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First Flight.
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psm(at)att.net
Guest

Posted: Sat Jul 09, 2011 2:06 pm Post subject: First Flight.

I completed the first flight of my XL today.  It went just fine, but 

there were a number of small squawks to fix.



I wound up flying in the middle of the day and the sky was clear but the 

air was unstable.  I was not able to hold an attitude to do precise 

measurements of airspeed or other parameters.  Takeoff and landing went 

just fine.  I used 1/2 flaps for takeoff and full flaps for landing.  

The nose was a little sticky on takeoff, so next time I think I will try 

doing it with full flaps.



I think I had the tachometer setting on the Dynon EMS wrong.  It 

indicated I was doing 3800 RPM in a low cruise which just doesn't make 

any sense.  I had it set for 4 counts per revolution (the suggested 

value in the Dynon book) and I think I will try 6 next time.  I 

controlled engine power by watching the cylinder head temperatures.  

That left me at perhaps 1/2 power max for most of the flight.



I climbed to 5,000 feet and tried to do a couple of stalls - one with 

and one without flaps.  In both cases I was unable to get the nose to 

drop, but the plane mushed and lost altitude much in the style of a 

Piper.  Indicated airspeeds in the mush was something around expected 

values of 38 dirty and 45 clean.  Again I couldn't maintain any airspeed 

for long enough to be sure of the exact reading.



I also learned I need to install a trim tab on the rudder.  I had to 

hold left rudder for most of the flight to keep the ball centered.  I 

also need to darken the skin/panel above the instrument panel to improve 

visibility when going toward the sun.  The reflections made it hard to 

see out front.



All in all it was a fine first flight.  It will probably be a couple of 

days before I am ready to try it again.



Paul

Camas, WA

XL in flight test - N773PM

merlin

Joined: 05 Oct 2008
Posts: 15
Location: Fair Play, S.C.

Posted: Sat Jul 09, 2011 2:17 pm Post subject: First Flight.

Don't use any flaps for takeoff. Full flaps will only make the nose heavier for takeoff.

& congratulations on the 1st flight...hope you have many more.  I hope to be there in about 2 years.

JW

From: Paul Mulwitz <psm(at)att.net>

To: zenith601-list(at)matronics.com

Sent: Sat, July 9, 2011 6:03:28 PM

Subject: First Flight.

 --> Zenith601-List message posted by: Paul Mulwitz <psm(at)att.net (psm(at)att.net)>

I completed the first flight of my XL today.  It went just fine, but there were a number of small squawks to fix.

I wound up flying in the middle of the day and the sky was clear but the air was unstable.  I was not able to hold an attitude to do precise measurements of airspeed or other parameters.  Takeoff and landing went just fine.  I used 1/2 flaps for takeoff and full flaps for landing.  The nose was a little sticky on takeoff, so next time I think I will try doing it with full flaps.

I think I had the tachometer setting on the Dynon EMS wrong.  It indicated I was doing 3800 RPM in a low cruise which just doesn't make any sense.  I had it set for 4 counts per revolution (the suggested value in the Dynon book) and I think I will try 6 next time.  I  controlled engine power by watching the cylinder head temperatures.  That left me at perhaps 1/2 power max for most of the flight.

I climbed to 5,000 feet and tried to do a couple of stalls - one with and one without flaps.  In both cases I was unable to get the nose to drop, but the plane mushed and lost altitude much in the style of a Piper.  Indicated airspeeds in the mush was something around expected values of 38 dirty and 45 clean.  Again I couldn't maintain any airspeed for long enough to be sure of the exact reading.

I also learned I need to install a trim tab on the rudder.  I had to hold left rudder for most of the flight to keep the ball centered.  I also need to darken the skin/panel above the instrument panel to improve visibility when going toward the sun.  The reflections made it hard to see out front.

All in all it was a fine first flight.  It will probably be a couple of days    

 [quote][b]

vk3eka(at)bigpond.net.au
Guest

Posted: Sat Jul 09, 2011 2:46 pm Post subject: First Flight.

Paul,



I agree with Jeffery, I don't use flaps on take off. Full flaps on landing

makes for a nice approach and landing.



Well done on the first one.



