3-seat Cozy?

[mbruck]

Greetings all-New member looking forward to learning a lot about canard-type AC.

My ultimate goal is an X-C IFR-capable aircraft. I am interested in the Cozy (either 3 or 4) as a possible candidate; a friend is building one and it seems within my capability.

However, I am "larger than the average bear" and the weight restriction for the front seat is a concern.

I have a book "The Complete Guide to Rutan Aircraft" in which Nat Puffer is quoted as saying that a single front seat might be possible. Now I have a 39-inch wide cockpit, with room in the back for one or two more folks. This is an attractive prospect.

Can anyone direct me to someone who has done this, or similar?

Many thanks, and glad to be aboard.

Regards, Mike

[John Slade]

Hi Mike,

Bulent Alieve is "larger than the average bear" also. I'm not sure of his height and weight, but he says he can't physically get in my stock Cozy IV because of his leg length. We'll see if that's true when he wants some Cozy time.

 

Buly shifted his seatback rearwards about 8 inches. This movement of the pilot (and passenger) moment toward the CG will increase his max front seat weight. His back seats are pretty short.

 

His web site is http://home.bellsouth.net/p/PWP-MyPlane

[mbruck]

Thanks for the reply, John. I've just had an e-mail exchange with Nat Puffer; his reply was encouraging, indicating only that I would need to incorporate an electric speed brake (which sounds like a good idea anyway) and move the heating duct from the center of the fuse to the side. I'm told that one can also slightly modify the canopy height to increase room. I'd like to leave the back seat as roomy as possible to encourage passengers to ride with me. I'm off to look at my friend's machine this afternoon and talk it over with him.

[John Slade]

Another option you might consider is stealing an extra 3 inches of cabin width by removing the foam on the inside of the armrest and having the torque tube close to the outer armrest skin. Very easy to do, and I wish I'd done it.

[Jerry Schneider]

John,

 

Could you expand on that a bit?

I'm not seeing how removing the inside foam can get you the extra space.

[Jim Sower]

Originally posted by mbruck

<... New member looking forward to learning a lot about canard-type AC ... goal is an X-C IFR-capable aircraft ... Cozy (either 3 or 4) as a possible candidate ... I am "larger than the average bear" and the weight restriction for the front seat is a concern ...>

I have pretty much the same agenda as you. I am 6'2", 250#; my wife is about 175# for a total front seat load in the neighborhood of 450# (which is about 50# over the design limit of Cozy or Velocity. I own an IFR Velocity and am building a Cozy because it is faster, cheaper to own and performs better all around. I can juuuust fit into a standard Cozy IV. Cozy III is not a candidate AT ALL IMO. I plan to make mine much more viable for me by:

1. Widen the whole fuselage, stem to stern, by 2".

2. Cheat another inch on each side by narrowing the side consoles.

3. Cheat another couple of inches by lowering the center console to just above the seats - we'll be "... flying cheek to cheek ..." so to speak.

4. Rather than move the front seats back (8" is a HUGE shift of CG - two or three would work better IMO) I am going to add 6" to the span of the canard (which brings it back to the original, prototype spec).

5. Change the canopy so that instead of starting 2" or more inboard of the outside of the fuselage, it goes more or less straight up from the fuselage side and does not immediately curve inward, but makes a sharper turn higher up for improved lateral head room.

<... Nat Puffer is quoted as saying that a single front seat might be possible ... 39-inch wide cockpit, with room in the back for one or two more folks ... an attractive prospect ...>

That might work if you weigh over 300#. If you are within reach of my weight, make smaller, more benign modifications.

I also own a Long-EZ (that is busted right now) and my wife will not, NO WAY, NO HOW, EVER ride in the back seat again (hence the Velocity and Cozy). Don't screw up your Cozy by making an EZ out of it. I don't like the EZ because the back seat passenger is dead weight cargo with a crumby view of what's going on. Side by side crew is the only way to go!

 

Hope this helps ....

[CBarber]

Jim,

 

I know the Velocity is more expensive to buy, but why do you think it is more expensive to maintain? It would seem that once it is flying the cost to maintain would be very similiar between the Cozy and Velocity. (unless you felt obligated to continue to buy replacement parts from Velocity, Inc., which I may, but may not)Please help educate me as I must be missing something. TIA.

 

All the best,

 

Chris

[John Slade]

Responding to Jerry's question a little earlier in the thread...

 

Remove a strip of foam from the inside of the armrest parallel to the torque tube. Do a glass to glass bond in that area. Trim the armrest edges until it fits almost up to the torque tube. In the plans setup there's a gap of about an inch between the tube and the armrest skin. Steal that inch, plus maybe another 1/4 inch or so from the removed foam. You have a wider cockpit (but a narrow armrest). Does that help?

 

To Jim's concerns about front seat limits. I finished my CG calculations today. These are determined by forward CG limits. Even with the electric nose lift, the AC evaporator, heater core, and heavy ELT up front my front seat limit turns out to be just under 500 lb. Of course this will decrease if/when I lighten the cowl, or move the batteries, but with a 13B, radiator, oil coolers, fan, plenum, turbo etc. etc. in the back I dont think theres any need to worry about front seat limits, or any need (or perhaps advisability) to lengthen the canard. The bird will lift you're weight just fine. The way my W&B works out I need about 60lb of ballast to fly solo, but zero ballast to fly with a passenger. With 4 passengers (350 lb in back) I'm limited to half tanks. No big deal.

[Jim Sower]

Originally posted by CBarber

I know the Velocity is more expensive to buy, but why ... more expensive to maintain? ... once it is flying the cost ... would be very similiar ...

Insurance is higher. It burns [at least] 12 gph at ~ 150 kts on $2.50 avgas which works out to about $0.20/mi. Cozy burns 8-10 gph making over 180 kts on $1.80 mogas which works out to $0.09/mi. Not having built the V. (it's not one of the prime examples), I'm always working on something trying to make it right, trying to play the hand that's dealt me. With Cozy, I deal the cards and have a much better, more reliable, more maintainable bird going in. I've already put two jugs (in about 200 hrs) on my IO-360 that came at me 500 SMOH. That money would by me a primo PSRU for my Cozy that would last forever. I've bought two exhaust pipes from Velocity - neither of which fit - spent about $60 extra as well as a couple of weeks out of my life trying to make them fit, and in the process ensuring that they will fail early. I don't anticipate so much of that s--t with Cozy. I'm going to have to strip and repaint the V. one of these days, and a whole bunch of other crap that I wouldn't be looking at with a Cozy.

 

Just for openers ....