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First Flights and Phase I Flight Testing

Difficulties, self inflicted and otherwise have been described in an earlier post.  The first and second flights were on June 5th, 2018.

A video of the second takeoff.

[KGVID]http://bambas.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Second-Flight.mp4[/KGVID]

And the second landing.

[KGVID]http://bambas.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Second-Landing.mp4[/KGVID]

The initial flight testing is known as Phase I and covers the first forty hours of operation where no passengers may be carried.  Other requirements such as a limited operating range are included in the FAA issued Operating Limitations.  The purpose of Phase I is to verify safe operation and establish the aircraft’s performance characteristics which may then be placed in a Pilot’s Operating Handbook.

Due to the problems described in the previous post the summer had drawn to a close and we were wanting to return home to Florida.  I was fortunate the FAA issued a Ferry Permit allowing N50KB to complete the last of Phase I on the repositioning trip to KBKV, Brooksville Regional Airport.  I arrived home on November 16th. Dolly had her first ride two days later.

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It is Coming Together Now

The engine was returned from Lycoming in February and sat until we returned to Michigan in April.  Reinstalling the engine and getting ready for the FAA airworthiness inspector took from April 22nd to May 17th.

Those weeks were occupied by:

  • Ordering new gaskets, oil filters, cotter pins, etc
  • Remounting the engine and reinstalling starter, crankcase breather, fuel servo, throttle and mixture cables, fuel flow sensor, spark plugs, exhaust pipes and temperature sensors, fuel and oil pressure lines, manifold pressure line. cabin heater scat tubing, Pmags, alternators, oil cooler and oil lines, engine fuel pump overflow line, Earthx battery and engine grounding wires, baffling and plenum cover, flywheel, propeller, spinner and 19.5 lb squash plate.
  • Installing a quick drain oil plug on bottom front of oil sump.
  • Redoing the weight and balance.
  • Running a “sparking test” to verify correct wiring between Pmags and cylinders.
  • Rerunning a failed fuel “bottle test” and sending the fuel servo spyder back to AVStar for diagnosis and repair.  There was a manufacturing burr in the #4 cylinder spyder outlet.  Ran the test again and it checked out OK.
  • Checking out the tail wheel hoist built in Florida.  Works Great!
  • Permanently installed faring at lower horizontal stabilizer to fuselage joints.
  • Fabricating a rudder control lock.
  • Designing, fabricating and installing a canopy lock sensor.
  • Installing HDPE canopy closing guides.
  • Test running the engine.

[KGVID]http://bambas.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/V180520.mp4[/KGVID]

Richard Anderson of the East Michigan FSDO signed the builder’s log and issued the Operations Limitations document on May 25th 2018.

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The Winter of Out Discontent – ’17/18

No airplane to fly.  No airplane to work on.  Waiting for the engine to be returned by Lycoming.  Cold and snowy in Michigan.  Waiting for spring at home in Florida.  What?  In Florida, and I’m complaining?

Hope recovered nicely when I read about a wooden tail lift in the VanAirForce forums.  Having a way to raise the tail of the plane is a great help in draining all of the oil during engine oil changes.  I used Sam Buchanan’s lift photo as a model and built my own as shown below.Tail Lift Jack

The winch mechanism and the castors are from Harbor Freight.  Dolly drove her HHR North in the spring with the lift stowed nicely in the back.