A Cozy Experience

James Russell and I have been buying and gifting Cozy parts from and to each other for almost a decade. I ended up a little farther along after all these years with almost 300 hours now on my two-year-old Cozy MKIV. However, James was able to acquire Joe Person’s beautifully constructed Cozy project and no doubt with his own superior fabrication skills, will eventually end up with a much nicer flying machine than mine. Among other things that I’ve gotten from him, I installed the Teflon sleeve kit on my aileron and rudder hinges that James sells under Electric Shadows, Inc.

We hadn’t met in person, so with some nice flying days forecast for the Pacific Northwest, I decided to go up to Port Angeles and give James a spirit ride and gift some elevator parts I had.

I departed Woodland, CA (O41) @ 11:30am with 45 gal fuel for the 600 mile flight noting that the OAT was already cresting 90 deg F. I was a few approaches short of being IFR current, so I delayed my departure based on the forecast weather at William Fairchild (KCLM) field. I dialed up the mixture to 14 gal/hr on the early part of the climb out to help with cooling on my way up to 12,500 feet. This part of the country has its own distinct beauty. You get to fly by these 14,000 foot peaks that are part of the north pacific ring of fire. My route that day brought me very close to Mt Shasta, and close enough to the Three Sisters, Mt. Hood, Mt. Saint Helens and finally Mt. Rainier peaking out above the clouds.

The Olympic National Park with its beautiful rain forest is just south of Port Angeles. The 8,000 foot peak and mountain obscuration that day would mean going east or west of it. I decided to ask for a clearance through Seattle Class B flying due north over Puget Sound then turning west towards Port Angeles. The clearance came with a request not to make any right turns without permission. I started down over Olympia with the METAR at Fairchild reporting OVC 045. I cut through a thin scattered layer at 6,000 feet, snapped off a picture of Seattle and turned west diving under the overcast layer along the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Winds were out of the west, so I set up over Port Angeles harbor with the Coast Guard Air Station to my right entering the right 45 for runway 27.

After a long taxi back to Rite Bros Aviation, James was there with a welcoming committee. Erik Peterson (restoring a flying Cozy) along with Adam Jordan (just getting started building) and Norm Nelson, a composite fabrication instructor. By the time I freshened up, a woman pilot and her 10 year old grandson cornered me in the FBO lobby to ask for a tour of the Cozy. They lived near the airport and were out mowing grass when they saw the odd bird flying overhead dropping everything and running over to the airport. With a fresh mown smell and clippings still hanging on their clothes, we walked out to the plane. The grandson sat in the plane working the stick while I answered questions. With more lawn to be mowed, they headed off leaving behind a few of those clippings and ear-to-ear smiles.

It was now time to take care of James. With a couple RV-4’s and an Extra 300 buzzing around in the beautiful late afternoon sun, he summoned the fuel truck for 5 a side. James is easily 6 foot 2 and he squeezed himself into the right seat of my stock Cozy for a ride that he’s been waiting 24 years for. The rudder pedals were one stop short of max so he left his heavy work shoes behind to help with the fit. With 410 lbs in the front seat at sea level and 60 deg F outside we were off at just over 2000 ft with an agreed upon abort point of 3000 ft on the 6000 ft runway. I trimmed the airplane for a 130kt cruise climb to 5,000 ft where James did some clearing turns to get a feel for the airplane. This was followed by level and 45 deg bank stalls. Like others who have experienced a canard stall for the first time, he was surprised by how docile it was. After a few approach to landing exercises to get a feel for the pitch and power settings we returned to Fairchild with snow capped mount Olympus off to our left.

The fun just continued as James, Adam, and I enjoyed a great dinner at Bella Italia in Port Angeles. I had to have the fresh Halibut of course. James and his lovely spouse Peggy hosted me for the evening and after a great night’s sleep in the cool and clean Pacific Northwest air, I met Sammy (a long hair Siamese) and Fluffy (a long hair Tortoiseshell) for an early breakfast. The three of us enjoyed the spectacular view overlooking the San Juan islands. After helping James position the Cozy fuselage tub in his shop so he could install the main gear bow, we headed back to the airport. Adam was there again to help with the send off and I climbed west towards Cape Flattery, the most northwest corner of the lower 48. Other than the 20 kt headwind most of the way home (yes, it was also a 20 kt headwind the day before going to Seattle), the flight home was uneventful. James still has a smile on his face.