Galaxy Quest is truly one of my favorite movies, a splendid yet warm-hearted send-up of every schlocky sci-fi series you've ever seen. In it, we learn that the crew's motto -- "Never give up, never surrender" -- begins its bane but concludes its savior.Recently, this phrase has been threading through my gray matter like some misdirected television commercial or a catchy pop tune that XM Radio just won't let go. Haunting, like white noise, it's become my mantra as I work through something every builder of an experimental/amateur-built airplane knows excruciatingly well: Phase I Flight Test.Yes, as you may have guessed from the last installment of this column where I confessed to laying down a pile of cash for a Barrett-built IO-390-X engine, I've rejoined the roll-your-own types and have a homebuilt flying. (Where else would I use the 390? My California home doesn't have enough lawn for that kind of uber-mower.)
This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at https://www.avweb.com/ownership/motor-head-12-troubleshooting-101-never-give-up-never-surrender