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Thread: Whats your idea of first takeoff?

  1. #1

    Default Whats your idea of first takeoff?

    I am getting ready to takeoff for the first time. I have been taxing and practicing getting the tail off the ground. I have a 1987 Kitfox 1 with a Rotax 503. I have worked out a few of the misc. problems, like brakes not working right, Etc.
    On first takeoff should I bunny hop down runway or full throttle and get to altitude and then start breathing? What did you do?

    Thanks, Will

  2. #2
    Senior Member SkyPirate's Avatar
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    Default Re: Whats your idea of first takeoff?

    I would approach it this way :

    First flight day should be calm,..little traffic around the airport ,..
    take off and get out of ground effect as soon as possible once you rotate ,..if everything felt good once out of ground effect ..do some slight turns left and right and some pitch control maneuvers ,..and all of this before you reach the 1/2 way mark of the runway length ,..just incase you need to set her back down ,..if all feels good ..climb straight out get to a pattern altitude and fly the pattern.
    with any airplane once your out of ground effect ( the length of the wing above the ground) any discrepencies will be very obvious so be prepared,..a wing could drop slightly( take note of stick location in level flight),..the nose could all of a sudden feel heavy ,..if your prop pitch is set for quick take off it will take more rudder to keep straight at first ,..etc..
    once your in the pattern on your down wind ,..adjust the throttle a little to see what speed the plane will fly straight and level without much control imput,..if it's in your perameters for cruise your good to go ,..if it isn't ..then adjust your flaperons a little bit up or down,..this will trim out a kitfox quick,...
    for landing ,..I would not try to 3 point it ,..on a tail dragger,..I'd land with a little speed then set the tail down,..

    good luck and happy flying~!!!

    after you have completed this ,..you'll need to get a crow bar to pry the grin off your face ha ha ,..they have some over the counter medication for facial strain but it doesn't work on the "kitfox Grin"

    Chase

    forgot ,..you had said your flying a 503 ,..important ,..once your at cruise ,..watch your tach EGT's and CHT's ,..sometimes on the 503 ,..around 5400 rpm ..the EGT's will climb fast,..this can be remedied with some carb ajustemnt after first flight is completed ,..if EGT's look like they are going to spike ,..either raise RPM slightly ,..or drop RPM and give a little flaperon adjustment ,..pull up on flaperon stick to keep altitude,..you'll have to also hold back on stick to compensate ,.. once back on the ground ,,move the jet needle one notch up or down and fly the pattern again,..if this doesn't remedy the issue you'll need to rejet.
    so to add to the excitement ..watch your guages

    Chase
    Last edited by SkyPirate; 12-12-2009 at 11:11 AM.

  3. #3
    Senior Member cap01's Avatar
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    Default Re: Whats your idea of first takeoff?

    hi will . how you handle your first flight surely depends on your flying experience . like how much tail dragger time you have . the more you run up and down the runway with the tail up the more your inviting disaster . picking a good day for the first flight is pretty important , like not a lot of gusting wind . no reason to add any more factors to the mix. if you built the plane you should know it intimately but it helps to have someone else to look the airplane over for things you may have missed before you fly it .
    the first flight of mine was from a private strip and by the time i had taxied to the end of the runway the runway was lined with people in lawn chairs waiting to see the action . i didnt know that many people lived there or how they found out i was going to fly that day . as it turned out it was a non event but what a great feeling after all the work to get there , i came back and gased up and flew again . i think my biggest problems with the kitfox was getting used to flying so slow on approach also getting her to come down when i pull power abeam of the end of the runway on downwind .
    and if the skills arent up to the task the better part of valor is finding someone with kitfox time to fly it and give you some dual .
    good luck and they are a real hoot when you get it going .
    chuck
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    model IV 1050
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  4. #4
    Senior Member SkyPirate's Avatar
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    Default Re: Whats your idea of first takeoff?

    I second the "tail dragger Flying experience" it's not the same as a tricycle especially if it's yours and the planes first tail dragger flight.

    Chase

  5. #5

    Default Re: Whats your idea of first takeoff?

    What a reply, Thanks for all the info. I have not done very much time in a tail dragger. I need a few more hours before solo or first flight. All the guys I hang around are Helicopter guys. Nobody that flies tail draggers or fixed wing aircraft. I need to go and get my tail wheel endorsement and I think I would feel good about the first flight. I am really excited about getting her in the air, I just wanted a general idea from all you guys that fly these birds. Thanks Again, Will

  6. #6
    Senior Member Dave S's Avatar
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    Default Re: Whats your idea of first takeoff?

