Many builders take many days, even weeks between certification and the first flight. Why? Well, because this will be a test flight, which makes the pilot a test pilot and test pilots are fussy, and should be.

There are several requirements for a first test flight. The first is that the plane has to be 100% ready. Believe it or not, it can pass FAA inspection if it is mechanically sound, but still not be 100% ready. In this case, for example, adjustments were made to the tailwheel steering springs that had not been taxi tested until recently. The oil was changed at 1.7 hrs. of engine run time, to fully flush out the dregs of preservative "pickle" oil still mixed in with the first fill-up of operating oil -- but the engine had not yet been run to test for leaks -- a routine and essential event after any airplane oil change -- before flight.

The inspectors (of various kinds) do a good job, but it's not their responsibility to have the plane in perfect condition for its first flight. That's the owner's responsibility. To make sure that condition is satisfied, I have been doing more detailed inspections of my own, with more diligence than ever before, and for good reason.

In addition, highly detailed checklists for all phases of operation are necessary. As any pilot knows, checklists are essential items, all the more so for the first test flight in a new plane. They are numerous, including: A) preflight (2.6 pp. alone), B) pre-engine start, C) pre-taxi, D) pre-takeoff, E) takeoff, F) pre-landing, G) post landing, and H) park and secure. The preflight list is by far the longest, but they all need to be done. The current draft set of detailed checklists for N254MR, only recently completed in a form adequate for use, comprises five single spaced pages.

No prudent pilot -- much less a test pilot on a first test flight of a brand new aircraft -- will just "kick the tires and light the fires", then go up and zip around, hoping to remember everything that should be done at each of these stages. There are other items as well -- not required for the final FAA inspection, but required for safe operation and flight. Most pilots are well aware of what can go wrong at any one of these phases of operation and flight, without diligent use of and adherence to checklists at every stage.

Another requirement for the first flight is a very small, but well briefed ground crew. The event should never have a large audience; it is not a social event. The pilot must never be unnecessarily distracted by chit chat, and should never feel any pressure to commence or continue takeoff when anything at all may not be right. Nevertheless, a well briefed, small ground crew is esssential for safety, communications, and yes, photography, among other tasks. Essential members of the ground crew are not always available, and their schedules may affect the flight schedule.

Of course, the pilot must be fully ready. Briefing, weather awareness, special procedures, operation of new equipment in the airplane, not to mention good rest -- all these and many more things have to be complete. The test pilot's personal readiness may change from day to day, depending on such mundane things as a cold and runny nose, ear ache, sudden major distraction in life, etc.

When a target date and time have been selected, it's prudent for the pilot to take a brief recon flight in another plane over the proposed route of the first flight as close in time to the proposed test flight as possible. Such a recon flight provides opportunity to review potential forced landing sites, particularly just after takeoff, when the pilot's options are limited, and to refresh one's memory of route plans to avoid houses and crowded areas. The test pilot may have flown the intended takeoff, route and landing many times before, or not, but will see it with new eyes knowing what the coming mission will be. There may be a field that has always seemed like a good landing spot in the case of engine failure on takeoff, but it may have just been plowed the day before the planned flight, making it a very undesirable landing spot. In addition, the recon flight gives the test pilot a chance to review likely glide angles to the primary airport and alternate landing strips from various altitudes and distances.

Last but by no means least, the weather needs to be favorable at both the takeoff and landing sites, if they're different. It's highly desirable to avoid situations with more than very light winds, crosswinds of any amount, relatively low ceilings or visibility, etc. For maneuvers common in a first test flight, conditions allowing operation in stable, clear air up to at least 3000 ft., preferably higher, are best.

A first test flight should not be undertaken until everything is right. There are a lot of elements, enough that a decision to GO should never be rushed, or forced.

Time to post the updated task list. It's been getting updated almost daily for quite awhile. Today's edition has very few build/install items left, though I've been adding several little details over the last couple of weeks to try to keep it as granular as possible at this stage. (Remaining items begin at line 100 on the spreadsheet.) When the baggage wall is done, tomorrow or the next day, I'll be ready to weigh the plane. I'm scheduled for access to some digital aircraft scales either Monday or Wednesday. When that's done, I will be ready to submit all the paperwork to the FAA to apply for the final inspection and airworthiness certificate (AC). Amazing.

The plan for the last several months has been to focus on the biggest of the remaining items first. They're getting small. Really small. Won't be flying in June, but at this point, barring some major snafu, July is looking like a cinch.

Time for a task list update, which is lookin' good! It's down to only 10 "build/install" items before inspection, most of which are partially completed. Yay! They include things like "install seat belts" and "install placards" and none are difficult. Probably the most time-consuming task left on the list is building a rear baggage wall. Of course, in addition to the rapidly dwindling "build/install" items, there are still numerous mini-tweak and operational / administrative items coming up, like testing the fuel system, changing the oil, tuning and static testing of the engine & prop, and paperwork.

Nevertheless, there's no mistaking the end is in sight, first engine start is likely only a week or two away, and in the hangar, the fun factor is skyrocketing.    Perhaps the best thing is that the task list, which was started in March '08, now has a long list of things up top in the completed section, belying the dozens of times I've been convinced I wasn't making progress.

It's been a whopping six months since I've posted an updated task list, but tonight I'm checking off completion of the wing tips, the NAV/strobe lights, and landing lights! Coincidentally, it was almost six months ago that work on the wing tips began, by replacing more than 100 dome head rivets around the wing tip ribs with countersunk rivets to allow the fiberglass wing tips to fit smoothly over the wing. Although it would be accurate to say that H2/09 was a little rough, a lot has happened, and a lot has been accomplished, since July.

In any case, the latest task list spreadsheet is now up, showing only eighteen (18) "build or install" items left to do. Of those, five (5) are more than 50% done, and five (5) more are small jobs, which should take only a couple of hours, at most. I've added a second page to track plans and objectives for first engine start. Getting closer, and that's "a good thing!"

Another tool crisis. The trusty old Olympus D-400Z first generation (?) digital camera has finally given up the ghost. Sad, but true.    It has served well for a long time.

The latest task list spreadsheet has been posted. Down to 23 "build/install" type items before inspection and hopefully, receiving an airworthiness certificate. Of those, several are 50% done or more, and several others are definitely small items. Still, there's quite a way to go.

Wow, this web site just hit 1000 "nodes", which are photos, blog entries, pages, etc. Some kind of landmark, I guess. There are another couple hundred photos in the original gallery. We be documented.

NX770CG Operations Manual

Time for another task list update. Since the last one posted here two months ago, lots has gotten done even though April saw a lot of life interfering with art, but there's still quite a bit to do. On the spreadsheet, I've now added 4-5 new things -- which is OK, honest -- to be more granular and help keep things in sequence. With those additions, there are still 30 build/install items left. In a truly brave (foolhardy?) move, for the first time I attempted to do a time estimate of those tasks, and came up with about 200 hours. Before first flight, additional time will be required for none-build tasks (fuel system tests, oil change, weight & balance, carb tuning, etc.). Seems like a lot, but compared to what by now must be thousands of hours already in the project, it's not so bad. Maintaining the task list continues to be an inspiring, positive exercise overall, and that's "a good thing!"

It's been two months since I posted the last task spreadsheet, but the current sheet is up now. I started keeping the task list one year ago. At that time there were well over 70 build/install items left before First Flight.  In the past year, that's been cut to less than half, even though some tasks were added during the year. There are now only 31 build/install tasks left. About 14 of the remaining tasks are more than 50% done already, and a few of the rest are simple 1-2 hr. jobs. Definitely happening now. Wahoo!