Checkride in the RV6

With the RV6 now finally out of annual (it has taken since the start of October), I was due for a checkride with an instructor according to group rules (they state that you must have a checkride if you haven’t flown in the RV for 30 days).

So I turned up on a very cold Sunday at Cotswold Aero Club for a checkride with the CFI, Phil Mathews. Now, neither Phil nor I are particularly small guys, and I had to check the weight and balance carefully. Mercifully, the aircraft had just the right amount of fuel for us to be within the dual occupancy overall limit (i.e. not a lot, but enough for circuits).

We booked out and hauled the plane out of the hangar. I primed it carefully, but it was very cold and didn’t start first time. More priming and she fired and caught. We taxied out and ran the power checks at the hold for 27. Hmmmm….. the digital engine monitor showed the correct 1800 rpm, then when I switched either mag off, it jumped around hugely from 1350 to 1650 and pretty much any number in between. The engine note was fine and sounded like a consistent, minimal drop on both sides. I did this a couple of times and Phil agreed, the engine sounded fine, just not the gauges (oh how I hate digital number readouts for rpm – a rare occasion when analogue gauges are far better). Then I remembered the email from Manuel saying that the rpm readout was incorrect on mag drops, it was fine for carb heat check as both mags were on.

So in the vernacular of the AAIB, Phil and I ‘elected’ to continue the flight! It was pretty quiet at the airfield and I was given a quick clearance for take off on 27. I lined up and applied power. Looking carefully ahead and feeding in right rudder as the power came on to hold her on the centreline, the tail came up. I held her down to flying speed, then relaxed forward pressure and up she came eager as always.

I obviously came onto the right 10 degrees noise abatement turn too early as Phil corrected me that I had to be at the end of the runway before starting the turn or I might infringe the active helicopter circuit (I thought I was, but there you go – more care next time).

Up we went with the usual crisp rate of climb and I was at circuit height as I turned crosswind. So power back and turn. I wasn’t too happy with my handling on the first circuit as I climbed to 1200’ QFE before sorting myself out – not impressive height-keeping on my part!

I called downwind and did the checks. I had time to admire the scenery. It was so cold and there was so much frost everywhere that the landscape below looked like one of those artificially coloured black and white photos from the old days, everything had so much colour bleached out of it! Shame I didn’t have time for a photo!

The first landing was OK, not fantastic as I did a slight ‘Spitfire hop’ as I touched too soon, the stall warner was blaring, but it wasn’t yet ready to quit flying. It is amazing how quickly one slips back into bad habits flying nosewheel aircraft as I would of course have ‘got away with that’ in a nosewheel aircraft. Well, at least I anchored the stick back into my b*ll*cks and got the tailwheel firmly on the ground before powering up again. I did feed in right rudder, but found myself onto the left of the centreline – hmmmm… not a great T&G – I’ll do better next time.

Next time was better, but still not perfect, just a very slight hop, nothing to speak of. Take off better, but still not great.

Third T&G was fine and the take off much better. On climb out at about 500’, Phil calmly pulled the throttle and announced ‘let’s have a bit of an engine failure shall we?’

‘Yes – rude not to’ I replied. I quickly pushed the nose over, set up for glide and pointed at a decent field just to the left of my line and said ‘THERE!’. I was high, so I pulled on flaps and started to lose height. Then I noticed power lines in the field, but fortunately running directly in line with my landing run, so I could easily land alongside them. We continued until it was clear that I should be able to make it if I sideslipped off some height as I was starting to do, when Phil called for me to continue, but to fly straight ahead to 1000’, then turn and carry on climbing to 1500’ to the downwind for 27. This was going to be a glide PFL from the downwind.

I reached the desired height and location and Phil pulled the power. I applied carb heat andtrimmed for best glide. I was judging the approach and turned a ‘racecourse’ style downwind to final turn. I had deliverately left myself high, but somewhat too successfully! I was wwaaayyyyy high!. I pulled on all flaps and started a somewhat ‘wimpy’ sideslip. I changed the sideslip direction and got the next slip about right as we headed down. I was still high, but not too bad. I straightened out over the displaced threshold, a bit high and fast and brough her down into the flare. And held off, and off and off, and off, and off – errr! We touched very nicely (the best landing of the day) about half way down the long 27 runway. OK, poor heightkeeping, but we made it and it was a decent landing.

Phil was happy but suggested I did some PFL’s myself to nail the height better. With hindsight, I think what I did was to automatically account for a headwind that simply wasn’t present at all – it was dead flat calm.

Well, mission accomplished. A nice checkride and I now feel ready for some locals and landaways in the RV6.