    Hi Will,

    Congratulations on getting ready for your first flight. There is so much to say about the first flight of a new airplane.

    If you don't already have it - One highly recommended reference is the FAA's advisory circular AC 90-89A "Amateur built aircraft and ultralight flight testing handbook" Lots of good ideas to consider.

    here is the link:

    http://rgl.faa.gov/Regulatory_and_Gu...ilt%20aircraft

    A first flight needs to be taken seriously - think it through - set up a plan then fly it - If a person does everything they can to stack the deck in their favor - that is what is needed.

    What do I do? - First off, I dissed all of my family and friends except for a two person ground crew with a radio, cell phone and camera. Picked a day with no wind, during a weekday morning with nobody around, longest runway with the biggest clear space beyond the airport, sun on my back. Set up the first flight plan pretty much like the advisory circular format - was as certain as I could be that everything was right and assumed that just about anything and everything could go wrong. Did a final high speed taxi test on the runway then the first takeoff - ready for an abort at the first sign of anything going bad - since nothing went sour - just did a normal climb to pattern altitude - just gentle maneuvers to determine if controls worked, Circled the field a couple times - went to 3000 feet - power off stall to get some idea where the ASI should be on approach - assumed the first landing would be a go around unless it looked good - still don't know why, but the first approach resulted in a no-flaps landing. First flight time was one hour - never got out of spitting distance from the airport in case the engine developed an attitude problem. Everything worked fine - left wing a bit heavy and in need of some fine tuning on the rigging but that is to be expected and no big deal.

    The KF grin that everyone is talking about? ITS REAL! NOBODY can erase that from your face 'cuz you just did something that few people do - built an airplane and took off in it!

    Oh yeah? The family and friends - Had an open house at the hangar a week later - a person needs to remember those who put up with you and helped all along the way during the build. Although a person cannot give any rides till the testing is successfully complete - I was compelled to do a few circuits around the patch - With the number of witnesses, including the DAR who issue the AWC and his wife with a camera - I figured that I had next to no chance of making a graceful landing; but, the Kitfox kept me from embarrasing myself and apparently murphy was asleep at the stick....

    Main idea with the first flight is to keep yourself and the airplane in the gene pool - While ours is a trigear, if a person has a tailwheel - be darn sure that you have way too much recent experience landing a tailwheel then double it.

    Yep - and work that grin for all it is worth!

    Sincerely,

    Dave S
    St Paul, MN

  7. #7
    Senior Member Slyfox's Avatar
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    Default Re: Whats your idea of first takeoff?

    I think if you are that much in the green for tail wheel time, my advice is to stay on the ground and do no more taxi test unless they are slow and the tail stays on the ground. With that said, first flights are to be done with full throttle and get er up in the air and to pattern altitude. Than you can breath easy and do orbits over the field until you find out what the stall is at and set yourself up for a landing. Again, I don't think you have enough experience for flying the tail wheel yet, and it's not legal to fly anyway without the endorsement, so go get one. If there is someone that will do it for you, take that into concideration also.
    steve
    slyfox
    model IV 1200-flying
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    constant speed prop

  8. #8

    Smile Re: Whats your idea of first takeoff?

    I agree Slyfox. I have to get myself ready before the big day. I am looking at a school that has a j-3 cub that I will do some time in. Thanks for all the input.

  9. #9
    Dave Holl's Avatar
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    Smile Re: Whats your idea of first takeoff?

    Will
    What the other guys have said is very good advice.
    I am building a MK 7 and I also have over 900 hours on a Jodel 1050 which is a tail dragger and a J3 Cub. I do not intend to do the first flight until I have a few hours in the R/H seat of a kitfox to get use to it!
    My advice is get a tailwheel check out and the J3 cub is a great aircraft to do it in, and as they say if you can fly a cub you can fly anything BUT the kitfox will have much lighter controls and is a lighter aircraft than the Cub so my advice would be after you are checked out on the Cub try and get some time in the R/H seat (or if you are lucky L/H seat) of a Kitfox or similar type before flying your pride and joy!
    rgds
    Dave
    Dave Holl
    Building Kitfox MK7
    Rotax 912ULS

  10. #10
    Super Moderator Av8r3400's Avatar
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    Default Re: Whats your idea of first takeoff?

    Keep in mind that a Kitfox is much lighter and shorter than a Cub or a Champ and will spin around on the ground much quicker on roll-out if you don't stay ahead of it.

    Jumping into a Kitfox without any transition training is a dangerous proposition. I was lucky to have an experienced instructor (JimS) do transition training with me.
    Av8r3400
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