The goal of your first flight is to get the aircraft back on
the ground in one piece. This process starts before you
push the throttles forward with three important
preparatory steps. First, do not initiate the flight with any
known problems with the aircraft. Second, wait for good
weather conditions. Finally, make sure you have a good
spotter to keep track of time, help with trims, keep notes
and generally tell you how good a job you are doing to
keep the nerves in check.
Test flying an aircraft is a matter of personal preference,
but the method suggested here will appeal to those pilots
who look for a repeatable result through defined power
settings and pre-programmed flap system trims.
The agenda for the first flight will be to trim the aircraft
with takeoff and approach flaps, test out throws and
develop a feel for the location of CG. As you initiate the
flight, use the takeoff flap setting to keep rotation speed
reasonable and provide additional lift. Fly a couple of
racetrack patterns at a medium speed, leaving the gear
and takeoff flaps set, trimming for elevator and aileron.
During this process, you will get a feel for CG through the
sensitivity of the elevator and the aircraft track through
the turns. I usually have a range of elevator and aileron
dual rates programmed and as soon as the aircraft is
trimmed, I will try these to find the best setup. This
process really establishes the ideal settings for your next
takeoff.
When these items are complete, drop in landing flaps and
re-trim elevator for approach speed. When set,
momentarily increase the throttle to full, counting the
number of clicks. Have your spotter write this number
down. Knowing this number will allow you to set power
reliably and repetitively before dropping flaps and gear on
future flights. Reduce throttle back to the pattern setting
and fly a gear pass. From this point forward, shoot as
many approaches as time will allow, attempting to find the
throttle settings that provide a smooth transition through
the base leg and a grooved approach. Have your spotter
keep notes.
This is a heavy aircraft, and the most
common mistake on first flights will be to reduce
power too quickly. The plane will need sufficient
throttle through the turns and on final, even with a
large engine.
While the suggested regimen will
conserve fuel on your first outing, don
ʼ
t push the time and
when you find you have a good approach working, go
ahead and land. After you have celebrated that
successful first flight, put the plane up on the stand and
with the help of your spotter, inspect the plane carefully.
It may take you a few flights to find the proper throttle
positions for base and final … continue to be patient and
spend time on approaches until you have the numbers in
mind and are fully comfortable with the landings. During
this process, you should also take the plane to altitude,
and find out how slow the aircraft will fly, what the visible
signs mark the onset of a stall and how the plane
performs through the stall.
Once this process is complete, go ahead and pull up the
gear and flaps, trim for speed and explore the higher
performance characteristics of your model. All in all, I find
it takes 6-10 flights to fully explore the airplane and lock
down all the settings.
Appendix B: Test Flying Your Cougar
DerJet F9F-8 Cougar Page 44
