Hi all,

I have finally moved my Legal Eagle to the hanger and I have begun taxi tests. This plane is much easier to handle on the ground than the luscombe I have been taking lessons in. The Eagle is a go where you point it no nonsense airplane on the ground. I hope to have video uploaded by tomorrow evening.

Chris

You better post a video! LOL I dont have a video camera so I cant post videos.

If you can fly that luscombe you can fly your eagle. Have you had anyone else fly your plane?

Grant, video will be comming tomorrow. I have not had anyone fly my plane yet because there are no "test pilots" in the area who want to try an uncertified aircraft. All I am waiting on is my parachute and a little ultralight time before I take it around the pattern.
Plan for first flight is as follows:
1 taxi out
2 smoothly open throttle and try not to scream too loud
3 fly 3 times around the pattern at full power
4 land
5 re attach all the parts that fell off during the above
6 if all is well fly again

Chris

How about your weight and balance? I have to add nose weight to mine to get it in the cg limits to fly solo.

For the 1st flight I would probably fly down the runway a few feet high to make sure nothing is strange about the handling.

When my instructor test flew my plane he made 3 passes down the runway the 1st being very low less than 10 feet agl and he proceeded up to 50 agl.

Once you determine it feels ok to you. I would climb up to a few thousand feet and do some stalls and slow flight to get a feel for the plane. You need to know your stall speed and how it reacts. If say your indicated stall is 25mph I would probably approach at 40 mph since you need the extra energy for the round out. My indicated stall is 46 and I approach at 65 and that gives me plenty of elevator authority to land at idle. I do not use power on my approaches unless I come up short .If the air is rough I will come in hot at 75 to cut through the turbulence.

I would also recommend staying on the grass. The asphalt makes ground handling a hell of a lot harder than on the grass. When I started making nice landing on grass my instructor moved me to the asphalt. It was not so easy on it!!


Do you have a preflight checklist? If not you need to make one and use it every time you fly. Remember if you forget something( turn on fuel valve) and you takeoff its not going to be pleasant!!

Give me your email and I will send you a copy of my checklist. You can modify it to fit your plane.

Good luck !! I bet you will do just fine

Grant,
my email is rcpilotcd@sbcglobal.net, I have developed a very thourough preflight inspection but my checklist looks something like this
1 fasten seatbelt
2 fuel on
3 prime engine
4 throttle closed
5 master on
6 mags on
7 start engine
8 recheck seatbelt fuel master and mag

I have done my weight and balance and I am currently 2 inches foward of the foward point (without weight), I have temporairly added weight in the parachute location and the cg is about in the middle of the range. As far as crow hopping Because I fly off a short field with few places to land in an emergency (imediate vicinity ) It has been recomended to me by a highly expirienced UL pilot that I take off climb for some altitude make some orbits and retun holding full throttle (watch the VNE) down the approach and throttle down once over the field.

Chris
ps I just cant find time to upload the vid, you will get it sooner or later.

email sent

The past couple of nights I have been out taxiing my Legal Eagle. Tonight I started practicing taxiing at high speed with the tail up. the first time I allowed the tail to lift I wasn't ready to increase my rudder input but thankfully I was able to slow to a stop without performing that dreaded manuver. I then proceded to make about 10 more tail up runs at about 25mph without further incident.
I hope to be flying soon, I am just waiting on my BRS and a little UL time.

Chris