Cozy III
Pilot’s Operating Handbook Page 53
conditions.
Some of the following requirements and procedures may seem
excessive. This is not due to any special feature of the COZY;
we feel they should be required of any homebuilt during its initial
testing. The safety record of homebuilt airplanes during first
flights is not as good as it could be if the owners and pilots would
follow the following cautious procedures during initial testing.
♦ Weather - wind calm or smooth wind straight down the
runway. Smooth air - Check turbulence in another airplane.
♦ Runway - at least 3,500 ft, preferably over 4,000 ft.
♦ Fuel - 10 gallons each tank.
♦ Pilot - see the “Pilot Experience Requirements” section in
this manual for absolute minimum criteria. Do not test fly a
new airplane while fatigued: Go home, get some dinner,
sleep; you're more alert in the morning.
The reason for the long runway requirement is to allow you to do
nose wheel lift-offs and decelerations without concern for
stopping distance or brake heating. The air must be smooth and
without crosswind. Set the pitch trim for takeoff. Set neutral roll
trim.
The purpose of this phase of testing is to evaluate the aircraft's
performance and trim during high speed taxi/nose wheel lift-offs,
to acquaint the pilot with the pitch and yaw characteristics of the
COZY, and most importantly to give him the correct visual cue of
zero height to allow him to judge flare height on his first landing.
The pilot should spend enough time just below rotation speed to
be thoroughly proficient and comfortable with the unique COZY
rudder system. There should be no tendency for the pilot to
inadvertently push/deploy both rudders at the same time, unless
during braking.
Next step is to practice speed control before attempting nose
wheel lift-offs. It's important to be able to control speed
accurately so as not to get airborne inadvertently. You will find
that once a speed is attained, it takes VERY LITTLE power to
maintain it. Practice accelerating to and maintaining different
target speeds (30, 40, 50, & 60 knots). Do not rotate.
You will find that once the target speed is reached, you must
reduce power to idle or just a "hair" above to keep from
exceeding it. Be proficient and comfortable in holding speed
before moving on to nose wheel lift-offs. The aircraft will rotate
at different speeds depending on gross weight and center of
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