Thursday at 1400 my little Bebe gets the official look-see from the FAA man.
I am positively vibrating with anticipation.
Thursday at 1400 my little Bebe gets the official look-see from the FAA man.
I am positively vibrating with anticipation.
The opinions and statements of this poster are largely based on facts and portray a possible version of the actual events.
Frank,
please stop vibrating.... You are causing my coffee cup to rumble off my desk. Oh wait that is me vibrating for you as I am truly excited to see you bird take flight. Hope it goes well!
Rick
And....she's an airplane!
Zero real gigs on the inspection. He wants me to put some slip paint on the nuts on the engine case bolts, which is really minor (and something I had no control over, as I didn't assemble the engine), and I'm more than happy to oblige.
Still, I got the pink slip and certified as the official repairman for the aircraft in one swoop.
The FAA man was very professional, asked some good questions, and gave her a close examination. It was an exercise in being quiet on my part - one should never talk themselves out of a passing score, after all.
Of course it's windy season here, so I'll have to be patient before I can put her to flight.
The opinions and statements of this poster are largely based on facts and portray a possible version of the actual events.
Congrats to you Frank's!
Congratulations! I was hoping to see a post reporting the certificate and the first flight, but you certainly don't want to take any chances on the first flight, best to wait for the right day.
It's a plane! It's a plane! Congrats and all the best on the first flight. Of course we all want pics and video. Fly safe.
Hi again Frank. Really great that you are the proud owner of a real airplane. One of these weekends, I need to hop in one of the club planes and come visit.
Dale
Dale Cavin
Florida Panhandle
Current Project: Airdrome Aeroplanes Full Size Nieuport 17
So my holes are all patched and waiting for paint,* the nuts have slip marks on them, and the Hobbs meter is installed onto the firewall. I could have gotten sexy and wired it to where it only ticked over when the engine was running, but that's a complication I didn't want to introduce - so it really tracks how long the master switch has been on.
The FAA man called and said I have to re-do my repairman's application. I didn't spell out BROWN for eye and hair color, and under "Make of aircraft" put my name down as it asked for on the form (first, middle, last), but not as it is in the other forms, last, first, middle initial. Fussy old things, government agencies, if one asks me.
Not one to complain, I downloaded and properly filled it out, will sign and scan and email it to him.
The worst part is that here I am with an airplane and the winds are 10 kts gusting to 15, and had been that way since sunrise. One of my EAA brothers was out at the field and came over with a minor look of concern in his eye. "Whatcha doing?" "Little stuff until the [expletive] winds die down so I can take her out." "Good." Bah and humbug on this time of year - I need zero gusting to one.
* In order to fit all the bolts, clevisi (?), nuts, and cotter pins into the interplane struts and the lift tangs, I had to cut holes in the wing around the attach points. My frustration level can be seen by the size of the holes. The inspector asked me about them, and I told the truth - I wanted to leave them open like that so he could see they were properly fastened, but had planned on patching them up as soon as he stopped goofing around and handed me the pink slip, so get on with it, government man. Okay, I didn't actually say that last part. But I did grin as I didn't say it.
The opinions and statements of this poster are largely based on facts and portray a possible version of the actual events.
Oh, the evils of Fast Taxi!
So the day was perfect and so I donned my flying cap, cinched up the straps, hollered Clear Prop and went on my way.
The plan, as I agreed to, was to slowly increase the throttle down the runway, bringing her up to flying speed gently. That way I'd know for sure she'd fly true before taking her into the air.
I'm not a big Fast Taxi fan. My only other experience with it lead to a great tale involving grass, a broken landing light, and a very nice first landing in a tailwheel - one of my best three pointers, to be honest.
Anyhow, I got on the runway and advanced the throttle. Wowsers, she's got loads of power right away. I was between a quarter and a half of throttle and she was starting to get light.
So I pushed it forward before things got squirrelly, got the tail up, popped up into ground effect, built up speed, and took off cleanly.
Hahahaha - no I didn't.
She started to drift a bit left off the center line and with the tailwheel down on the pavement I gave her just a smidge too much right rudder to put me back on proper track. Now that whole directional control thing is getting iffy, so I chop the throttle.
A perfect - and I mean perfect - three hundred sixty degree ground loop!
I was so good that the lower wings barely kissed the pavement, and only that because the left wheel became a taco at the side stress.
I took a look at the wheel and decided she'd be good enough to get me off the runway under the plane's power, and once there shut it all down. A moving dolly under the bent wheel and we pushed her back into the hangar.
The supra crappy tailwheel Robert issues out got a flat spot on it, too, but I didn't expect it to last past today regardless.
So no flight today. The upsides:
1) I know she'll track true up to flight speeds, so forget any more fast taxi nonsense. Next time it's advance the throttle and go.
2) No real damage. The hub on the wheel is fine, so I'll take it to our local bike shop and have them replace the rim and spokes. That's super good, as my brake drum is welded to the hub. We had to look hard to find any scrub marks on the lower wings.
3) I get to exercise my rights as an official FAA aircraft repairman!
4) I've had my ground loop. They say there are two types of tail dragger pilots - those who've ground looped and those who will. I may just make myself a decoration for it.
5) Absolute sheer joy with the aircraft. She's a honey, I can feel it. I have to admit to chuckling as I got out of the plane rather than cursing up a storm or being downhearted. Hell, even the KC Dawn Patrol guys have taco'd and shattered main wheels (including Tom's famous Oshkosh incident).
The opinions and statements of this poster are largely based on facts and portray a possible version of the actual events.
Frank,
glad all is ok in the end. I love your attitude about all of your adventures...... A lot of people could learn from you. Now get back to work....
Rick
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