AIRWORTHY
Today (March 27, 2004), I got my airworthiness certificate for RV-7 N714D. Adam Valdez, the DAR, found two squawks:
That was it...but don't get the wrong idea. Adam spent all morning going over every accessible inch of the plane. I had every inspection panel, wing root fairings, wing tips, empennage fairing, access panels, wing inspection panels, seat pans, all cabin panels removed for the inspection...and he managed to find his way into every nook and cranny with his flashlight and articulating mirror.
After the inspection was complete, we went through the paperwork. I signed a bunch of stuff that Adam had prepared, and we went over the operating limitations. Adam was great about explaining all the ins and outs of the regulations. I got a 25-hour flyoff period (woohoo!) and the same test flight area that people have had at Chino recently (the "11-mile box"). And then he gave me "the pink slip," the airworthiness certificate. Pretty satisfying feeling to say the least.
Hm...the sky is blue (mostly), the winds are light, and the day is young. Lots of work ahead replacing all the removables, but why not?! After lunch, it was all-hands at the hangar, and the "locals" all grabbed screwdrivers and we went at it. Here Linas is helping me slap the wing root fairings back on.
You cannot possibly imagine how many screws there are in one of these planes until you've done 'em all in an afternoon. It took about three hours, with six of us working on the plane, to get everything ready to roll. Don't forget to check the oil...as if there would be any less in there than the last time I checked...but leave no stone unturned!!!
Dave Klages was doing the nasty duty of screwing in the seat pans, flap housing covers, etc.
Somehow, with much help, it finally came to an end. The last screw was in. Everything was solid. I checked every last thing there was to check. What's next? Pull this sucker out and give it a go!
The sun was getting low in the sky, and I decided to wait until the sun just went below the hills to the west before taking off. I only planned on flying about 30 minutes (operating limitations state Phase I is limited to day, VFR only), and I didn't want the sun in my eyes taking off and landing to the west.
Just as the sun was about to hit the hills, I told Jen I love her, kissed her, got in, fired it up, and taxied out. The peanut gallery gathered by the taxiway and snapped this photo of me taxiing out for the soon to be maiden flight.
After a brief run-up, tower gave me position-and-hold. They cleared me, I slowly advanced power, and took off -- if you can call a run that short a takeoff!
AIRBORNE
By the time the RPM got up there, the tail was up and I was flying. It felt absolutely amazing. Barely perceptible control forces -- it took serious will power for me to keep from yanking & banking! I climbed out around 2000 feet per minute and kept the airspeed around 125-130 mph for cooling. I was passing 2000' when I reached the end of the runway and started the left turn to orbit south of the field. Too good to be true? Shortly after throttling back, bus voltage went nuts, my engine monitor started indicating all sorts of wacky stuff, and then the screen went black. I came around and landed uneventfully. Here I am taxiing back in for the first time.
Despite the glitch, it was a momentous success. Here's the "RV Grin" as they say.
Jen greeted my return to earth with a kiss.
There's no describing these moments. I could blab about it all day long on this page and it would hardly scratch the surface. There is nothing that comes close to the feeling of taking to the air in a fine airplane you built with your own hands, with help from great friends and incredible mentors. It's something you must behold to appreciate. Dream about it all you want -- it will never be so sweet as that very moment the dream becomes a reality. Life has certainly begun anew.
Capped off the day with a little champagne.
Don't even ask me what went wrong electrically (please). I'm already deep into debugging it and will definitely post the outcome as it happens. My suspicion off the bat is that the voltage regulator/alternator controller went tits-up and wreaked havoc on the bus. As of now the LR3C-14 isn't behaving normally...still testing. We'll see what it ended up being.
To the builders out there: do yourself a BIG favor and keep at it -- finish that project. There is no doubt in the universe that it all becomes worth it the moment your wheels leave the ground!!!!!
It is humbling to have something fail in those first few minutes. I was expecting something to happen, but of course you never know what it's gonna be. You're really at the mercy of the universe, and the only way to stay on top of the situation is by having trained for it, and by trying to rule out every possibility of a point of failure. Even so, there's a lot that the universe can throw at you that you never expected. Be careful out there!
Today was just a taste of what lies ahead. This puppy wants to GO!!! I gotta get back to fixing the electrical system and flying off my hours...later...