AF, same one methinks and from the engineering horse’s mouth, I’m told first flight.
Yes, he was a little short on final but that probably added to the excitement! Personally, I don’t think I would have used as much flap and I did mention Tim O’s well-founded philosophy that first flights should always be completed by experienced pilots.
A well known engine overhauler who may also dabble in F1 came and took away the air-throttle metering assembly.
A_and_C wrote:
There is an assumption with a certain type of person in the UK that the guy in the overalls that has just carried out the maintenance is some sort of lowlife with very little status or intelligence
Around my parts, it’s rather the mechanics that consider the pilots to be unintelligent lowlives who keep breaking their planes 
In an aeroclub I used to be a member of, on the bank of the Seine river, there is an elderly mechanic, 1,60 m tall with a mustache, former military… A great guy once you get to know him, unless you rub him the wrong way. He barks at anyone who dares open his mouth. He stopped barking at me when I pointed out to him an exhaust leak due to a crack in the manifold of a Bonanza. The same guy released a C172 back into service although he knew there was something wrong with the engine. When the climb rate dropped to 200 fpm around 3000 ft AMSL I turned back and was allowed to enter Paris TMA to glide back to my departure airfield. I discovered that the engine issue was well known in the club, but nobody bothered telling me, and there was of course nothing annotated in the journey log until I wrote it up.
In Norway I once took a Mooney to the shop prior to a trip to Finland and Estonia on the grounds that it was sometimes making a funny, muffled, little noise when I throttled back. When I arrived in front of the shop I did some engine tests to convince myself that there was indeed something wrong, and then went inside to talk to the mechanic. I got a rather cold reception and was told that there was nothing wrong with the airplane (they had heard the engine run outside) but that the pilot needed remedial training. When they opened up the cowling the whole exhaust system fell apart. It had been held together by the cowling. The trip was canceled :-(
Such experiences build character. Not being an owner myself, my experience with airplane maintenance is very limited, although when I get the chance I try to spend some time at the shop during the 100 hrs inspection of the plane I fly. That is a good way to pick a thing or two. The mechanics have always been very patient and forthcoming with me, taking their time to answer questions and chit chat.
Nevertheless I am very surprised that anyone in a maintenance shop would push on the outboard portion of a wing, or an a flaps. (as mentioned on another thread)
This discussion is all too common for my liking. All too often little aeroplane misbehaviours are put down to pilot competence, and/or that old chestnut carb icing.
I had a case recently where there was no mag drop at runup on carb heat despite rough running on carb heat in the air and was told that it was OK to fly and ‘quite normal’. Well no amount of googling the subject confirmed that. Neither did it offer up the true explanation to do with a failed muffler. But if I had not persisted, the rough running on carb heat in flight would happily have been put down to icing, even though the aeroplane had never exhibited this before. Whether the muffler would have collapsed entirely and blocked the exhaust flow I don’t know….
Ive owned my plane since 1986. I can count on my hand how many times I had the mechanic sit next to me after maintenance. Really never gave it a thought. I has just told to fly it and report back. Two shops that did some major work did deliver the plane each time with no squawks upon delivery. I was impressed. Having work done here at EDMS they would always test fly before giving me the keys and bill. Totally new experience. It would be more gratifying if the airport didnt charge me for the shops landing my plane. In any case its a nice change.
I once had a very good mechanic who would never get into any plane even though he had pilots license before or after maint work because he was just afraid of flying.
My 75 year old Irish engineer is going….
As an mechanic I did ask once to do an testflight together with me , on an aircraft after maintenance , It was refused :(
maybe because the P-51 had only an transponder repair
