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How long do I circle the nest?

tkirk

tkirk

Active Member
I now have a whopping 1.2 hours on the hobbs, which has been spread over two whole flights. The engine is running great (thank you Aerosport power), and the airplane flies better than I had hoped for! I pulled the cowling after both flights, and everything looked good. I have an 0-360, one mag, one light speed, and sensenich prop....the whole airplane (RV-7) is pretty basic.

Now the question for those of you who are now flying is.........how many hours on the hobbs did you have before you left the safety of the airport? Should I start to venture out now, or wait a while longer? Any input would be appreciated!
 
When you feel comfortable

I personally kept "over the airport" for 10 hours, then did short flights to local airports for a few more. After fixing some minor issues that came up (and made me glad there was an airport real close) I started burning off the rest of my hours doing cross countries.

I also did inspections after each flight for the first few hours, looking for anything that might have come loose, etc.

I'm sure others will chime in here.
 
I would say whenever you're comfortable. I am fortunate to have lots of airports in my test area, so the first flight out of the nest was a whopping 10 nautical miles away! I kept it over the airport for the first 5 hours. I would check your operating limitations to be sure. Some of them actually specify 5 hours over the field.

I've got a whopping 13 hours on the plane now. Things are going great. I just need to get my gear leg fairings and wheelpants installed so I can get a little more speed.
 
4 to 5 hours then I flew between airports that are 6 miles apart at 3,000 feet. The last two flights I started heading out to my 25 mile limit. Always looking for a place to land. Don't just look at the panel, find a place to land at all times! Also know how to use the NRST button on your GPS before you head out. Good luck!

BTW, I've all of 8.2 hours on mine at this point.
 
I like to do 2-3hrs over the field and then venture out to the practice area. There are plenty of roads without power lines out in that area so I have lots of options. Don
 
I know everyone wants to get up and do some speed runs and get away from the nest just to enjoy their new creation, but why not get all the work out of the way first near the safety of the airport. Just doing stability tests, stalls, climbs and decents, exploring the W+B envelope, slow flight, systems checks, calibration of AP and other instruments, getting comfortable with landing etc can all be done high over the airport and will take at least 10-15 flights. In all likelyhood there will be a few things to tweek and retest, so there is really little reason to get away for a good portion of the flyoff period.

Steve
 
steve_adams said:
I know everyone wants to get up and do some speed runs and get away from the nest just to enjoy their new creation, but why not get all the work out of the way first near the safety of the airport. Just doing stability tests, stalls, climbs and decents, exploring the W+B envelope, slow flight, systems checks, calibration of AP and other instruments, getting comfortable with landing etc can all be done high over the airport and will take at least 10-15 flights. In all likelyhood there will be a few things to tweek and retest, so there is really little reason to get away for a good portion of the flyoff period.

Steve
Click to expand...
Steve,

That is a good idea, unless you are breaking in a new engine. Then it takes 10 +/- hours of full power flight. After that, you can start playing around with the other items on your list.
 
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