My shameless ride request

[dpaton]

This is my shameless request. There are many like it, but this one is mine.

 

I'm looking to hook up with pilots of a flying example of both a Cozy IV and a Long-EZ for a ride and some hanger flying in the Chicago (06C, KDPA, KARR, KIKK, in order of preference) area. I'll by gas, lunch, or both depending on the quality of the offer. I'm not begging on my knees, but that's the next step if this doesn't work

 

Circumstances have removed the plans I had from my poessession, and while I have a line on complete replacement versions for both, I want to take the opportunity to make dead sure of which I really want before I spend the next 6-8 years of my life building something other than what I really truly want and need.

 

Disclaimer:

I don't have a PPL. I have more than a couple of hours in ultralights, but an UL is not a canard. I've got lots of sim hours in a highly accurate sim, but a sim is not a canard. I've spent weeks and weeks and weeks over the years imagining what it would be like, but my imagination is definitely not a canard. It's been too long since I got a ride for those memories to be reliable. I need a refresher.

 

I don't particularly want to fly the planes I'm looking for demo rides in, since that's a major imposition on the pilot, and I don't feel terribly comfortable with someone else's plane as an unlicensed passenger with no type experience. I could be convinced otherwise if the PIC really wants me to, as I have some yoke time with GA planes, albeit none of it legal. I mainly want to see how comfortable the airframes (still) are for me, how well I deal with them now that I'm beyond the giddy discovery phase, and get a little demo about how they perform, probably from the back seat.

 

I've been the GIB since before I could see over the panel in a Cessna 150 (nearly 2 decades). I have my own headset, and I'm more than comfortable around planes.

 

This is the very last step before I start mixing epoxy.

 

Help?

 

Thanks

 

-dave

[Waiter]

I'd love to make you the offer, but unfortunantly, I'm in the middle of retrofiting.

 

However, if your over in the Toledo area in the next few months, give me a notice and I'll be more than happy to show you the project.

 

I'm about a mile from the I-75 / I-80 interchange.

 

www.iflyez.com

 

Waiter

[dpaton]

Waiter-

 

Duly noted. I used to drive by that area regularly. Maybe I'll head out when my schedule settles down a little.

 

Thanks

 

-dave

[Jon Matcho]

Dave, with that attitude I'm sure you'll eventually be able to track down a ride. You may also try posting this on the mailing lists as well. Make some contacts with people around you, and see if you can visit their planes.

 

...get a little demo about how they perform, probably from the back seat.

Sounds like you're still on the tandem/Long-EZ route, which is great. Still, I would consider the Cozy Mark III/IV or Velocity as they provide good performance and baggage.

 

The Long-EZ also provides good performance, economy, and can do baggage just fine with removable wing pods.

 

You're doing the right thing -- find those planes near you, drive to them, and begin a dialog with the owners.

[dpaton]

Jon-

 

I suppose GIB is a bit of a misnomer with the Cozy IV on the table as an option. Non-PIC seat is just such a mouthful though...

 

I like the idea of the Velocity, but I think they made too many compromises when they did their design. I'm just not as big a fan as I am of the L-EZ/Cozy IV. There's also the cost of entry...the plans built planes can be built for smallsums over a long time. A Velocity takes a fair amount of initial cash, which I don't have.

 

I admit to a long term love affair with the L-EZ, but the practicality of the C-IV (C4? no..that would be bad shorthand..) is making me think about this very hard.

 

-dave

[CFernandez]

I admit to a long term love affair with the L-EZ, but the practicality of the C-IV (C4? no..that would be bad shorthand..) is making me think about this very hard.

 

-dave

Dave,

 

Take a minute and list what you want to accomplish with whatever airplane it is you want. It would be good to do this so your project meets your mission (and your passion). From there you'll know exactly what you want to build. It may be something totally different from a LongEZ or CozyIV.

 

This is nothing new as I was told to do the same thing before starting my project. It makes sense to spend the little time now than to get into a project that doesn't meet your mission when its done. My $.02.

