The
airplane was temporarily moved to a larger hangar and weighed in a level
attitude using three bathroom scales. Measurements were taken to allow
the center of gravity to be determined. All measurements were within allowable
limits.FLIGHT PREPARATION
From this point on the student participation in the project was strictly on a volunteer basis and not part of their classroom studies. For safety reasons the remaining checks and operations needed to be done by the EAA experts.
The
airplane was temporarily moved to a larger hangar and weighed in a level
attitude using three bathroom scales. Measurements were taken to allow
the center of gravity to be determined. All measurements were within allowable
limits.
As
we approached the time for the first engine run, the students suggested
that we give the airplane a bath. A fairly large crew of former students
and parents were on hand to wash the desert dust off of the airplane.
On
the 24th of Aug. 1996, Major Norm Howell, a test pilot from Edwards AFB
who had previous experience with the little Rotax 503 engine, performed
the first engine run. Although we discovered a few wiring problems, the
engine finally started. It was run for one hour and six minutes and was
taken through a specific series of tests to complete the "break-in"
process.