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Updated / Jet / 6 Place Canard


nmunn

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I know it is a tall order, but there are serveral people adapting jet technology to Cozys. But is anyone aware of an updated canard / pusher kit / plans that are using newer technology and getting more out of the plane?

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I'm working on such a project, but offering plans/kits is still a few years away. After 10 years of development, including successful flights of an RC scale model, it is beyond any canard type flown so far. I believe the combination of airfoils is one generation later and more adaptable than Burt's Proteus design. This 4 - 6 seat canard type was originally designed for the Williams/Rolls FJ-22, but since that low-cost engine program was a failure, options must be considered.

 

Many pilots flew my SuperTandem 4-seat single turbofan canard in the FAA Approved full-motion FTD-2 at Windsong Aviation, Jeffco CO including the flight school manager. Even in 2002, I had already adapted the design for the PW610. Wider speed range, better handling slow or fast, longer CG range, structure designed from the start for pressurization, and overall more adaptability than anything based on the VariEze. Burt, Nat, and Dr. Dan Raymer have all seen a brochure of this design. The SuperTandem earned much praise for its handling and performance in the full-motion sim at Windsong.

 

We intend to further our education by completing our Cozy Mk IV, and then start building a full-size SuperTandem M4 prototype. The general layout has been flown in simulation software as a jet, as a pusher piston/prop, pusher turboprop (Allison 450), as a tractor piston/prop, and as a tractor turboprop.

 

Most recently I have had further discussions of what will continue Burt's EZ legacy, and in an aircraft as great and useful as a LongEZ or a Cozy. The important points here are affordability, easy construction, and low operating costs. So there is no choice but to start with a piston/prop pusher version with a four seat capacity, powered by a turbo-normalized XP-360 with a C/S prop. Once the aerodynamics are proven in a full-size prototype, further study of what builders can afford and the limits of what can be considered a homebuilt will continue. In the near term, we will soon start building a large-scale structural model, concurrently with our Cozy construction, which will allow us to adapt Rutan-type sandwich construction with glass and carbon to our own loads and geometry requirements. This will also serve as a systems design prototype.

 

How much homebuilt can you afford? The simulated 8-seat UltraTandem canard is powered by two PW610's and handles great from 60 KIAS to over 300 KIAS. Each engine is about $350,000, the pressurized, full-RG airframe will cost about $35,000 to construct yourself, and the panel might range from $30,000 to well over $100,000. This doesn't really sound like a homebuilt at all.

 

Examples of design development stages and derivatives are available for the Laminar Research X-Plane simulator.

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Thanks for the post, you bring up a good point - when you start talking about several hundred thousand dollars, you have to look at the other options. There are some nice piston planes in the 200k range.

 

It would be nice to see a Cozy style 6 seat with a single jet. I guess the intriguing part for me is how to get into a jet for less than the cost of worn out production model and still have the room a 6 place offers.

 

Thanks again for the post - look forward to seeing more on your long-term project!

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