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Passed FAA Inspection

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Posted

My FAA DAR showed up Saturday to inspect my Cozy.  I now have a certificate and operating limitations and test area for phase 1.  Nice big test area, almost the entire NW quadrant of Wisconsin.  I have a handful of my own squawks to address yet and have lined up transition training during an unrelated trip to CA in mid June, so first flight will wait a while.  Found a Cozy owner who is a CFI and who trains in his own airplane; he (Raven) also happens to be an F-16 and F-35 test pilot at Edwards AFB. I worked for 7 years on F-35 avionics so expect to take some crap for that from him (the software still sucks, http://www.defensenews.com/story/defense/air-space/2016/05/10/f-35-test-pilot-edwards-air-force-development/84042220/). I did hardware, so I'll blame the software too (and Lockheed for closing their Minnesota facility mid-program and losing a good chunk of their avionics team).

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Posted

I'm not a Cozy fan and never have flown in one, but that little bird sitting next to it looks real good to me.  Congrats on the inspection and future flights.  EDMO

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Posted

Thanks EDMO.  I like the little one too, but it's not much for distance.  There's zero mission overlap on these two birds.

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Posted

How did you get such a big test area?

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Posted

Congratulations. Nice plane .I've never been in a cozy, but have been in a varieze and was very impressed although there much smaller than a cozy .is yours three or four seat?

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Posted

It's the so called 3 place, and it's still pretty snug.  600 lbs useful so 3 place is debatable.  The 3 place has the same gear as the Long EZ, so that's the limiting factor for GW.  The gear were redesigned for a heavier load for the 4 place.  I asked for a larger test area since ground gets chewed up pretty fast at 200 mph and it can glide 25 miles from 10,000'.  I also asked that it include Cumberland, WI since they sell Swift Fuel 94UL; 100LL is hard on my low compression Lycoming and auto fuel can dissolve my epoxy tanks if it has the wrong additives. I'm trying to get some local airports to carry 94UL.

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Posted

Congrats!  I have Cozy IV plans, but haven't progressed past the seat back yet.  Time and money - If I have time, that means I have no money.  If I have money, that means I have no time.....  In the meantime, my Cherokee and my Avid consume what time and money I do have. :-)

Lots of good information on the Cozy Builders Google group/mailing list if you aren't already on it:

https://groups.google.com/forum/#!forum/cozy_builders

 

Mark

 

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Posted

Thanks Mark. Yes it's a long haul. The kit planes have a leg up in that dept.  I'm on the forum and have benefited greatly from it. Marc Zeitlin lined up transition training for me.

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Posted

Did my first flights in the Cozy last week.  Learned a few things:

CHTs hit redline by pattern altitude if I climb at Vx -- have to flatten it out and fly faster for adequate cooling.
My radio works fine on the ground, but is hard to hear when I"m in the air.
The aluminum cover on my fiberglass nose gear strut doesn't want to be epoxied to the strut since it doesn't stretch when the strut flexes -- fortunately it didn't depart.
Landing on a 5500' runway in calm wind is easy, even with a 90 knot approach.
This thing is fast!

 

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Posted

The first time I rode in a Long EZE I was a bit nervous on short final! Keep us in the loop throughout your testing. I'm just about there with my new Avid. On one had I'm excited but on the other I remember how much work it was to get all those little bugs worked out for the first 6 months and 50 hours.

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Posted

Nice!  When you get the 40 hours done, the little bugs worked out, you'll have a very nice travelling plane!  The best of both worlds - a low/slow plane for fun flying around the area, and high/fast plane for going places.

Mark

 

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Posted

I used to fly a long ez with a 160Hp 0-320. Bought it unfinished with a couple friends. Had home made main retractable gear. It was best flying at 9000ft doing 190Kts.......fantastic machine. I now have gone from high and fast to super low and extra slow:)

 

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