First Flight
Every homebuilder hopes for an uneventfull first flight, OK all flights,
and I got my wish. It took a lot of mental preparation to get ready for
this, especially since I had not test flown an airplane before. Checking
to make sure the airplane is prepared is only half of the process. I had
about 500 hours total flight time with 100 hours in tailwheel aircraft.
I felt fortunate my taildragger time consisted of 12 different types of
aircraft.
April 17, 1990 was a chilly spring day. I paced around for a couple
of hours with daylight soon coming to an end. Well, I had to do it. A friend
with a Skybolt offered to fly chase for me, a good idea in case something
goes wrong I cannot see. It was an eerie feeling sitting on the runway
ready for takeoff wondering if all those bolts were tight and the welds
strong. I swear I could see every one of those bolts and welds in my mind.
Was I ready? Was it ready? I thought directional control might be a problem
so I took off with only about 80% power. It seemed like a handfull, but
I managed it. I climbed to 500' above the airport and stayed close in if
I needed to get down in a hurry. I did not do the things you are told to
do on a first flight. I was to nervous. Scared! But, like I said
it was uneventfull, in fact I got cold. This was my first taste of how
cold it can be in an open cockpit airplane. After about 20 minutes of basic
flying manuevers to get a feel for the craft, I made a very cautious approach
and managed a good landing. I celebrated because all that hard work paid
off and now the fun was to begin.
April 17, 1990. First flight.
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