Ron

Ron & Kandy Murray

RV-9A

N937RK FIRST FLIGHT

Sunday, December 05, 2004

It really flies! Finally, after 3 years and 8 months of pounding rivets, N937RK flew for the first on December 3, 2004. It flew from Lake Norman Airpark, with 26,000 hour test pilot, Van Lawless at the controls. It was a beautiful 30 minute flight with over 20 fellow builders and neighbors watching. The flight was uneventful with only a slight heavy left wing reported. The airplane is beautiful with full paint and basic interior and weighs in at 1106 with wheel pants and fairings.

To complete our historical record, the first engine start occurred on November 5, 2004. It started on the first attempt. The only adjustment required was to modify the throttle linkage to achieve a slower idle.

Upon completion of the airplane, you then have the task of creating a “mountain” of documentation. You create a Pilot Operating Handbook, Flight Testing Plan, make sure your builders log and pictures are up to date, then fill out the FAA forms and wait for them to arrive. On November 30, 2004, the FAA came out, reviewed the documentation, looked the plane over and issued an Airworthiness Certificate. It was now a real airplane!

The final configuration of the airplane is as follows. It is equipped with a new Aero Sport Power O-320-D2A engine, turning a 70 by 80 Sensenich fixed pitch prop. The panel is equipped with full IFR gyros, an AOA, a full complement of Electronics International instruments, King KMD-150 color multiple function display, ICOM com, and Garmin transponder.

Many thanks go to Andy Moscarelli our EAA technical advisor, Van Lawless our test pilot, our neighbors at Lake Norman Airpark, and our local EAA Chapter 309 for assistance and counsel. Most importantly, our gratitude and appreciation to Van’s Aircraft who created this wonderful kit and made it all possible.

We are 28 months and 1700 hours along on our RV-9A project. We now have an N number, N937RK. Our Trinidad's (previous airplane) N number was N37RK, so at least 7RK is still a part of our vocabulary. We have ordered our new O-320 engine and prop. Delivery is expected in August. The plane is sitting on it's gear with wings attached. The plumbing, wiring and panel are 95% complete. The panel has the 6 "standard" set of aircraft gauges, including gyro gauges. The 6 engine instruments are the deluxe package from Electronics International (EI). The avionics include the transponder, Com and KMD-150 GPS with 5", color moving map. All of these are powered up and ready for display. We are currently working on the slider canopy and windshield.

We have elected to paint our plane (we are really getting brave). So we have ordered and received the Citation HVLP painting equipment. Next on the list will be to build a paint booth, then begin the ugly task of taking the plane apart for painting. This is hard to do, since we really enjoy looking at a mostly completed airplane. Our current plans are to paint or at least prime the fuselage before hanging the engine. We'll see if we can be disciplined enough to pull this off.

We welcome visitors, so give us a call (704-663-5521) and come see our jewel!

	Ron & Kandy Murray	RV-9A

	N937RK FIRST FLIGHT Sunday, December 05, 2004 It really flies! Finally, after 3 years and 8 months of pounding rivets, N937RK flew for the first on December 3, 2004. It flew from Lake Norman Airpark, with 26,000 hour test pilot, Van Lawless at the controls. It was a beautiful 30 minute flight with over 20 fellow builders and neighbors watching. The flight was uneventful with only a slight heavy left wing reported. The airplane is beautiful with full paint and basic interior and weighs in at 1106 with wheel pants and fairings. To complete our historical record, the first engine start occurred on November 5, 2004. It started on the first attempt. The only adjustment required was to modify the throttle linkage to achieve a slower idle. Upon completion of the airplane, you then have the task of creating a “mountain” of documentation. You create a Pilot Operating Handbook, Flight Testing Plan, make sure your builders log and pictures are up to date, then fill out the FAA forms and wait for them to arrive. On November 30, 2004, the FAA came out, reviewed the documentation, looked the plane over and issued an Airworthiness Certificate. It was now a real airplane! The final configuration of the airplane is as follows. It is equipped with a new Aero Sport Power O-320-D2A engine, turning a 70 by 80 Sensenich fixed pitch prop. The panel is equipped with full IFR gyros, an AOA, a full complement of Electronics International instruments, King KMD-150 color multiple function display, ICOM com, and Garmin transponder. Many thanks go to Andy Moscarelli our EAA technical advisor, Van Lawless our test pilot, our neighbors at Lake Norman Airpark, and our local EAA Chapter 309 for assistance and counsel. Most importantly, our gratitude and appreciation to Van’s Aircraft who created this wonderful kit and made it all possible.

	We are 28 months and 1700 hours along on our RV-9A project. We now have an N number, N937RK. Our Trinidad's (previous airplane) N number was N37RK, so at least 7RK is still a part of our vocabulary. We have ordered our new O-320 engine and prop. Delivery is expected in August. The plane is sitting on it's gear with wings attached. The plumbing, wiring and panel are 95% complete. The panel has the 6 "standard" set of aircraft gauges, including gyro gauges. The 6 engine instruments are the deluxe package from Electronics International (EI). The avionics include the transponder, Com and KMD-150 GPS with 5", color moving map. All of these are powered up and ready for display. We are currently working on the slider canopy and windshield. We have elected to paint our plane (we are really getting brave). So we have ordered and received the Citation HVLP painting equipment. Next on the list will be to build a paint booth, then begin the ugly task of taking the plane apart for painting. This is hard to do, since we really enjoy looking at a mostly completed airplane. Our current plans are to paint or at least prime the fuselage before hanging the engine. We'll see if we can be disciplined enough to pull this off. We welcome visitors, so give us a call (704-663-5521) and come see our jewel!