Flight Testing Experimental Aircraft - Resources?

[hplevyak]

Folks,
I'm building a GlaStar and would like to start preparing my flight test plan for first flight and my overall flight test program.

I attended several of the Flight Test Forums at Oshkosh this year and it was mentioned by Charlie Lutz and Bill Posnett that a new initiative was in the works to provide improved resources for flight testing aircraft. Charlie mentioned some teaming between SETP, EAA, and FAA on this. I've dug around on the EAA Web site and Community, but cannot locate anything on this.

Can someone point me in the right direction to get news on this effort and to be able to start following it?

Thank-you,
Howard
GlaStar builder

[Anymouse]

Folks,
I'm building a GlaStar and would like to start preparing my flight test plan for first flight and my overall flight test program.

I attended several of the Flight Test Forums at Oshkosh this year and it was mentioned by Charlie Lutz and Bill Posnett that a new initiative was in the works to provide improved resources for flight testing aircraft. Charlie mentioned some teaming between SETP, EAA, and FAA on this. I've dug around on the EAA Web site and Community, but cannot locate anything on this.

Can someone point me in the right direction to get news on this effort and to be able to start following it?

Thank-you,
Howard
GlaStar builder

First I heard of this initiative, but I like the idea.

In the meantime, here are a couple of books I recommend to get you started...

Flight Testing Homebuilt Aircraft by Paul Askue
http://www.amazon.com/Flight-Testing-Homebuilt-Aircraft-Vaughan/dp/1560276282/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1344439672&sr=8-1&keywords=askue
This book will take you from before the first engine start, to taxi test, first flight, envelope expansion and stability tests. Unfortunately, it barely mentions performance testing.


Understanding Performance Flight Testing: Kitplanes and Production Aircraft by Hubert Smith
http://www.amazon.com/Understanding-Performance-Flight-Testing-Production/dp/0071376798/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1344439947&sr=1-3&keywords=Hubert+Smith
This book glosses over the stuff that Askue covers in detail. However, Smith does do a great job of explaining how to do performance testing and crunching the numbers with provided spreadsheets. You'll need to modify the spreadsheets a bit to match your application, but it's nothing overly complicated and will be worth the effort.

Good luck!!

[Dave Prizio]

The FAA has an advisory circular AC90-89A that covers flight testing of experimentals. T (http://www.faa.gov/library/manuals/aircraft/media/ac90-89a.pdf)his is a good place to start. Here is a link: http://www.faa.gov/library/manuals/aircraft/media/ac90-89a.pdf

(http://www.faa.gov/library/manuals/aircraft/media/ac90-89a.pdf)The recent NTSB study on E-AB safety mentions flight testing, lending impetus to more effort in this area. The Homebuilt Aircraft Council has been working on this for some time and hopes to do more with this in the future.

[Check 6]

Chad Jensen will be presenting an EAA webinar on September 19 on this same subject.

Sign up here: https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/184622242

[Kyle Boatright]

The flight advisor program was designed with this type of situation in mind. Try to reach out to a nearby flight advisor. EAA publishes a list by state.

[Johnny White]

:DHello Howard
I did a webnar for EAA in the spring of this year titled "First Flight". It is in the Webnar archives on EAA. It got rave reveiws and may serve you well in preparing for the great day. Good Luck!
Johnny White
Aviators Unlimited

[rv8bldr]

My buddy Kevin Horton is a professional test pilot for Transport Canada (and an ex-military test pilot). He has put together an excellent web site on his RV-8 build, but the Flight Test Links page is especially useful. There are all kinds of links to various flight test sites, articles, books, etc, as well as his own material. You might want to check it out. It is NOT RV specific.

http://www.kilohotel.com/rv8/phplinks/index.php?&PID=1

(http://www.kilohotel.com/rv8/phplinks/index.php?&PID=1)