A question for you who are finishing the job

[Bean Counter]

I am considering building a Cozy Mk IV with three of my teenage sons. We have 4x the manpower so I hope that 2500 hours becomes 600 to 700 hours of four people working together. What are your thoughts?

 

Now that you have been through the entire build, if you wanted to shorten the time investment, what two or three things would you buy from somebody who does pre-fab parts? What would give the most time reduction per dollar spent?

 

Thanks in advance!

[Waiter]

Find a project that someone has started and has run out of steam. You'll get the parts for the price they paid, and generally, get hundreds/thousands of hours of labor for free.

 

Waiter'

[Big Steve]

Extra people can make the build go faster by getting layups done faster and parts prepped faster but you still have to wait for the resin to cure and the hours for that does not change no matter how many people you have working on it. You also have to have a shop big enough and enough tables to keep everyone working or there time means nothing. My .02 STeve Building on

[Lynn Erickson]

I am considering building a Cozy Mk IV with three of my teenage sons. We have 4x the manpower so I hope that 2500 hours becomes 600 to 700 hours of four people working together. What are your thoughts?

 

Now that you have been through the entire build, if you wanted to shorten the time investment, what two or three things would you buy from somebody who does pre-fab parts? What would give the most time reduction per dollar spent?

 

Thanks in advance!

where did you find those teenagers. teenagers that are going to do as much work on the plane as you are. those are special teenagers and I would keep them. My three boys helped when I needed a hand but 600 hours of work on dads plane, Not, going to happen. they were a bigger help before they became teenagers and now that they are adults they are willing to help again and go flying. pay for fuel and lunch, I'm still waiting.

[Bean Counter]

How about the pre-fab parts. What would you recommend as the biggest hours saved per dollar spent?

[Lynn Erickson]

How about the pre-fab parts. What would you recommend as the biggest hours saved per dollar spent?

most builders use the prefabed parts. parts like the metal parts that were built by brock are used by many , some made the own because they do add up in cost. if you have the metal working skills they are simple but do add time. they can be made when it is to cold to do glass work and the work can be started and stopped as life gets in the way unlike glass work. when you start a 8 hour layup you can not stop for 10 hours. the strakes are available pre made and do save a lot of time. landing gear bow, canopy plastic, nose strut cowlings are parts that most will not fab on their own. the prefabed foam is a good deal, not much over the cost of the foam but it only saves about 2 days of work. now if you are talking about having parts made for the plane like wings, molded fuselage, canard, winglets, firewall aft pagkages. they do save a lot of time but now you are talking a lot of money. before I would do that I would find a project that some one else started. those are the best time saved for the buck.