Cheers



Peter

Wonthaggi Australia

http://zodiac.cpc-world.com



--

vk3eka(at)bigpond.net.au
Guest

Posted: Sat Jul 09, 2011 2:59 pm Post subject: First Flight.

Paul,



Regarding the rudder, if you find that rudder is needed for most of the

flight, you might find that the rudder cables need adjusting to keep the

aircraft straight when the nose wheel steering rod attachments are in the

vee of the nose gear bottom bearing.



I have found that the rudder is not used much in general flight.



Peter

Wonthaggi Australia

http://zodiac.cpc-world.com



--

jlatimer1(at)cox.net
Guest

Posted: Sat Jul 09, 2011 3:28 pm Post subject: First Flight.

Paul              

         Congratulations!!!!              

         Jerry              

         HDS 912 100 hrs            

      [quote][b]

bryanmmartin

Joined: 10 Jan 2006
Posts: 1018

Posted: Sat Jul 09, 2011 3:34 pm Post subject: First Flight.

I usually take off with no flaps and just pull back on the stick at 60 MPH to rotate and it flies off fine.

On Jul 9, 2011, at 6:03 PM, Paul Mulwitz wrote:



 	  Quote: 	
		   

 

 I completed the first flight of my XL today.  It went just fine, but there were a number of small squawks to fix.

 

 I wound up flying in the middle of the day and the sky was clear but the air was unstable.  I was not able to hold an attitude to do precise measurements of airspeed or other parameters.  Takeoff and landing went just fine.  I used 1/2 flaps for takeoff and full flaps for landing.  The nose was a little sticky on takeoff, so next time I think I will try doing it with full flaps.


	


-- 

Bryan Martin

N61BM, CH 601 XL,

RAM Subaru, Stratus re-drive.

do not archive.

_________________
--
Bryan Martin
N61BM, CH 601 XL, Stratus Subaru.
do not archive.

psm(at)att.net
Guest

Posted: Sat Jul 09, 2011 3:57 pm Post subject: First Flight.

Thanks to everyone for the nice comments.



Peter, your comment about the rudder cables seems like it makes sense.  

I couldn't figure why a full flying rudder would need a trim tab.  

Perhaps I will try tweaking the cables first instead.



I guess I need to try taking off with no flaps as well as full flaps.  

After all this is test flying.  The Jabiru is a large engine for this 

plane and makes it so overpowered I don't think it will have any problem 

climbing with full flaps.



Paul



On 7/9/2011 3:57 PM, Peter W Johnson wrote:

[quote] 



 Paul,



 Regarding the rudder, if you find that rudder is needed for most of the

 flight, you might find that the rudder cables need adjusting to keep the

 aircraft straight when the nose wheel steering rod attachments are in the

 vee of the nose gear bottom bearing.



 I have found that the rudder is not used much in general flight.



 Peter

 Wonthaggi Australia

 http://zodiac.cpc-world.com



 --

rsteele(at)rjsit.com
Guest

Posted: Sat Jul 09, 2011 4:23 pm Post subject: First Flight.

Paul, Congratulations!



I hope it was worth all the difficulties.



So how does it fly compared to the Echo?  Do you think the Echo  

prepared you for first flight?



Ron

psm(at)att.net
Guest

Posted: Sat Jul 09, 2011 5:02 pm Post subject: First Flight.

Hi Ron,



Yes, it was worth all the difficulties.  I flew a plane today that would 

have never existed if not for my efforts over the last six years.  That 

makes it the longest project I have ever done.  (Well, I've managed to 

stay married to the same woman for 41 years . . .)



I can't really say how the Zodiac compares to the Echo.  Today's flight 

was not my best.  The turbulence and my lack of familiarity with the 

actual plane meant it was a pretty sloppy flight - at least by my 

standards.  In the large scheme of things I guess the two planes are 

very similar.  I'll try to do a detailed analysis of differences I noticed.



It took considerably more runway to get into the air than the Echo 

takes, and still the nose jumped up rather than a nice smooth transition 

from rolling down the runway to a nice climb profile.  Takeoff (with 

flaps) in the Echo is a matter of smoothly adding power and rotating as 

soon as the power is in.  With just one person it lifts off in around 

300 feet of ground roll.  I would estimate the runway needed today to be 

closer to 600 feet in the same configuration and with a lot more 

horsepower available.



