It was an exciting moment for us; last Tuesday, the test pilot Ingmar Mayerbuch came to Schwäbisch Hall to perform the first high speed taxi tests on the fs35.
Before running the tests, Mr. Mayerbuch took a closer look at the plane to make sure everything’s in top shape, inspecting the exterior, interior, and systems of the aircraft.
During the static tests, Mr. Mayerbuch, along with one of our members, Michael “Hansi” Wagner, tested the engines and the propeller. The under-carriage and brakes were then tested on the apron. After all was said and done, the aircraft rolled on to the runway, ready to perform the test.
Such a test is necessary to gain a first impression on the effectiveness of the control surfaces and the forces necessary to operate them. The effectiveness of the elevator is especially important to deduce as through it, one can derive the speed necessary for take off. Furthermore, how well the fs35 taxies at high speeds and how well the brakes work was also examined.
Since a high-speed taxi can be quite risky, the test has to be done by an experienced pilot who is also qualified to perform the first flight. That is why we are very happy to have someone as capable as Mr. Mayerbuch to help us with the tests.
After the tests, we reviewed the entire event and the information we gained. The results were very satisfying: everything worked as expected, with the fs35 displaying easy handling. Mr. Mayerbuch was pleased with the aircraft and ended the debriefing with the words: “We could actually just go on to flying the plane.”
