Safety Notice SN-001 Hover Testing
The builder or owner of an experimental class aircraft is not bound to comply with advisories or suggestions provided by the producer of the kit from which the aircraft was built. The builder is considered by aviation authorities to be the manufacturer;
HOWEVER,
CHR recommends in the strongest terms that a newly built SAFARI, or one that has had substantial repairs or revisions, be flight tested in hover for 20 or more hours before forward flight at altitude. In 25+ years experience in building, repairing, and testing our own and customers’ helicopters, this rule has proven valuable many times.
Note also that modifications of the standard construction of the SAFARI require that the aircraft be registered as something other than a “SAFARI”. Major modifications after securing an Airworthiness Certificate or Permit to Fly require a re-inspection and re-issue of the authorization from the aviation authority.
