“A well thought out test plan is a necessity for any first flight.” That is the admonition of former astronaut “Hoot” Gibson in this informative 24-minute video from the Experimental Aircraft Association.

The probability of an accident occurring in a homebuilt aircraft is high during its initial flight test phase. This is especially true if the builder-pilot has limited experience in the type of aircraft being flown. Often homebuilders put so much emphasis on completing the project that they forget to hone their flying skills during the construction period.

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RCAT Systems makes data acquisition systems for experimental aircraft and other aerospace vehicles, including UAVs. Their telemetry box is a compact and simple solution for experimental flight test data acquisition in a homebuilt or customized aircraft.

This device monitors and transmits GPS position, altitude, airspeed, engine RPM, G force, oil temperature and pressure, OAT, manifold pressure, and can be configured for just about anything. It is used by several Reno Air Race teams so that the ground crews can monitor engine status during a race, relieving the pilot of this responsibility.