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<< Lancair Builders' Mail List >>
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On a clear Sunday morning on June 3, N320DS, a Lancair 320 aircraft took to
the skies for the first time over Sanford, Florida. After 12 years of
blood, sweat, and tears, the aircraft lifted off runway 27R and circled the
airport at 3000 feet for a short, twenty minute flight.
Thanks to Sandi McKee from Ft. Lauderdale Florida for giving me some flight
time in his aircraft. I found that a few hours spent in another Lancair
prior to my first flight was sufficient to give me the skills and
confidence to perform my own first flight. Despite some of the rhetoric
I've read over the years, I found the Lancair 320 to be a stable,
predictable aircraft to fly and land. Takeoff with the differential
breaking for steering takes some additional attention over an aircraft with
nosewheel steering. No rotation is necessary. The aircraft flys itself
off the runway. Gear up, and the aircraft accelerates quickly to 120
knots. At cruise speed, the aircraft is light on the controls, especially
in pitch, but not unpleasantly so. During slow flight, the controls become
less responsive but the control forces are comparable to other high
performance aircraft. Keep the speed up on final and fly the aircraft all
the way to the ground. The power stays in all the way to flare. During
flair, pitch up only slightly and slowly reduce power to idle. The
aircraft stops flying and firmly plants the mains down.
I preceded the first flight with approximately 1.8 hours of taxi testing
following the Flight Test Guidelines provided in the FAA circular and the
Falco Flight Test Guide, found at
www.seqair.com/FlightTest/FlightTest.html. The taxi testing consisted of
static engine runs to full power, slow speed taxi tests, and high-speed
taxi tests including raising the nose wheel off the runway. After 1.8
hours, I felt comfortable with the ground handling characteristics of the
aircraft. This time is also useful to becoming accustomed with your
instrument panel layout and system operations.
After obtaining my flight experience in another Lancair, I was ready for
first flight. I removed the gear doors, as recommended by the Falco Flight
Test manual, and fueled the aircraft with about 25 gallons of gas. I
arranged a fellow pilot to meet me at the airport the next day with a
portable radio and a camera. I called the tower to pre-arrange a circling
climb directly over the airport to 3000 feet. This required coordination
with Sanford Tower ( Class D airspace ) and Orlando Approach ( Class B
airspace, or TCA for us older pilots ), who's airspace starts at 1600 feet
over the airport. Finally, I called the Airport Fire Rescue people and
arranged a meeting to tour my aircraft and discuss aircraft egress and
rescue procedures. I was fortunate that the two Fire Rescue crewmembers
that arrived that evening would be working the following morning during my
departure. They were exceptionally friendly and professional.
As I arrived at the airport the following morning, I was met with some
light morning fog and haze from the following days rains and brush fires
raging from Florida's most serious drought on record. I preflighted the
aircraft as the sun began to rise and burn the remaining fog remnants from
the sky. Sanford tower was waiting for me with the transponder code and
clearance for my non-standard circling climb above the airport. As I
taxied out to runway 27R, Kevin Black, a friend and a Pan-Am pilot based at
Sanford, chimed in an unexpected voice of confidence and enthusiasm over
the ground frequency to me as their Boeing 727 began its pushback from the
terminal. After a long taxi to 27R, I performed my pre-takeoff checklist,
secured the canopy latches ( note to self: I have to remove my seat belt to
reach all four latches, darn ), and taxied onto the 150 foot wide and 9000
foot long concrete runway. My takeoff clearance came in short order and I
slowly added full power while focusing most of my attention on the
airspeed. A few shots of right rudder to keep it on the centerline and 50
knots came up quick. Nothing new here since I taxied this fast before.
However, this time, the power stays in for good. Between 50 and 70 knots,
the aircraft is not accelerating as quickly. At 70 knots, the aircraft
leaves the ground but there is no clear rotation. I didn't really know I
was flying until the ailerons became effective and the aircraft will begins
to respond to roll inputs. We're flying! The aircraft continues to
accelerate to 100 knots. I keep the climb angle shallow and the airspeed
high. With the gear hanging down, 100 knots is the best I can get with my
fixed-pitch wood propeller. As I reach the end of 27R, I begin a slow,
shallow, climbing turn to the left in order to remain over the airport
complex. The aircraft is amazingly quiet, especially with my noise
canceling Lightspeed 25XL headsets suppressing nearly all engine noises.
Sanford tower hands me off to Orlando Approach, and I continue my climb to
3000 with a careful watch on airspeed, oil temperature, and number three
cylinder head temperature ( the hottest ). Upon reaching 3000 feet, I push
the nose over and the speed reaches 120 knots. I throttle back to avoid
exceeding the gear down extension speed of 120 knots, although with the
gear doors removed, it shouldn't be an issue. The air rushing over the
gear legs begins to make a "singing" sound and the cockpit sound level
increases. The controls remain crisp and firm. I begin to make forward
pitch trim changes with the trim stick. It doesn't take a lot of trim to
neutralize the forces. Surprisingly, I begin to relax and enjoy the ride.
The airport below looks strangely different since I've never been allowed,
nor had the reason, to circle overhead at this altitude.
After several laps around the airport, its time to come down. I've
monitored the temperatures and the CHT is dropping down below 380F with the
oil temperature falling below 200F in the cool morning air. Not bad I
lament considering I dragging those steel gear legs and those cheap little
Chinese tires around at 120 knots. I let Orlando Approach know I've had
enough and they give me an immediate hand-off to Sanford tower and clear me
for the descent. I pitch over to attain a 500 fpm descent and throttle
back to hold 120 knots. It takes several minutes but finally I arrive at
pattern altitude. I fly a wide right base and relatively long final to 27R
keeping my turns very shallow. Initially maintaining 100 knots on final, I
slip in 10, then 20 degrees of flaps. I hold 95 knots all the way to
flare, ease back the power, apply a little back pressure on the stick, and
I'm down in the first 1000 feet of runway. What a relief. I coast to a
stop without applying brakes and turn off at mid-field. After long taxi to
the hangar, I shut down the engine and jump out of the aircraft. I'm
beaming with delight!
Special thanks for the support and help of all those who believed in the
success of my endeavor. Keep your dream alive and ...
"Never give up, never give in, never let a ray of doubt slip in ... <you're>
going to win."
Don Gordon
Orlando, FL
LNC2 - N320DS
P.S. - Marv, put me down for 100% complete :-).
[Congratulations on that successful first flight. I'll update your
Builders' List entry and give your project the "blue sky" it deserves. Great
job, excellent report... keep us advised as the flight testing continues.
<Marv> ]
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LML website: http://www.olsusa.com/Users/Mkaye/maillist.html
LML Builders' Bookstore: http://www.buildersbooks.com/lancair
Please send your photos and drawings to marvkaye@olsusa.com.
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