Is it just me? (First flight after condition inspection)

[Daleandee]

I must be pretty slow as I see some folks do a yearly condition inspection (experimental) in a few hours of a day. It seems to take me a few days even when there's not much found. I like to be thorough and methodical as I go over the aircraft.

But my question has to do with the first flight after the inspection. I'm never afraid but there is a certain amount of trepidation in making sure all is complete and ready before I take to the skies.

Got it done and took it up just a little while ago. It performed flawlessly and a look-see after the flight found no anomalies. I did manage to get a ground wire from the GPS to the AP in the wrong slot but that was easily caught a remedied.

Even for the certified plane drivers ... ever have a bit of apprehension when doing the first flight after serious maintenance?

Curious (not George)

 

[Joe_B1]

I must be pretty slow as I see some folks do a yearly condition inspection (experimental) in a few hours of a day. It seems to take me a few days even when there's not much found. I like to be thorough and methodical as I go over the aircraft.

But my question has to do with the first flight after the inspection. I'm never afraid but there is a certain amount of trepidation in making sure all is complete and ready before I take to the skies.

Got it done and took it up just a little while ago. It performed flawlessly and a look-see after the flight found no anomalies. I did manage to get a ground wire from the GPS to the AP in the wrong slot but that was easily caught a remedied.

Even for the certified plane drivers ... ever have a bit of apprehension when doing the first flight after serious maintenance?

Curious (not George)

I own an archer, after the annual my first flight is always touch and go's at the home field until I am satisfied it won't kill me.

 

[Half Fast]

Certainly.

Being a cautious (I.e., cowardly) sort, I stay over the airport until I’m satisfied the plane is satisfactory.

 

[Jim K]

Try having your engine r&r'd by a random mechanic at a random airport 600 miles from home. Felt like I was walking the green mile when I went to go fly her. I'm nervous enough when it's my own mechanic I know & trust doing the work.

I think if I had an experimental I built myself, I'd probably still have a trusted mechanic look it over. I have countless times put something back together, and discovered later I screwed it up somehow. I'm concerned that it's not just me, but humans in general.

 

[Bell206]

I'm never afraid but there is a certain amount of trepidation in making sure all is complete and ready before I take to the skies.

FYI: Same goes on the maintenance side. There are times when after extended/major maintenance you get the same feeling going on or watching that 1st flight. For me there have been times when--for no reason--I "watched" the time until I knew they made home or to a different base. Just a feature of the business. Nothing hurts to be a bit cautious at times.

 

[Wagondriver]

First cylinder I ever changed was on my 520. I flew over landable areas for a half hour or so. After that, never thought about it again.

 

[hindsight2020]

Nope, im sufficiently desensitized from my day job, that i dont give it a second thought. I do the precautionary flight out of convenience before the mechanic leaves town with my payment, not out of bodily fear. I always takeoff with the opportunity cost of engine failure sunk. I wouldn't own a single engine plane if i found it necessary to stay within gliding distance of an airport. Im more afraid of the stupid thing not starting on the ground and leaving me AOG in some recovery $$$ trap like long island BA, or the like.

I did take the mechanic with me one time, back in 2016 during the flying toolbox incident. Mostly cuz he removed the fuel tank to get to the wing skin riveting. Last thing i wanted was signing off the release form with the insurance after flying on the undisturbed tank, to go find out the disturbed tank was clogged after hour 2 of a 4 hour XC and now i own the goat that ate the rope lol.

We lived.

 

[midwestpa24]

First flight out of maintenance always carries heightened risk. I always approach post maintenance flights with extra caution, starting with reviewing what work was done and an extra thorough preflight. I spend extra time ensuring the control surfaces move freely, correctly, and smoothly. There have been several instances of aircraft having controls reversed or binding causing a loss of control on takeoff. I myself caught an issue out of maintenance, where a relocated electrical wire was rubbing on a control cable. I could hear it when I moved the controls during preflight.

I also make the first flight close to the airport, usually spiraling up over the field to gain altitude until I'm confident the aircraft is operating normally. I've never understood people that pick a plane up from maintenance and immediately set off to somewhere.

 

[Jim K]

FYI: Same goes on the maintenance side. There are times when after extended/major maintenance you get the same feeling going on or watching that 1st flight. For me there have been times when--for no reason--I "watched" the time until I knew they made home or to a different base. Just a feature of the business. Nothing hurts to be a bit cautious at times.

My mechanic does this too. I forget what brought it up, but he said that he opens up adsb exchange and tracks planes he's done major work on recently, especially if we're regular customers and he knows we're going on a trip. Said it makes him feel better to know that the plane safely made it where we're going. I think watching would almost make it worse if one ever went down, though.

He also told some stories about transients with basket case planes coming in for a repair, and hoping his signature wouldn't be the last one in the logbook.

 

[Southpaw]

I'm a lucky guy.
My mechantic and inspector are the same fellow. He lives over 100 air miles across the mountianious continental divide from me here on the prairie.
He flys in takes my C172 flys it over the Mountian to his home port , does the annual and any repairs , flys it home . I figure if he is willing to risk his life to do that , I'm safe. The bonus is the one hour plus flight each way lets him get the feel of the AC and verify any squawks on way over and the flight home to do a final test .

 

[Daleandee]

Try having your engine r&r'd by a random mechanic at a random airport 600 miles from home. Felt like I was walking the green mile when I went to go fly her. I'm nervous enough when it's my own mechanic I know & trust doing the work.

"walking the green mile"

I am my builder/owner/mechanic/chief cook & bottle washer. I do trust my mechanic but sometimes I get others to take a look-see.

 

[flyingron]

45 minutes after my annual was signed off my engine blew up, so yes I'm nervous (though the annual really didn't have anything to do with it).

I did find one time that a fuel line hadn't been tightened after annual.

 

[kmacht]

I own an archer, after the annual my first flight is always touch and go's at the home field until I am satisfied it won't kill me.

I don’t quite understand the logic. If you don’t fully trust the plane then why would you keep putting it in the most dangerous part of flying (takeoff and landing) when testing it out. Why not circle overhead at a safe altitude instead? Other than when you are on the downwind leg, if the engine quits or something goes wrong during the touch and go you are in a bad spot to get it back to the runway.

 

[X3 Skier]

Our mechanic always comes along on the first flight by his choice. My partner and I flip a coin to see who goes (2 place plane). Plane gets a good workout on that flight.

 

[Warlock]

I always fly it first before my kid does…I spent a lot of my military career as a maintenance test pilot so never apprehensive just the way it works for me…there is a huge difference between an inspection and a major system replacement though.

 

[Joe_B1]

I don’t quite understand the logic. If you don’t fully trust the plane then why would you keep putting it in the most dangerous part of flying (takeoff and landing) when testing it out. Why not circle overhead at a safe altitude instead? Other than when you are on the downwind leg, if the engine quits or something goes wrong during the touch and go you are in a bad spot to get it back to the runway.

The only real danger is the takeoff after that, if the engine craps out, I am already in the pattern. I can run up the engine before I commit to takeoff. Doing touch and go's puts the plane through pretty much all aspects of flight. I should ad that my FBO that does my annuals is at my home field and the A&P flies the plane before turning it back to me, so not much of a pucker factor.

 

[Daleandee]

…there is a huge difference between an inspection and a major system replacement though.

As the builder of my plane I was the first one to fly it. The first flight went extremely well (except the learning to land it part - lol) and I wasn't terribly concerned as we did a lot of testing & confirming of flight controls, engine controls, instruments, etc.

Your point is well taken as I've experienced both when doing first flights in planes I've built or finished building.