Nasty Weather

[martinkh]

Howdy all,

 

Are the Cozy IV or Dragonfly planes suitable for Alaska weather, namely -45 degrees and/or severe rain over the islands? How is it with extreme turbulance? I understand the roncz(sp) wings are pretty much the way to go, but are they enough? What else can be done?

[Len Evansic]

I don't think they will have a problem with the weather, but building in Alaska could be a big challenge as you need a warm workspace and warm materials when bonding. Someone who is actually flying could offer more insight though.

 

If you were to choose an appropriate epoxy that could withstand the low temperatures without cracking, then these planes should be OK. Neither the Cozy nor the Dragonfly are amphibians though, and I don't think either are good for unimproved surfaces. The Cozy needs a quite a bit more runway than a Cessna, so short fields could be an issue.

 

-- Len

[Jon Matcho]

Are the Cozy IV or Dragonfly planes suitable for Alaska...

The other question that comes to mind is whether the Cozy, or any canard, would be suitable for the typical Alaskan runway. From what little I know, I understand most places in Alaska require "bush pilot" skills in a "bush plane" (big wheels, very STOL) -- nothing that a Cozy is suitable for.

[martinkh]

Here, there are actually quite a few paved runways. Obviously the cozy could not operate out of the gravel or roadbase type runways, but even the nearby village of Galena, pop 700ish has a paved airport as it is a regional hub. But mainly I was thinking of airborne conditions. Flying in -45 degree weather (but always keeping an eye on icing conditions) and dealing with high turbulance/heavy rain.

 

Perhaps some folks have rough weather stories that would shed some light?

[argoldman]

Can't speak for the cozy, yet, however, as much fun as the dragonfly is, it has a rather light wing loading and thus turbulance is rather uncomfortable.

 

In rain, with the VGs (and I would also add gap seals), it has no bad habits.

 

Composite aircraft are similar to ice chests (or surf boards for that matter) in their ability to insulate and thus massive heaters are not necessary especially in the daytime because of sun thermal load. In the dark, they, like any other insulated vessel will get colder, especially because when you enter and exit them, it is like opening the door of a hanger and allowing all of the warm air to exit.

 

Neither is an STOL aircraft.

 

If the terrain you routenely fly above is less than hospitable to a aircraft that requires a longer hard srface runway I would suggest against a dragonfly and probably against the cozy and opt for an aircraft with a lower stalling speed and thus a shorter ground necessity.

[DavidC]

I have a good friend who just relocated from Kotzebue, Alaska. Bush pilot, flew Cessnas and other spam cans. When I asked about this subject he said he did not see a composite a/c during his 6 years at that job. As far as handling characteristics, his commented that "you need a wing that can handle lots of ice and an airplane that has mucho crosswind capability."

 

His comments came from a postion of flying to earn a living, not flying for pleasure and hobby. He flew in all kinds of nasty stuff...as most Alaskan pilots do. He thought there were other machines better suited for the mission, even if the a/c was hangered all the time and taken out on CAVU days only. I also understand that the reality of Alaskan VFR is just a little bit different from what we in the Lower 48 think.

 

Best,

David

[martinkh]

So how are canards WRT crosswinds? Looks like ice is just plain out. Anyone fly in Seattle heavy rain?

[Waiter]

When I think of Alaska, I envision a Cessna Caravan with tundra tires, STOL kit, etc. I don't envision an EZ. I assume your follow up question is, Why?

 

Although the EZ can perform many missions, it was designed for high altitude, long distance travel. It rides turbulence much better than any conventional tailed aircraft, and should tolerated below zero temperatures, as these are often found while cruising at the Flight Levels (altitude).

 

Fixed Pitch EZs are runway hogs, I recommend minimum runway length of 2,500 ft. for light weight operations.

 

Runways should be hard surface. There are two factors operating from unimproved fields, 1) everything that gets kicked up, goes through the prop; 2) The aircraft will not rotate, until the canard reaches flying speed. This can sometimes be impossible with turf, pea gravel, sand or other soft surfaces, OR crosswinds

 

CROSSWINDS - Landing in a crosswind is no problem. HOWEVER, You may not be able to take off. The problem is, you may need to ride a brake to keep the plane on the runway. Riding that brake may keep you from accelerating to rotation speed.

 

Ice is a no-no, period. I investigated one fatal EZ accident where I attributed an inverted deep stall to ice (pitot and induction systems)

 

Heavy Precipitation will force you to slow down. Rain erosion on the propeller, and leading edges can do severe damage to the plane (it will only cost you a paint job, if your lucky). Some EZs take on water during rain. A recent forced landing incident involving an EZ was attributed to water shorting out electrical system components, and the subsiquent loose of engine power.

 

Forced Landing - There probably aren't to many planes worst for making an off field landing than an EZ. Their high landing speeds and landing gear geometry aren't conducive to successful off field landings. Probably the only exception would be a water ditching. The aircraft (or major parts) will offer flotation, if the occupants survive the ditching. (Full retract capability offers superior survivability over fixed gear when ditched with the gear retracted)

 

Take a look at these two articles, They probably will answer most questions you have regarding the care and feeding of an EZ.

 

http://www.ez.org/2000ways.htm

 

http://www.ez.org/nonownerguide.htm

 

Good Luck

 

Waiter

[martinkh]

Excellent links!