One noticeable difference is the position of the main gear.  The Echo 

has the main gear located nearer to the CG than the Zodiac does.  On 

landing it is very easy to keep the Echo's nose gear in the air until 

almost stopped.  Holding the nose up after landing the Zodiac was a lot 

harder.  I managed to do it for a few yards (maybe 20 or so) but the 

nose really wants to come down.  I think this has a lot to do with the 

low wing vs. high wing configuration.  If the main gear were in the same 

relative place on the Zodiac then stepping on the step to climb up on 

the wing would cause the tail to hit the ground.  I've seen some designs 

that deal with this problem by putting the step in front of the wing 

instead of behind it.



I think the Zodiac has a higher climb rate.  This is only a guess since 

the incorrect tachometer kept me from using full throttle and having 

consistent power.  A Jabiru powered Zodiac should climb a lot faster 

than a Rotax powered Echo.  There is 30 percent more power available to 

convert to climb rate.



Visibility of the surrounding area is much better in the Zodiac.  The 

bubble canopy means everything above the horizon is easy to see and only 

the wings and nose interfere with the view downward.  In the Echo you 

sit with your head at the same level as the wing roots.  That means you 

can't see much of anything to the side because the wings are in the 

way.  You really need to roll right to look for traffic before making a 

left turn in the Echo.  This is not an issue in the Zodiac.



I found it difficult to hold the Zodiac in the exact attitude I wanted.  

This is just probably a "Training" issue.  I also had difficulty doing 

turns at the bank angle I wanted.  I tended to roll too steeply into the 

turn.



Oh . . . and the Jabiru sounds so much better than the Rotax engine.  It 

starts smoothly while the whole world shakes and rattles when starting a 

Rotax.  After you get it going, the Rotax seems to have a significant 

ancestry in the sewing machine community while the Jabiru sounds just 

great.  Of course, this is just my opinion and I am certainly biased.



I suspect I will be able to do a much better comparison after I have 

logged a few more hours in the Zodiac - especially if I get a nice calm 

day to fly.



Paul

On 7/9/2011 5:20 PM, Ronald Steele wrote:

 	  Quote: 	
		  

 Paul, Congratulations!



 I hope it was worth all the difficulties.



 So how does it fly compared to the Echo?  Do you think the Echo 

 prepared you for first flight?



 Ron

carlossa52(at)gmail.com
Guest

Posted: Sat Jul 09, 2011 5:31 pm Post subject: First Flight.

Paul, congratulations on your achievement.



How did the Jabiru behave in the temperature department?

Carlos

On 9 July 2011 18:03, Paul Mulwitz <psm(at)att.net (psm(at)att.net)> wrote:

  [quote]--> Zenith601-List message posted by: Paul Mulwitz <psm(at)att.net (psm(at)att.net)>

   

 I completed the first flight of my XL today.  It went just fine, but there were a number of small squawks to fix.

[b]

psm(at)att.net
Guest

Posted: Sat Jul 09, 2011 6:54 pm Post subject: First Flight.

Hi Carlos,



Thanks for the kind words.



The Jab seemed to cool pretty well.  I don't know how much power I was 

generating, but each time the engine showed cylinders getting too hot 

(over 350 F) I reduced power.  I understand it will not generate as much 

heat as the engine gets more broken in.



Paul



On 7/9/2011 6:28 PM, Carlos Sa wrote:

 	  Quote: 	
		   Paul, congratulations on your achievement.



 How did the Jabiru behave in the temperature department?

 Carlos

Ron Lendon

Joined: 10 Jan 2006
Posts: 685
Location: Clinton Twp., MI

Posted: Sat Jul 09, 2011 7:48 pm Post subject: Re: First Flight.

Congratulations Paul,



I know it has been a long and tiring process getting this airplane airworthy for you and I have much respect for the way you have gone through these details.



Fly Safe,

_________________
Ron Lendon
WW Corvair with Roy's Garage 5th bearing
CH 601 XLB
N601LT - Flying
http://www.mykitlog.com/rlendon
Corvair Engine Prints:
https://sites.google.com/site/corvairenginedata/

psm(at)att.net
Guest

Posted: Sat Jul 09, 2011 8:39 pm Post subject: First Flight.

