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I have test flown over fifty aircraft through the years and highly recommend the following:

- Test fly in the early morning with zero wind and no traffic.
- Do not allow any spectators, family or friends to be present. No yappy distractions. No cameras.
- Ensure you are in the right state of mind and feel confident, otherwise leave it alone.
- Do a thorough pre-flight a day ahead and do another one just before the flight.

Good luck.

Gunther

Gunther wrote:- Do not allow any spectators, family or friends to be present. No yappy distractions. No cameras.

Thinking about it, this is actually a really good point.
I had already promised some of my friends they could come watch my first flight but now that you mention it, I might have to re-think that.
Not worth having any more distractions than needed.

I did have a good friend on the radio on the ground. And a few hangar rats.
They loved my last radio transmission before throttle up. "Luck is not a factor, failure is not an option."

Gunther wrote:- Test fly in the early morning with zero wind and no traffic.
- Do not allow any spectators, family or friends to be present. No yappy distractions. No cameras.
- Ensure you are in the right state of mind and feel confident, otherwise leave it alone.
- Do a thorough pre-flight a day ahead and do another one just before the flight.

EXCELLENT ADVICE Gunther! It's a secret tradition around my local airport to have first flights exactly like you've said, and then later have an "official" first flight for friends and family later. I followed the same routine in order to avoid any distractions.

Gunther wrote:- Test fly in the early morning with zero wind and no traffic.
- Do not allow any spectators, family or friends to be present. No yappy distractions. No cameras.
- Ensure you are in the right state of mind and feel confident, otherwise leave it alone.
- Do a thorough pre-flight a day ahead and do another one just before the flight.

This is the exact advice I give all pilots who are planning first flights. Especially the "no spectators" rule. There is enough emotion and pressure involved in a first flight without the added dimension of possibly disappointing the crowd. One, or maybe two, trusted helpers is good. Any more than that is too many.

Sonerai13 wrote: There is enough emotion and pressure involved in a first flight without the added dimension of possibly disappointing the crowd. One, or maybe two, trusted helpers is good.

I agree that this is very sound advice! I've done a couple of first flights. Used two helpers. One had a camera and a phone. The camera isn't required but desired if you like. Hopefully the phone is only to be used to share the great news afterwards.

The other had a radio and a fire extinguisher. Radio is used to talk to the guy in the plane, if needed, and hopefully the fire extinguisher isn't,

Dale
N319WF

I found a man on the ground with a radio very handy to be able to be a second voice if I got busy with something. He also pinged me to check stuff while orbiting. Its a bit overwhelming those first laps around the pattern and you might forget to check CHTs, Oil, and other engine metrics.
I did have a another plane in the pattern with a student doing touch and goes when I announced my takeoff intentions and he graciously said, " we will depart the pattern, and good luck". Which I replied, "Luck is not a factor, failure is not an option. Thank you sir.". Got a double click from that.