New Cozy IV Project

[HardKnox]

I just ordered my plans today...

 

Here we go! This will be my second airplane to build. My first was a Van's RV-9A - the best flying airplane I've ever flown. My family grew with addition of my daughter, now 5, so I so I aquired a C-182 just over a year ago. I HATE not being able to work on it, and I HATE the cost of parts, maintenance, etc.

 

So I'm doing it again...

 

This time it will be a different experience, having both a daughter and an airplane to fly. I don't expect I'll complete it quite so quickly. Composite should be a totally different experience as well, while I can stay with the tried and true Lyc 160 or 180 with which I'm very familar.

 

I'm hangared currently at CPT (Cleburne Muni) just south of Fort Worth, TX. I hope composite construction and Texas heat will work together. Please let me know NOW if I'm making a mistake. My shop is not insulated or climate controlled.

 

I'll be attending the Composite Construction SportAir workshop in Dallas this weekend. Will I see any of you there? I hope to get some experience with some different expoxies because I'm SOOO confused as to what to use.

 

I'm looking forward to adding some bells and whistles that I didn't on my previous build. I'll have dual displays for sure so the copilot can fly. I'm also going to focus a lot on cockpit organization (cubbies). These are invaluable, IMHO.

 

Please EMAIL ME PICTURES AND WEBSITES. I'm a huge reader of other builder's sites...so if you have one, send away.

 

I look forward to many discussions with y'all.

 

Best Regards,

HK:D

[Cozy1200]

Congrats on your descision and welcome to the forum.

 

Feel free to check out my website below. There are MANY very good websites. You'll definatly want to check out

Marc Zeitlen, John slade, Rick Maddy, & Wayne Hicks.

 

This link by Tom Tugan is probably the most comprehensive list on the web. http://ttcse.com/cozylinks/

The list on Marc's website is very close. Between the two you'll just virtually everyone's websites.

 

We won't hold the RV thing against you. Everyone comes around eventually!!! ha ha

[rickh]

 

I'm hangared currently at CPT (Cleburne Muni) just south of Fort Worth, TX. I hope composite construction and Texas heat will work together. Please let me know NOW if I'm making a mistake. My shop is not insulated or climate controlled.

There's advantages to a higher shop temp (than what's available in Alaska). Layups should be done in the 75-85* range. Higher than that means you'll have to move fast or use a slower hardner. Some hardners can be mixed to vary cure times. Don't be sweating all over uncured epoxy either

I hope to get some experience with some different expoxies because I'm SOOO confused as to what to use.

The plans are pretty specific, use one of them. It seems most builders are using MGS now. I'm using Pro-Set (West in spots), others use Aeropoxy. Use one (or more, but don't mix till cured fully) of the approved epoxy systems.

 

Please EMAIL ME PICTURES AND WEBSITES. I'm a huge reader of other builder's sites...so if you have one, send away.

 

Ditto Tom Tugan's collection of links, it's painfully easy to go to a relevant chapter.

Rick Maddy hosts a raft of websites (www.maddyhome.com/)

But the best one is in my sig

 

Rick

[Big Steve]

Welcome to the addiction. In a short 2,000-3000 hours you will be flying your very own Cozy IV. Fiberglass should cure nicely in Texas heat. Here in idaho I have to burn lots of trees to keep it warm enough to cure my epoxy. Again Welcome. STeve

[Edge 513]

..and may all your Christmas' beeee Cozyyyyyyy.....

Welcome.

One nice thing about being an older 'Dad' building a Cozy is that everybody now has a venue for gift ideas for 'Dad' since 1. He never wants anything, and 2. He has most everything he wants, and 3. nobody knows what to get him.

 

A welcome default is a gift cert from ACS. Way better than a gift cert to the Mens big and tall store.

If the Dad shoe fits? Possibly not....

 

Tisk, Tisk, Tisk, another spam canner is tired of flying slow...and incredibly he also moves from rivets to the dark side! Scintilating!

BTW-Wax yur garage floor ahead of time if it looks like anything before you start building.

[CBarber]

If you happen to make it down to Houston, feel free to call upon me. I am building a Velocity SE at Ellington Field and even though not identical birds the build process it greatly the same. Check out my web site at www.LoneStarVelocity.com . The page has not been updated in over a year, but most of the airframe progress is there. The newer stuff is mostly about wiring and engine related (Mazda 13b) nad not as condusive to photographs (plus my web disign tool is a bit tedious and combersome).

 

I think you will find building in the Texas heat actually helps a bit. That being said, I did not use the MGS but the kit supplied Velocipoxy (Velo's brand of EZpoxy, IIRC....something about the mass purchase of the EZpoxy needing them to "rebrand" it). As you may know, the Velocity is a kit thus I took what they gave me. On that note, Velocity has been a great company to deal with. I am happy that when I had some cash fall out of the sky a few years ago, I bought the kit before I did something STOOOOPID with it like pay bills or put it in savings <g>.

 

I attended the Sport Air workshop in Dallas a few months before the delivery of my kit and I thought it was a GREAT first exposure to fiberglass. Many here will probably state it is not needed as all the instructions are in the plans, HOWEVER, for me, I really appreciated the hands on expsure IMAO, rarely does the written word surplant hands on experience. While very rudimentary, it gave me the extra confidence (notice I said "extra" confidence....the weak willed are not the type to build planes <g>) I needed to dive into the project. Now, I feel as if I could build dang near anything with fiberglass.......hmmmmm, Speed Racer's Mach V comes to mind....hmmmm?

 

Welcome, good luck and keep us posted.

 

All the best,

 

Chris Barber

[killerb1971]

HEY HK!!!! Welcome to the family! I am a newbie myself. I am wrapping up CH4 this week. I didn't have the chance to go to a workshop before I started, so I was taught by the plans, along with all of the wonderful and knowledgable people of the canard communities through the forums. I am using MGS 285 and slow hardener for everything so far. It is the most expensive unfortunately, but it seems to have the best performance characteristics of all of the other approved systems. I never experienced working with any other system at this point, so I have no comparison. Many people have switched several times to see which one they like best. One bit of advice from my small experience so far is to read the plans fully at least once before starting each section. I missed some things that I had to fix in the middle of a layup. Another piece of advice is to check out other people's web pages and learn from their mishaps, tips, and tricks before starting a section. Its a BIG help!! Sometimes the plans can be somewhat unclear on certain details, and the other builders can clear it up for you. The Cozy builders and the canard community as a whole are a wealth of knowledge, full of great people. They are always willing to help. Keep us posted with your progress. Look forward to hearing more from you soon! HAPPY BUILDING!

[Cozy Girrrl]

Dear HK,

You are fortunate to be in good company south of Fort Worth, just north of you is Vance Atkinson, you could not ask for a better counsel from a builder, tech advisor and test pilot.

Enjoy the Build!

Regards, Chrissi & Randi