Flight Test Procedure for N600LW

DISCLAIMER: I am NOT a test pilot, nor am I an aeronautical engineer. While I believe that everything on this page is reasonable for a flight test, I don't know what I am talking about, and therefore, if you are about to test fly a brand new airplane, please do not assume that this is the best way, or even a correct way, to conduct a flight test. You MUST consult a qualified, experienced test pilot before test flying your airplane.

GOALS: The purpose of this web page is not to tell you how to do all of the initial flight testing of a newly completed amateur built experimental airplane. The first stage of flight testing a homebuilt airplane is to make sure it is controllable throughout its performance envelope. When I purchased N600LW, it already had 197 hours of flight time, including the hour of flight time I had with the previous owner in the pre-purchase flight. Rather, in this page, I am attempting to conduct flight tests to determine the performance characteristics of N600LW:

1. At what speed does N600LW stall?
2. Based upon the stall speed, what is a reasonable approach speed?
3. What power settings are necessary to obtain this approach speed at a reasonable rate of descent?
4. What is V_y for this airplane?
5. What speeds can I expect to see in cruise flight at various altitudes and power settings?
6. What are the corrections to convert indicated airspeed (IAS) to calibrated air speed (CAS)?
7. How much fuel will I burn climbing to cruise altitude?
8. How much fuel will I burn in cruise flight?
9. What are the appropriate speeds for emergency procedures (V_a, airspeed for best glide, airspeed for minimum sink, etc.)?

Determining this information takes time, patience, persistence and precision. If you have these qualities, and you want to know more about how your airplane flies, then let's get started! :)

Determining Stall and Approach Speeds
Determining V_y
Determining Cruise Performance
Calibrate Indicated Airspeed
Calculate Fuel Burn During Climb
Calculate Fuel Burn During Cruise
Emergency Airspeeds
Flight Test Checklist I Used in N600LW (feel free to modify as needed for your aircraft).
Performance Results for N600LW Note: This is NOT an acceptable substitute for determining the performance characteristics of your own airplane, EVEN IF it is also a Falcon XP, like N600LW.

Bibliography:

1. "Flight Testing Homebuilt Aircraft" by Vaughan Askue, July 1992, ISBN: 978-1560276289.
2. "Aerodynamics for Naval Aviators" by H. H. Hurt, Jr., September 2001, ISBN: 978-1560271406.
3. "Stick and Rudder" by Wolfgang Langwiesche, September 1990, ISBN: 978-0070362406.