Time to run up the blades. I chose a fine dry day and gave the field a quick mow. The soil where we live is only around 10 inches thick - then it’s solid clay that gets harder the deeper you dig. I wound a couple of 2 ft long Ground Screws right in to the ring and tied the ship down tight with some hefty nylon rope.

Dad was promoted to copilot and instructed to watch all the relevant instruments whilst I concentrated on engine and rotor speed. It fired easily and settled to a surprisingly smooth idle.

Dad held the controls steady whilst I listened for unwelcome noises. One that annoyed me was the clutch control handle rattling in the seatback. Otherwise, all OK.

I pulled a few degrees of collective but I resisted the urge to get it light on the skids.

Very chuffed with the silencer. Just gotta get it approved now!!

No Baz, you can’t go for a ride!

WEIGHT & BALANCE

Before flight testing can begin the aircraft must be checked for weight and balance by a CAA approvd company. The Pilot’s Operating Handbook describes the recommended method although it does seem open to some interpretation.

The aircraft must be fully assembled with all the panels and avionics equipment installed but without Pilot and Ballast Weight. Four weighing positions are marked on the skids and the aircraft is chocked up on the scales until the mast is perfectly vertical.

The scale readings are used to calculate the total weight and are also fed into a computer which calculates the Centre of Gravity.

The Hang test is another method of achieving the same results. The aircraft is hoisted aloft by the mast head and the mast angles are measured, both longitudinally and laterally. A load cell situated between the Block & Tackle and the mast head takes a reading of the aircrafts weight.

Of the ten or so Rotorways measured by ‘Planeweighs’, the weighing company, ours came out pretty much in the middle of them.

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