Paul, I am not sure that i quite agree with you, that if at all possible th
e builder should refrain from
test flying his own Europa.
I realise that you have safety in mind, and quite rightly so. I cannot, how
ever, but ponder the number
of accidents having occurred to builders test flying their own Europa. Am i
wrong in assuming that
this number is very small =3F - again admitting that it ought to be nil.
The first time I took OY-ODA aloft, on a glorious sun-drenched afternoon, J
une 12 1999 my tailwheel
experience was unimpressive, and although having manhandled a Europa a coup
le of times I had never
been at the helm during take off or landing. That is, if you discount the t
ime during high-speed taxy-test
where I suddenly found myself about 50 feet above the runway. Without reall
y deliberating my options,
I throttled back and landed without drama. Mark you this was not successful
due to any aeronautical
excellence on my part, but thanks to the absolutely splendid flying charact
eristics of the Europa, and
this unintended take off convinced me that this part was nothing for which
to go into a stupor.
What I mean is that
1. All Europas having been cleared by their inspectors will, almost per def
inition, be
well behaving when airborne.
2. I seriously doubt that an eventual accompanying flying-instructor can pr
event a ground
loop if the builder has initiated one. The extra weight of the instruct
or only increases the
inertia.
3. The ongoing horror stories about the proneness of the mono to groundloop
are, I feel, somewhat
exaggerated, and, what is worse, they will unavoidably add to the like
ly pre-take off apprehension
of the builder. Which may increase his concentration, but as likely wi
ll deteriorate his flying perfor-
mance. And weeks or months of waiting for the availability of a suitab
le test pilot serves
only to increase the apprehension .
4. Finally, one should not ignore the significance of the marvellous momen
t where you yourself take
that blasted, expensive, beautiful toy, gestated, perhaps, in spite of
your wife's silent misgivings,
aloft for the very first time. And,afterwards, having parked and shut
down the engine, can lean back,
shut your eyes and enjoy one of the rare moments in life, where you a
re truly in awe.
Perhaps I am just a romantic.
Niels Kock
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