<snip> I had care of the aircraft for seven days and had four flights. Although I throughly enjoyed myself I must say that I was a bit relieved to see it in the capable hands of Bob Mills. He is on the move and I wish him well in his marathon of stops over the next few days.
Tom did a great turnover brief of the RV-1 with me, and it was funny how fast he pulled out the turnover paperwork and said, "now just sign here!"
Then he slapped me on the back and said, "we're all counting on you!"...big RV Grin on his face!
Tom, Kevin and the entire Canadian RV-1 team did a great job and the airplane is in great shape and ready to head west!
Looks like Bob Mills and the -1 are on the ground at Mishawaka Pilots Club Airport for the night. I'm anxious to hear Bob's impressions!
The airplane flew nicely. As has been discussed by previous pilots, the pedals are a bit close, but I fit pretty well (5'9"). Taxiing was very straight forward, but there is a tendency to grab just a bit to the left...occasionally. For the most part it was not too bad. Takeoff was as briefed...add power slowly, and it'll fly before you hit the stop...exactly what happened. Flying qualities were that of an RV...a forty year-old RV with a fabric fuselage...but an RV. Tom's adjustment of the aileron trim tab must've been spot on, because I didn't think about it when flying. Elevator trim and/or the elevator system is a tad looser than what we are used to in modern RVs...I was flying very loose route/cruise formation off my escort Don McNamara, and I'd feel all trimmed up for a while (almost hands off...almost), then I'd start to float up or down, and have to re-trim. Nothing radical, but just not quite the trim of a modern RV. The -1 feels the bumps a bit more than other RVs I've flown as well...even though its a light airplane, the wings are short and stiff, so the ride today was one of feeling all the cobblestones in the road...when they were there. However, it is a solid little plane...didn't feel like I was tossed about in the occasional chop...more like riding on an old clay washboard road at times. Overall, it flies sweet and fairly true, has great visibility, and though a tight fit, it was really a fun ride. Landing at Mishawaka in 10-20 kts of wind (down the runway) was straight forward too...very RV-like, and not too squirrelly (knock on wood). Oh, it will float if you come across the fence a bit fast...the Mishawaka boyz let me know they appreciate me not wearing out the first third of the runway (hey, I had lots of room, was feeling out the winds, and those power lines on short final...that's my story and I'm sticking to it!). Touchdown on grass at Mishawaka was nice, and it tracked straight!
I'll save up the flying impressions over the next few days and post a pilot flying report down the road, so other RV-1 pilots can chime in as well.
More info (and pics) on today's visit in Toledo and Mishawaka in the Toledo thread!
Off to KC tomorrow!
Cheers,
Bob