After four years and seven months of building, my RV-7A S/N 73678 (aka the Eagle) took to the air. It was just me, my wife, and Dave Stevenson at the hangar this morning as we checked the airplane out for the last time before the first flight. I wanted this event to be low key. Spectators would just make me nervous and add pressure that could cloud my judgment. The airplane was ready as far as I could tell, and the conditions were right so I decided it was the day to fly. I started the engine with 18 gallons of fuel on board; more than enough for this flight. After a smooth taxi to the east end of the runway at KAJO I did a standard run-up and mag check. All systems go! I checked for traffic and called out my intention to take-off on runway 25 for the first flight. The next guy in sequence to take-off radio'd back "good luck".
The winds were calm. On take-off the engine rpm rose to 2100 rpm initially. It's a fixed pitch prop so I didn't expect redline rpm or the acceleration of a constant speed prop. It accelerated briskly enough however and lifted off at 74 kts. What a rush! The machine I built in my garage was flying and lifting me up into the sky. I climbed out at about 105 kts and about 1000 fpm, keeping the air speed up to promote cooling of the cylinders. This is a new engine that is not broken in so CHT's are always a concern. I didn't need to worry - they never got above 380F. At 500 ft AGL I turned crosswind while continuing to climb. The engine was running smoothly and only a small amount of elevator trim was needed to keep it climbing with little or no pressure on the stick. Turning downwind I reduced power to 25 inches manifold pressure and climbed up through pattern altitude at 500 fpm while radioing my intent to climb to 2500 ft MSL above the airport for flight tests.
A check of engine pressures and temperatures showed everything was in the green. I checked aileron trim and it was almost neutral. No heavy wing! A tiny adjustment of the electric aileron trim and I was flying hands off! Leveling off at about 2500 ft I followed a race track pattern above the airport. The air was smooth and everything was operating normally. The controls were light and responsive but not twitchy. I flew five or six big ovals around the pattern, never getting too far from the airport just in case a problem arose.
Maximum air speed was 136 kts indicated (142.5 KTAS) at 2500 ft, 2400 rpm and 25.5 inches of manifold pressure. That's 78% power according to the Dynon. Not too bad I think for cruise with no wheel or main gear leg fairings. It will go faster later with the full set of trim on and more altitude.
On the last lap I slowed down and dropped into the pattern. The base leg was a little fast at 78 kts but I held it there all the way to the numbers.
Total flight time was 0.5 hr. After taxiing back to the hangar I shared handshakes and high fives, and of course, the famous RV grin. The guy (Bob) who wished me luck on the radio came by to congratulate me and see the airplane. I pulled off the cowling to inspect the engine and found no leaks or issues at all. The only issues I had the whole flight were the engine idle, which was set a little too low, and the intercom volume was too low but I didn't want to mess with it in the air.
In summary, I can't believe how nicely this airplane flew. It's a nice machine. Thanks Van! I admit I had some anxiety about all the things that could go wrong. After all, it was built in my garage. But the airplane was ready to fly. And fly it did. It gave me no reason to be alarmed.
Now, 39.5 hours more to go in Phase 1 flight test and then my wife can ride along with me. Special thanks to my wife Denise for supporting me throughout this project, and Dave Stevenson for giving me the help and confidence I needed to go fly it.
The winds were calm. On take-off the engine rpm rose to 2100 rpm initially. It's a fixed pitch prop so I didn't expect redline rpm or the acceleration of a constant speed prop. It accelerated briskly enough however and lifted off at 74 kts. What a rush! The machine I built in my garage was flying and lifting me up into the sky. I climbed out at about 105 kts and about 1000 fpm, keeping the air speed up to promote cooling of the cylinders. This is a new engine that is not broken in so CHT's are always a concern. I didn't need to worry - they never got above 380F. At 500 ft AGL I turned crosswind while continuing to climb. The engine was running smoothly and only a small amount of elevator trim was needed to keep it climbing with little or no pressure on the stick. Turning downwind I reduced power to 25 inches manifold pressure and climbed up through pattern altitude at 500 fpm while radioing my intent to climb to 2500 ft MSL above the airport for flight tests.
A check of engine pressures and temperatures showed everything was in the green. I checked aileron trim and it was almost neutral. No heavy wing! A tiny adjustment of the electric aileron trim and I was flying hands off! Leveling off at about 2500 ft I followed a race track pattern above the airport. The air was smooth and everything was operating normally. The controls were light and responsive but not twitchy. I flew five or six big ovals around the pattern, never getting too far from the airport just in case a problem arose.
Maximum air speed was 136 kts indicated (142.5 KTAS) at 2500 ft, 2400 rpm and 25.5 inches of manifold pressure. That's 78% power according to the Dynon. Not too bad I think for cruise with no wheel or main gear leg fairings. It will go faster later with the full set of trim on and more altitude.
On the last lap I slowed down and dropped into the pattern. The base leg was a little fast at 78 kts but I held it there all the way to the numbers.
Total flight time was 0.5 hr. After taxiing back to the hangar I shared handshakes and high fives, and of course, the famous RV grin. The guy (Bob) who wished me luck on the radio came by to congratulate me and see the airplane. I pulled off the cowling to inspect the engine and found no leaks or issues at all. The only issues I had the whole flight were the engine idle, which was set a little too low, and the intercom volume was too low but I didn't want to mess with it in the air.
In summary, I can't believe how nicely this airplane flew. It's a nice machine. Thanks Van! I admit I had some anxiety about all the things that could go wrong. After all, it was built in my garage. But the airplane was ready to fly. And fly it did. It gave me no reason to be alarmed.
Now, 39.5 hours more to go in Phase 1 flight test and then my wife can ride along with me. Special thanks to my wife Denise for supporting me throughout this project, and Dave Stevenson for giving me the help and confidence I needed to go fly it.
