Reply-To: Sky2high@aol.com
Reply-To: lancair.list@olsusa.com
From: "Scott Krueger" <sky2high@hotmail.com>
To: lancair.list@olsusa.com
Subject: First Flight Questions
Date: Tue, 27 Feb 2001 08:59:02 -0600
Message-ID: <F71EphXY9nkxnlatqZC0001a754@hotmail.com>
Mime-Version: 1.0

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While considering your first flight, try to ask yourself these questions:

1.  Am I going to insure my Aircraft for damage and liability?  If so, will 
I use AVEMCO?  If so, am I an EAA member? If so, do I want coverage during 
the first 10 hours/10 landings?  If so, I should utilize the EAA Tech 
Counselor and Flight Advisor program.  The extra eyes and help with the test 
flight plan is well worth it, along with liability protection starting with 
the first flight.

2.  Should I ask other local builders, who have successfully certified their 
airplanes, what are the local FAA peculiarities?  Never ask the FAA a 
question for which you don't know their answer.  Local builders can usually 
suggest an "experimental aircraft" compatible DAR for the "inspection".

3.  Should I ask for a test area greater than a 25 statute mile radius?  The 
25 or 40 hour limit won't matter much if you have a decent flight test area. 
  Consider a test area appropriate for the speed of the airplane and that it 
encompasses safe areas (to the people on the ground) for tests.  Remember 
that even mild aerobatics must be performed during the test flights if you 
want certification for those maneuvers after the test.  Include Navigation 
aids (VORS, etc.) for flight testing purposes and airports where repair 
facilities are available so that if you have a problem which would require 
an avionics shop (Xpdr tests, etc) or other repair facility, they would be 
available to you.  Use these arguments to justify the larger flight test 
area.

4.  Can someone else be in the plane and still satisfy the FARs?  Consider 
that a required crew member can accompany you during a test flight.  How 
else are you going to record engine parameters throughout its range of 
operation?  How else can you test instrument flight instruments without 
someone looking out the window?  How else can you record criticla flight 
data while safely flying the airplane?  I think you get the drift.  91.319 
(d) (1) implies another person may be aboard.  See 91.305 for test flight 
area. Also, if you are an EAA member, go to

http://members.eaa.org/home/homebuilders/government/operations.html

and you will find the text of all the "restrictions" including one that 
should be on your airworthiness certificate:

"(9) During the flight testing phase, no person may be carried in this 
aircraft during flight unless that person is essential to the purpose of the 
flight."

5.  How can I be as safe as possible on the first flight and protect the 
aircraft that I spent so much time building?  Get a test pilot who has 
tested many Lancairs such as Mike DeHate or Don Goetz, et al.  Here's why:

a)  They will do a thorough pre-flight check of your airplane because they 
know exactly what to look for and the common mistakes made by builders that 
reach this point.

b)  They are experienced test pilots, sharp on Lancairs, and mentally 
equipped to handle any in flight emergency.  Are you?

c)  They are excellent "essential to the purpose of the flight" people 
during your familiarization.  They have seen it all from every seat in the 
airplane.

Good Luck,

Scott Krueger
LNC2 - N92EX
EAA 579 Tech Counselor


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