I'm in the home stretch now. All that separates me from flying my plane are the airworthiness inspection and my transition training. It turns out that "airplane" is a legal term to the Federal Aviation Administration. Before a successful airworthiness inspection your airplane is not actually an airplane to the FAA. I don't know what they think the thing with the wings and the big fan on the front is, but is definitely not an airplane. So to become an airplane it needs to be inspected by the FAA or a designated examiner (DAR). If one can get their local FAA examiner to do the inspection then the cost of the inspection is zero. Awesome! Not every Flight Standards District Office will send out an inspector though, and in that case, a Designated Airworthiness Representative is required. If a DAR is employed one can expect to part with a handful of Franklin's for their time and expertise.
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| The last rivet goes in attaching the aircraft data plate. |
My experience with the Sacramento FSDO was painless, and quite pleasant, actually. Not at all what I was expecting. On the internet, the FAA moto is mockingly, "We're not happy until you're unhappy." Perhaps it's because most people that are happy don't take the time to post their experience online. Whatever the reason, I didn't actually have anything to worry about.
To get my thing with the wings and a big fan inspected, I needed to file the appropriate applications. The EAA has a helpful guide in preparing the forms. This is one area where the FAA's reputation is actually well deserved. The forms must be filled out perfectly without the slightest deviation permitted. One might draw a parallel with the Soup Nazi from the Seinfeld TV show. Make a mistake on the form and go to the back of the line. But I had the sizable advantage of seeing a filled out application from our local EAA chapter's president, Frank Jackson. The ability to see how he answered some of the more obscure questions was a very big help. This is where I should also confess that it was Carol who did all of the forms. Because as it turns out, although I am capable of building an airplane, I am helpless at filling out forms.
Once I thought all of the forms were ready, I called the FSDO and was put in touch with Richard Dilbeck who would be my inspector. I just wanted to be certain that I had all of the information required for a successful airworthiness inspection. Richard was helpful and pleasant on the phone and I learned that he prefers to be called "Dilly." Following our phone conversation, he emailed me a bunch of documentation and some checklists to follow. I completed the checklist's and looked over the other documents and was satisfied that I was ready to send in my packet.
It turns out that Dilly was already going to do an inspection for someone in my area and was willing to add mine on that day, so I didn't have long to wait. The time from first contact to the inspection was only about 2 and a half weeks in the future. OMG! I'm not ready. My plane was fully assembled in my shop and I only just arranged for a hangar at the airport. Well, needless to say, I was able to finish the fuel testing, disassemble the plane, and move it to the airport by the day of the inspection. But only just. I was still tightening the wing attach bolts minutes before Dilly arrived at my hangar.
The inspection process consisted of a detailed discussion of the operating limitations for this airplane. Dilly was quite thorough and highlighted each point with an anecdote from his extensive experience that explains the rule or otherwise highlights it's application. I appreciated the opportunity to benefit from his aviation knowledge. At some point in the future, Dilly plans to retire from the FAA and become a DAR.
The operating limitations, among other things, establishes that this aircraft will be operated in two distinct phases, 1 and 2. In phase 1, I will be doing the basic flight testing where I verify the performance envelope of the aircraft. This phase will last for a minimum of 40 hours. During this time I am not allowed to take passengers and I must stay within a predefined area. Once the 40 hours are flown, I will make a notation to that effect in the aircraft log book that indicates that the aircraft is now moving to phase 2. Phase 2 is the normal operation phase were I am allowed to treat the aircraft just as I would for any similar certified aircraft. Meaning, that I can basically go where I want and carry passengers.
Once Dilly had finished with the discussion on the operating limitations, he moved on to the physical examination of the aircraft. Here is Dilly and I going over the engine. I'm taking notes as he checks each connection.
The inspection continued around the plane and focused mainly on the linkages where we had the opportunity to discuss ball end joints and possible failure modes at some length. I was happy that Dilly was willing to take his time during this phase of the inspection stopping frequently to discuss not only the structural element in question, but also what I should be looking for in the future to help keep this aircraft safe.
In the end, Dilly found a jam nut loose on the aileron linkage which I corrected on the spot. He made several other recommendations that I plan to implement. Although no show stoppers were discovered (thankfully), I feel that the inspection was a great learning experience all the same. It really is a relief to get another pair of eyes on the project as I know how very easy it is to not "see" things when one is so intimately familiar with a project. After the inspection we moved on to the log book notations.
And finally, the Special Airworthiness Certificate. Ta Da!
It was a long day for me, and a much longer one for Dilly who completed two inspections. With hindsight, I can see that I was unnecessarily stressed going in. Dilly was calm and easy to work with. I know that in the future I will not hesitate to give him a call as the need arises. And if I should build another plane, I wouldn't hesitate to hire him as a DAR.
Before I will be ready to fly this airplane I still have two steps to complete. I need to get training with this model aircraft and I need to fully re-assemble the plane after having it mostly apart for the inspection.
