It’s been a month since we carried out the first part of the flight test. A couple of holidays and continued bad weather has prevented further testing but Monday and Tuesday both looked good so Rob made the trip down on Monday morning so we could finish it off.

After a cuppa we planned what we were going to do. Avionics testing on the first flight, the Airmaster and feathering on the second flight and during the third flight which would be for 2 hours we would test the autopilot and complete any outstanding general flight tests.

To ensure that we achieved the 15 landings required by the LAA to validate the flight test Rob suggested that we carry out some Touch and Go’s at Lydd EGMD. A quick call to them and we were set up for that on Tuesday.

All the flights were completed at the end of Tuesday at 16:03. We logged 15 landings with a total flight time of 7:31. During the flights all aspects of the the aircraft worked faultlessly.

1. The Airmaster was a dream to use and produced some very impressive results with maximum rpm for very sprightly acceleration and a very short take off run. Once Climb is selected we noticed a very good climb rate even at MTOW. The transition between different settings on the prop was very smooth and predicable. With the engine off and the prop feathered it reduced the drag to negligible rates which was reflected in the reduced descent rate achieved.
2. The engine ran faultlessly and never missed a beat. It was very responsive to throttle changes throughout the range.
3. The autopilot performed faultlessly too. It did everything that was asked of it. Tracking a flight plan, climbing or descending at a specific VS or to intercept an altitude. It even protected the aircraft by ensuring it didn’t fly outside the flight envelope.
4. The Dynon screens are clear and easy to read. They take a bit to get used to as they are not quite as intuitive as an iPad, but they worked very well with good aural warning annunciations coupled with the display of appropriate alerts.
5. The Bristell was lovely to fly. It was stable and had a good solid feel but very responsive when you need it. It settled on the ground during landings very nicely even in moderate turbulence. The cabin is very spacious and the seating is very comfortable. It felt that you could fly for hours and not get fatigued.

Overall I’m very happy with my decision to buy a Bristell. The options I’ve included have enhanced the end result and my decision to fit the Airmaster have resulted in an aircraft that’s a delight to fly.

So the flight tests are done and the paperwork is with the LAA. Now it’s a waiting game before I receive the permit to fly but hopefully it won’t be too long before I’ll be able to take G-MLSY for a flight myself and then take Karen for a few flights including a little tour around the Kent coast.