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test pilot

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dmasys(at)cox.net
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Posted: Tue Aug 01, 2006 7:43 am Post subject: test pilot

---- Tim Dawson-Townsend <Tdawson(at)avidyne.com> wrote: 

 	  Quote: 	
		   

 Choices for test pilot:

 1) me, 260 hour pilot, instrument rating.  Only real experience in C-172 and Warrior.  Ten hours transition training in RV-10.

 2) one of a few professional test pilots I know.  Hours in the thousands.  Types in the dozens.  Conceptually, zero hours in the RV-10.


	


For an RV, this is a pretty easy decision, which is to say it is a well proven design and a very honest airplane.  Even the bugbear of the short-wing RV's, which is the stall-spin out of an uncoordinated slow flight condition, is less of a risk in a -10.  An acquaintence who works for Boeing as a test pilot and does experimental first flights as a side business says the RV's are so predictable they are almost like 'conformal testing to a type certificate'.  (Of course, he doesn't even agree to do such flights until he has done his own mechanical inspection and believes it is a safe configuration.)



Having thrashed through this on the first flight of my -7A, I'd say that with reasonable piloting experience and a good plan (plan the flight; fly the plan) a first flight in your new RV is a great experience, not to be missed.  If your airplane has passed all of its tech inspections and doesn't have any of the high risk anomalies (like fuel system modifications) then the biggest stress is likely to be all those friends and family members who show up for the first flight.  The scariest part of my first flight was that I had a very accomplished formation pilot flying chase in his RV and I got spooked just seeing another airplane so close to mine during the laps around the airport that we did.



-Dan Masys

40448 cabin cover

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Tdawson(at)avidyne.com
Guest

Posted: Tue Aug 01, 2006 8:03 am Post subject: test pilot

I read something the other day that hadn't really occurred to me before,

that being the use of a PC flight simulator as a "mission rehersal" for

your first flight.  I'm pretty sure there's an RV-10 model out there for

"X Plane", and you can customize the panel to match yours.  Load airport

data for your local field, and you can run through the first flight

"virtually" before you do the real thing.



I think I might try that . . .



TDT

40025



--

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