Finally! I had to be patient and wait for a good weather day, since it's been either 25+ knots windy, 100+ degrees F, or usually both pretty much every day around here. I finally had some favorable conditions just after sunrise on June 12th, so I went ahead and got off the ground. The plane flew well! All the issues I noticed were engine related, which is pretty much what I expected.
I'm still not getting the full 40 in-Hg manifold pressure, and therefore not the full 3400 rpm at max power (it maxed out at 2900 rpm). I had enough power to get off the ground in about 1000', but I could tell it was struggling and the CHTs quickly got too hot during the climb. I ended up only climbing to 1000 AGL and then just cruised around to try and keep things cool, which was mostly unsuccessful. CHT #3 was the hottest, and I could barely keep it under the redline of 450, so I decided to land after about 20 minutes and address the boost thing before doing any more.
Other than the main issues of the boost pressure and CHT's, I only noticed minor issues like a couple of small oil leaks, but nothing too concerning.
I had no witnesses, so these are the only two pictures I got!
Luckily I had the GoPro running though, so here are some clips of the takeoff and landing.
The engine quit on the landing roll, but I was able to coast to the next taxiway and then start back up to taxi back!
Overall, I have some issues to address but I think it was a successful first flight!
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