Transition training, Airworthiness Certificate, and ... First Flight!

Today, 4/13/21, was the big day - First Flight of my RV-14A, N14YZ!  It flew beautifully and the day was uneventful, but likely because of all the preparation and planning that went into it.  First, I'll have to thank my wife, who has put up with a 2 year and 9 month project and all the time and resources that it took to see this to completion.  She actually had a hand in thousands of back-riveted rivets, and is one of the reason some of the main skins look so nice.  Now it's HER turn for a project!  

A huge thanks goes to Ken B. who has not only been my Tech Counselor and Flight Advisor for my entire build including the first start and the first flight, but he has become a very close friend.  You meet some great people through aviation (especially the Van's community), and along with Ken, I have to thank my other new friends in the RV-14(A) world:  Glenn M., Mark A., Shane B., and Dan R.  All of us have or are building RV-14s - yet are at different stages of the journey - but we support (and chide) each other on almost a daily basis.  Thanks, "Gang of 5," for all your support!  

Below is an iMovie that I quickly spliced together from Ken B.'s footage.  It's my first time using iMovie, so it isn't going to win any Oscars (maybe a Golden Globe):

Before the Big Day, I traveled to Vernonia, OR, to take 3 days (6 lessons) of transition training in the company RV-14A with Mike Seager.  I HIGHLY recommend Mike - not only does he have the most hours in RVs of anyone dead or alive (~20,000; i.e. about 4 times as many as Van himself!), he is a really great person and the perfect instructor.  So calm, so cool, so collected - he's the Bob Ross of RVs (happy little Van's airplanes).  Mike's info is on the Vans website; he is booked 5 months out right now, so get in while the gettin's good!  Here is the airplane as I found her the day I arrived at Mike's beautiful grass strip (ICAO code 05S): 

Three days after I returned from Oregon, I had a wonderful visit from my Designated Airworthiness Representative (DAR), Vic Syracuse, who flew down from just south of Atlanta, GA, to perform my Airworthiness Condition Inspection. Vic said that my build was essentially perfect, which was great to hear.  Vic is a wonderful person, and I highly recommend his books and his DAR services.  Here is the obligatory handshake holding the Airworthiness Certificate.  I'm on the left and yes, I need to lose weight (my next project):  

You viewed the video above, but here is the "RV Grin" that everyone talks about.  I still have mine and it is 8 hours after the First Flight as I write this blog post:

Yup, I did it:

And here's my super-supportive wife - and a silly pic of me:

For those of you who haven't finished (or haven't yet started) your RV build, know this:  I had no experience when I started, but I gained the necessary knowledge and experience as I progressed through this journey.  You can do it, too - it just takes motivation, an attention to detail, and a love for all things aviation ... and a few extra dollars lying around. :)