 

Enjoy the journey,

[dpaton]

I suppose I should have detailed this up front. I've spent a lot of hours going over the project in my mind and on paper. I've done lists, spreadsheets, esssays, and tables to try and organize my thoughts and my needs. The Long and the Cozy IV both will fufill them. The tough call is tandem or side-by-side. The rest is all taken care of ;-)

 

-dave

[CFernandez]

I suppose I should have detailed this up front. I've spent a lot of hours going over the project in my mind and on paper. I've done lists, spreadsheets, esssays, and tables to try and organize my thoughts and my needs. The Long and the Cozy IV both will fufill them. The tough call is tandem or side-by-side. The rest is all taken care of ;-)

 

-dave

Good, I would say that a Cozy or AeroCanard may be easier to build from a support stand point, the Long certainly has the fast fighter look.

 

I chose the AeroCanard for side-by-side seating as well as the extra room in back and company support/molds option. www.aerocad.com

 

 

Best wishes with your project. It sounds like you're ready to mix epoxy

 

Keep us posted!

[dpaton]

Carlos-

 

I am looking at the Cozy-IV, but one of the primary drivers of my jones for the Long-EZ (aside from a 16 year love affair with the shape) is that I get a lot more vertical clearance in the Long than the Cozy-IV. Tandem seating provides for more vertical canopy sides, while the SBS seating in the Cozys and Aerocanards cuts off a lot of the shoulder room my 6'4" frame needs. Given the choice between roomier tandem and airline like SBS, I'll take the former. In terms of pure side to side shoulder room, the Long wins (22" vs 19.5" each for the C-IV). The long also gives me much needed pedal-to-seat spacing (1.5" more than the C-IV, both stock). The bottom line is Burt designed the plane for himself, a guy who is 6'4 and not precisely rail thin. Nat did a great job of making it a 4-seater, but it's for slightly shorter people with narrow frames. The real question for me is how they fly. It's been a while since I was right seat/GIB, so it's all down to the rides.

 

-dave

[Jon Matcho]

Another scenario to consider is when flying solo and being able to throw your maps/stuff on the passenger seat, or not.

 

I admit to a long term love affair with the L-EZ, but the practicality of the C-IV (C4? no..that would be bad shorthand..) is making me think about this very hard.

That might be the nail on the head. I often use this analogy:

• The Long-EZ is to a plane as a motorcycle is to an automobile
• The Cozy/Aerocanard is to a plane as a sports car is to an automobile

In either case, the build times will be relatively the same, and support is available for all.

 

Once you make your decision, don't look back/up until it's done.

[dpaton]

Jon-

 

Yup, that's part of it. My fit in the cockpit matters quite a bit too, since I plan to eventually fly to the coasts from Chicagoland. I think the C-IV/Aerocanard/Long-EZ all have a place in the 'sports car' analogy. True, they're a little different, but built light and slick, and equipped with an O-320 (as I would do if I go that way), the EZ isn't at much of a disadvantage compared to the heavier Cozy or Aero.

 

The one I really wanted was a Berkut, but funding issues and Dave Ronneburg's transition to contract and military projects ended that one pretty quickly a few years back.

 

The utility of SBS has definite advanatages, but my shoulders trump map convenience. Plus, I tend to fly (occasional UL flights that is, when it's warm enough) with a kneeboard holding my chart, so I'm used to a distinct lack of map space. I travel light, so strake baggage and the rear headrest area offer more than enough storage for a week away from home, including chocks and a cover, and with pods it becomes possible for 2 to travel for a week comfortably.

 

Like I keep saying, the ride will be the deciding factor. The rest can be argued effectively from both sides ad infinitum, +/- a week.

 

-dave

[Jon Matcho]

Like I keep saying, the ride will be the deciding factor.

Don't put too much stock in your next ride(s). Depending on the pilot, you'll have either a pleasant sightseeing trip, or a white-knuckled puke-fest.

 

Whatever you do, as long as you end up with a canard you're good to go.

[dpaton]

Jon-

 

No puke fests from me. Unless there are inverted snap-rolls or something similarly out-of-bounds for the airframe, I'm a rock.

 

The main reason I'm putting stock in the ride is the cockpit ergonomics and general fit to my lanky frame. It's been a few years since I've sat in either, and I want to make an informed decision with recent data, not memories, which are decidedly fluid in nature. The airtime and maybe a little stick time will help me out quite a bit I think.

 

I suppose this would be the right time to mention I originally wanted to build a Lancair 320 before I got my first EZ ride I'm hooked on canards, that's for sure.

 

-dave