Just saying 'Hi'

[Brian DeFord]

Hi all -

 

I just joined the forum, so I'm making my obligatory introduction. I've been flying my Cozy MK-IV for the past 2-1/2 years and it's sweet! I've recently been doing some repairs and modifications in the nose of the plane and will be installing altitude hold from Trio Avionics in a few weeks. Looking forward to conversing with other flyers and builders as well.

 

Regards,

[Jon Matcho]

Welcome Brian! Glad to have you.

 

I noticed some of your posts on the COZY mail list on these nose repairs you mention. Have you made any modifications or improvements from the plans that you care to share?

[Brian DeFord]

I noticed some of your posts on the COZY mail list on these nose repairs you mention. Have you made any modifications or improvements from the plans that you care to share?

Well, no real modifications to speak of. I replaced the damaged area with 1/4" plywood instead of foam because the damaged area was just at 1/4" deep and I had the material. I imagine the wood will last a fraction longer than the foam in the event it happens again. I had significant removal of material on the strut near the KMNG6 pivot so I elected to replace the entire strut. In the process I replaced the MKNG6 with Jack Wilhelmsons improved tapered bearing unit and remade the NG5 using steel instead of aluminum as called for in the plans. When I took off the old MKNG3, MKNG4 and "foot" (motorized versions replace the MKNG2 with a "foot") they were rusted pretty badly and I didn't like that. Jack also sells a stainless steel foot and MKNG3 so I opted for the stainless parts. I had to fabricate my own MKNG4 from stainless as Jack doesn't have this part (he claims its harder to make, but I found it pretty easy). Since I was buying all this stuff from Jack I also looked at his lift motor and electronic gear extension system. I had Steve Wright's nose lift system in the plane but after looking at the weight advantage and the clever electronics of Jack's system I decided to swap out Steve's for Jack's. It was a bit more work than really needed to be done but I liked the whole package better - it's lighter, seems better thought out and has the electronics package ready to wire into the plane. It took about 6 hours total for me to complete all the work including taking out the old motor.

 

I decided I wanted my rudder pedals moved as well and since I was working in this area I did it at the same time. I have Velocity rudder pedals hanging from the canard brace, but I originally installed them when I had no upholstery. With the upholstery installed they were too close and caused my knees to be jammed up under the instrument panel when I had my feet on the pedals. Changing the location was no problem - I moved the mounts forward on the canard brace about 3 inches. However, the brake cylinders had to be relocated and longer rudder cables installed and that took the most time. I'll have pictures of all this on my site shortly.

 

So, the repair took all of 4 hours, but the modifications have been taking much longer

[Jon Matcho]

Sounds like it's practically a new airplane in front, if nothing more than better and more comfortable.

 

I've always wondered what could be done to deal with what I expect to be an eventual gear-up landing. People have talked about metal plates, kevlar, and now you have wood into the picture (just like SpaceShipOne ). If you were building from scratch, would you do anything specific in this area to plan for a mishap?