Test flying

I'm enjoying this stage a lot.

I got to the hangar early today, made and fitted a small rudder trim tab, then disconnected the elevator trim pushrods and bent them a little more to allow increased up elevator trim.

I flew for an hour this morning, still running the engine in. It was a bumpy morning and with the throttle wide open it wasn't that pleasant flying at 135 kts. However it went well. The rudder is now very close and requires minimal pressure. The elevator back pressure on finals is able to be trimmed out, and with the wings level the ailerons are now symmetrical.

I landed and did an oil change. We also pulled the rock catcher filter, and the suction screen. There was a small amount of metal in the rock catcher but not much. Oil consumer has been minimal, and the CHT's have dropped. Overall it looks good.

This evening I flew for 2 hours and went a bit further afield. It was smooth flying conditions and perfect for running the engine in. I also did a VNE test, a non- event apart from increased air noise.