Thanks, Ron.



Yes it has been a long path - one with treacherous curves.  I'm afraid I 

made a lot of enemies along the way.  Perhaps now some of them realize I 

wasn't just out to make their lives miserable.



Hopefully we can all be happy Zodiac owners and fliers now.



Paul



On 7/9/2011 8:48 PM, Ron Lendon wrote:

 	  Quote: 	
		   



 Congratulations Paul,



 I know it has been a long and tiring process getting this airplane airworthy for you and I have much respect for the way you have gone through these details.



 Fly Safe,

PatrickW

Joined: 27 Oct 2006
Posts: 380
Location: Fort Worth, Texas

Posted: Sun Jul 10, 2011 4:22 pm Post subject: Re: First Flight.

Magnificent accomplishment, Paul.



Thanks for sharing your experience.  Looking forward to hearing about Phase 1...



- Pat

psm(at)att.net
Guest

Posted: Sun Jul 10, 2011 6:53 pm Post subject: First Flight.

Thanks, Pat.



For now I am thinking the best thing for me to do is work on my pilot 

skills and integration with my Zodiac.  Yesterday I could barely control 

the airspeed and attitude and I need to get a handle on that before I 

can do any real testing.



I spent today fixing most of the squawks from yesterday's flight.  

Perhaps I will fly again tomorrow and see how all the fixes came out.



One point of interest.  I have a wood propeller and it really needed to 

have its bolts retorqued after the first flight.  Each one took a bout a 

quarter turn to get back to the desired torque - 18 ft. lbs. in my 

case.  The Sensenich data said this would be necessary but I didn't 

think it would take so much.



Paul

Camas, WA

XL with one whole hour of flight logged.



On 7/10/2011 5:22 PM, PatrickW wrote:

 	  Quote: 	
		   



 Magnificent accomplishment, Paul.



 Thanks for sharing your experience.  Looking forward to hearing about Phase 1...



 - Pat



 --------

 Patrick Hoyt

 601XLb/Corvair

 N63PZ - 99.999% done....





 Read this topic online here:



 http://forums.matronics.com/viewtopic.php?p=345831#345831

Afterfxllc(at)aol.com
Guest

Posted: Sun Jul 10, 2011 7:28 pm Post subject: First Flight.

Paul

  

 Before you re torque you should loosen the bolts and let the wood  relax and then re torque you will be surprised to here it pop and crack when you  do. If you torque it when it is humid the wood swells and then when it is  dry they will lose some torque also. 

  

  In a message dated 7/10/2011 10:54:11 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time,  psm(at)att.net writes:

  	  Quote: 	
		  -->    Zenith601-List message posted by: Paul Mulwitz    <psm(at)att.net>



Thanks, Pat.



For now I am thinking the best    thing for me to do is work on my pilot 

skills and integration with my    Zodiac.  Yesterday I could barely control 

the airspeed and attitude    and I need to get a handle on that before I 

can do any real    testing.



I spent today fixing most of the squawks from yesterday's    flight.  

Perhaps I will fly again tomorrow and see how all the fixes    came out.



One point of interest.  I have a wood propeller and it    really needed to 

have its bolts retorqued after the first flight.     Each one took a bout a 

quarter turn to get back to the desired torque - 18    ft. lbs. in my 

case.  The Sensenich data said this would be necessary    but I didn't 

think it would take so much.



Paul

Camas, WA

XL    with one whole hour of flight logged.



On 7/10/2011 5:22 PM, PatrickW    wrote:

 	  Quote: 	
		   -->  Zenith601-List message posted by:    "PatrickW"<pwhoyt(at)yahoo.com>



 Magnificent accomplishment,    Paul.



 Thanks for sharing your experience.  Looking    forward to hearing about Phase 1...



 - Pat



    --------

 Patrick Hoyt

 601XLb/Corvair

 N63PZ - 99.999%    done....





 Read this topic online    here:



    http://forums.matronics.com/viewtopic.php?p=345831#345831




	




	


 [quote][b]

don.honabach(at)pcperfect
Guest

Posted: Mon Jul 11, 2011 10:03 am Post subject: First Flight.

