Pilot-to-be starting down the road to a canard

[finaltable]

Sometime around 1987 I read an article in National Geographic about flight that included a photograph of two Vari-EZ'es flying in formation with a Vari-Viggen. I thought they were the coolest planes I had ever seen and decided then, at the age of 16 that I wanted one of those one day. (BTW...if anyone knows exactly what issue that was can you let me know so I can track a copy down someplace?)

 

Fast forward 20 years; I am logging 1.5 to 2 hours per week toward my PPL and I am starting to think about plane ownership. Not only does my father own a C182 but someone I know owns a Velocity SE RG so neither plane ownership nor canard aircraft are unfamiliar to me.

 

I could buy a used plane but I am very interested in a couple of alternate engine options, the Mazda rotary and the Deltahawk diesel. The idea of fewer moving parts and consequently improved efficiency, reliability and decreased overhaul effort is very attractive. (Note that safety is way above any cost in all these considerations.)

 

I've got a while before I can save up the $ for a plane and have access to a C172 (and maybe the Velocity) in the interim but I'm never getting there unless I educate myself first. The Velocity and the Cozy are the only planes I'm really considering. From what I have read thus far the Velocity seems more for people who want to fly whereas the Cozy is for people who want to be more involved with the build process. (Sorry if I overgeneralize.) I need a plane that can take me, wife and two kids 684 miles so either of these would be more than sufficient.

 

I'll just lurk here for a while and read responses.

[Phil Kriley]

Either plane should fit your mission. The Velocity will cost more but you will be in the air sooner (it's a kit). The Cozy will cost less to build, but will take longer as it is a plans-built plane. A good compromise, if you have the money, would be to buy a Cozy project - there are several out there. They range from being in the "bathtub" stage to being 90% complete. Welcome aboard!

[Jon Matcho]

From what I have read thus far the Velocity seems more for people who want to fly whereas the Cozy is for people who want to be more involved with the build process. (Sorry if I overgeneralize.)

That's about right. There's also the AeroCanard SB kit (a kit-clone of the Cozy Mark IV). AeroCad also offers the AeroCanard FG, which is the same but with a slightly larger rear. I would recommend them if you're looking for the kit route, but with less $ than a Velocity. As Phil points out, picking up an abandoned project is a great start, and there are several options for buying pre-fab parts to speed the build along.

 

Building is fun though, and you can look back and say, "I built this whole dang thing."

[finaltable]

Thanks.

 

The Aerocanard looks promising. Though I could do it and would probably enjoy doing it I'm really not interested in building a plane because I'd rather put time into flying rather than building. Kit is definitely preferable to plans built but I'd like to do some paid flying someday and I need to focus on left seat time over everything else.

[Jon Matcho]

...I'm really not interested in building a plane because I'd rather put time into flying rather than building.

In that case, a kit probably wouldn't be good for you either. Consider buying a flying canard aircraft. You can still make modifications how you like, but building time (if any) would be minimal.