First Flight Prep HOBBS 2800.0 hrs

 

I'll start off by telling you, at this point, the first flight has been successfully completed. I will obviously devote an entire post to that special day, but first, I wanted to talk about my preparations leading up to that event.

 

If you've been reading my blog for the last five years you already know my training philosophy. This is from a "regular" guy, not a 15,000 hr former fighter pilot flying for United. I now have about 205 hrs total time and about 45 hrs of tailwheel time. These numbers are not impressive by any means, I am very inexperienced at this point in my career.

 

Ok, you've seen this from me before, but I'll put them down one more time for completeness.

 

Basic goals before first flight:

1. 200 hrs total time - this was mostly for insurance reasons, every 200 hr pilot is not the same. We all progress differently and I don't think there is a magic minimum number of hours for you to be safe on your first flight...you should be able to make that assessment as PIC/test pilot. 
2. Tailwheel endorsement and 40 hrs of TW time - again, the 40 hrs was for insurance reasons, some guys do their first flight with only 10 hrs of TW time.
3. Spin training - I'm a big supporter that everyone who is going to "test fly" an aircraft should have basic spin training and preferably a spin endorsement from a CFI. I have the latter.
4. Aerobatics and/or unusual attitude training - this will make you a better pilot and more prepared for emergencies on your first flight should they arise. I have five hours of training in the Pitts S2C and one hour in a Giles 202.
5. Transition training - its pretty hard to get around this nowadays as most insurance companies require at least five hours (some ten). Insurance requirement or not, its a good idea nonetheless and you should do it. An RV most likely flies like nothing you've experienced before...its not a Skyhawk, that's for sure. I did my training with Alex DeDominicis in Texas and it was money and time well spent.

Next Steps (just prior to first flight):

1. Use a flight advisor if you can. I did not have any tech counselors visit my build, although I had plenty of experienced builders look at it. I did, however, insist on a flight advisor. Someone who has a good amount of RV time and has done a first flight before. They don't have to be an actual EAA "flight advisor" to be helpful. I used Renegades flight lead, Jim Gray as mine and he was instrumental to a successful first flight. He just happens to be a personal friend and resides in my hangar row, which was fortunate.
2. Read chapter 15 of the Van's build manual, more than once. Its really a good source of information to get prepared for first flight.
3. Read AC 90-89A "Amateur-Built Aircraft and Ultralight Flight Testing Handbook", another good resource from your very own FAA.
4. Fly! Knock that rust off the best you can, as you've probably been a builder for quite awhile...rather than an aviator. I went 8 months without flying, so I had some rust. Landings are an obvious focus, but don't forget the smaller details like radio work if you are at a towered airport, CS prop time and glass panel time if you have those in your aircraft.
5. Get familiar with the functionality of your avionics and most importantly your COM's. Do you know how to adjust squelch, volume, isolate the intercom to eliminate an open mic, etc. Same thing with the avionics, do you know how to reboot your system if it locks up? Are you comfortable with its button-ology?
6. Do a pre-flight briefing with your flight advisor a few days before your flight so you can start thinking through it ahead of time. Cover everything from emergency scenarios to mundane stuff like exactly how you plan to fly your orbit above the airport. Discuss all details.
7. Use checklists and a test card to keep your mind on task. It is an incredibly high mental workload situation to fly your airplane for the first time....YOU WILL forget things without checklists.
8. Sit in your cockpit, with the canopy closed and your panel powered up (a 'trickle' battery charger is key here), and go through your first flight completely. Push buttons, dial in frequencies, use your checklists and visualize everything from start to finish. For added measure, do this again at home...find a quiet room, close your eyes and go through it in your mind. You should be more prepared for this flight than any other in your flying career. 
9. Lastly, can you safely land the aircraft visually if all flight instruments go dark? This is VFR flying after all so you should be able to. No airspeed indication? Ever done that before? If not, think through this on the ground so you can handle it in the air.

Too many pilots don't give the first flight the respect it deserves. This is not a NORMAL flight, this is a TEST flight...treat it as such. That means extra preparation on your part.

 

Once you have all of your homework done and are prepared to the best of your ability, take a deep breath and relax. This is important. The mind does not function well when you are tense, you need to find a way to relax as much as possible for your first flight. Although it is not a normal flight, don't make it into something more than it is, its just an airplane and the flight profile is dirt simple for this first one. Just go fly! I can promise you, with it now behind me, it will be a once-in-a-lifetime experience you will NEVER forget!