The F1 flew for the first time this morning, and earned her name – the Valkyrie known as “Myst”. We did the first and second flights before noon - the first a quick short hop over the field to verify proper handling and engine/system operations (EAA Test Card 1) and the second (Test Card 2) to check out the flaps and – more importantly – to experiment with power settings and temperature control. CHT #1 is considerably warmer than the other five, so I’ll trim the forward air damn to equalize those. Oil temp got up to 197, but stabilized there (warm, but in reasonable limits) – so we’ll play with that a little. The airplane flies hands off straight and level once trimmed in pitch and is smooth and powerful. I have to do some prop adjustment as I am not getting to full RPM – and that is a little tricky to adjust because it is hard to run up to full power on the ground – but it’s doable and we’ll get that taken care of. On the second flight, we let her run to 197 knots in level flight at 9.000’ – and that was with reduced RPM, so performance is promising…. 
I want to thanks all the folks that have contributed advice, lessons learned – and in some cases parts and hands-on help- in this two-year project. Too many to name here, but the support of Louise – even as I spent way too much time out in the shop – was key to getting this done. The workbench is now hers in its entirety for the RV-15!
Louise was test Director/Ground Crew Chief this morning….
The name?
Many do not know that in the old Norse stories, there were many Valkyries with many names. Each one has characteristic unique to their personality. The Valkyries are tasked by Odin with gathering the souls of great warriors and deciding which ones deserve to be in the halls of Valhalla.
Myst is not like the other Valkyries.
Where they rode in thunder and steel, she moved unseen before the clash. She walked among warriors in their final moments—not to choose the strongest, but the truest. She revealed to each the reality of their soul: courage, regret, love, or fear. Those who stood firm in that truth, she marked for Valhalla. Those who faltered, she left to other fates.
Odin, the allfather said …”only in the mist do men lose their illusions. And only without illusion can they be truly seen.”
To this day, when fog rolls low across a field where blood has been spilled, the old skalds say Myst walks there still—guiding, revealing, and choosing—not by strength of arm, but by truth of soul.
I want to thanks all the folks that have contributed advice, lessons learned – and in some cases parts and hands-on help- in this two-year project. Too many to name here, but the support of Louise – even as I spent way too much time out in the shop – was key to getting this done. The workbench is now hers in its entirety for the RV-15!
Louise was test Director/Ground Crew Chief this morning….
The name?
Many do not know that in the old Norse stories, there were many Valkyries with many names. Each one has characteristic unique to their personality. The Valkyries are tasked by Odin with gathering the souls of great warriors and deciding which ones deserve to be in the halls of Valhalla.
Myst is not like the other Valkyries.
Where they rode in thunder and steel, she moved unseen before the clash. She walked among warriors in their final moments—not to choose the strongest, but the truest. She revealed to each the reality of their soul: courage, regret, love, or fear. Those who stood firm in that truth, she marked for Valhalla. Those who faltered, she left to other fates.
Odin, the allfather said …”only in the mist do men lose their illusions. And only without illusion can they be truly seen.”
To this day, when fog rolls low across a field where blood has been spilled, the old skalds say Myst walks there still—guiding, revealing, and choosing—not by strength of arm, but by truth of soul.
