This is what I do.

Frist i do alot of taxi tests. Then do high speed taxi, and work up to tiny hops off the ground. If anything goes wrong I want to be as close to the ground as possibleto minimize damage. After working up to flying and I am satisfied with the plane I will do a quick pattern hop where I takeoff, fly a pattern and land. I then look over the plane very carefully to see if there are any problems. I gradually fly the airplane more aggresively until finally I am flying the plane as hard as possible, and check between every flight to see if anything is coming lose or breaking.

Basicall I gradually work up to flying to get a feel for the plane before commiting aviation.

I haven't lost a plane on a maiden flight yet. (knock on wood)

I always maiden my own planes. That way I can only blame myself if something goes wrong.

Matt