry Flesner
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