Paul,



 	  Quote: 	
		  > I found it difficult to hold the Zodiac in the exact attitude I wanted.  


	


On my 601HDS, I found that it was sensitive to altitude changes as well. One thing I noticed is that the stick is very easy to bias with your hand. In all fair weather cases, whenever altitude hold is an issue for me, I always find that I'm pushing or pulling the stick and not noticing since the controls are so light. I've eventually found that steering with my hand holding the bottom part of the Y leads to super easy altitude holds, as does just using my finger tips ... 



Congrats on your first flight!!!



Don



--

psm(at)att.net
Guest

Posted: Mon Jul 11, 2011 10:13 am Post subject: First Flight.

Thanks, Don.



That sounds like good advice.  When I had non-pilots try to fly the 

Tecnam I had I told them it was a 2 finger airplane.  That tended to 

work quite well.



I'm sure I will be fine with a few more  hours.  I am just paying the 

price now for not getting a checkout before flying my own plane.  It was 

unreasonable for me to think I could just jump in and fly it like I was 

born in it.  I don't feel like I had any safety issues to fix, just a 

lack of perfection on the first try.



Paul



On 7/11/2011 11:02 AM, Don Honabach wrote:

 	  Quote: 	
		   Paul,



>> >>  I found it difficult to hold the Zodiac in the exact attitude I wanted.

 On my 601HDS, I found that it was sensitive to altitude changes as well. One thing I noticed is that the stick is very easy to bias with your hand. In all fair weather cases, whenever altitude hold is an issue for me, I always find that I'm pushing or pulling the stick and not noticing since the controls are so light. I've eventually found that steering with my hand holding the bottom part of the Y leads to super easy altitude holds, as does just using my finger tips ...



 Congrats on your first flight!!!



 Don

don.honabach(at)pcperfect
Guest

Posted: Mon Jul 11, 2011 10:27 am Post subject: First Flight.

Hey Paul,



Where are you based? Probably too close to do your 40 hours and go to Oshkosh this year for you (???).  Any thoughts on flying out next year?



BTW, took me ~11 years to finish my 601HDS. I thought it was funny that you hinted that 6 years was a 'long time'. For me, you are Mr. Speedy    I'm still trying to figure out how I managed to take a '400 hour' build time and stretch it to 11 years!!!



Don

--

psm(at)att.net
Guest

Posted: Mon Jul 11, 2011 11:01 am Post subject: First Flight.

Hi Don,



I am indeed going to Oshkosh this year.  I will not be flying my Zodiac 

there.  I'm taking Delta Airlines to Appleton.



My Zodiac will probably be ready to fly to OSH next year, but I'm not 

sure I will.  It is around 2500 miles each way.  That is a big trip in a 

seat that fits more like a suit of clothes than a lounge chair.



I originally decided to go because I had a lunch date with Sabrina, but 

she seems to be mad at me about something or other and is giving me the 

teenaged-girl cold shoulder.  I guess I'll have to find other folks to 

have lunch with.



I signed up for the electric symposium again.  I went to the one last 

year and didn't learn much of value for a home builder considering 

building an electric powered plane.  Perhaps this year's effort will be 

more on target.  At last year's symposium I did get talked into joining 

the ASTM F37 committee which deals with LSA standards.  That has been 

interesting - to say the least.



I'll be accessing email in the evenings while at OSH, so if anybody 

wants to get together for lunch (or to beat me up for all my 

transgressions over the last few years) then email is the way to contact 

me.  I also ordered tickets for the Heintz dinner Wednesday night but 

I'm not sure I will have the nerve to go.  Perhaps if I find some body 

armor to wear . . .



Paul

Camas, WA



On 7/11/2011 11:26 AM, Don Honabach wrote:

 	  Quote: 	
		   Hey Paul,



 Where are you based? Probably too close to do your 40 hours and go to Oshkosh this year for you (???).  Any thoughts on flying out next year?



 BTW, took me ~11 years to finish my 601HDS. I thought it was funny that you hinted that 6 years was a 'long time'. For me, you are Mr. Speedy;-)    I'm still trying to figure out how I managed to take a '400 hour' build time and stretch it to 11 years!!!



 Don

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