schaumr

Although I'm glad to hear the plans will go on selling, I am a bit apprehensive about what will happen to the other critical ingredients to building a plane, namely: builder support, the newsletter, and the website/database that Marc Zeitlin maintains. Does anyone have any comments? Rob

Wow! One of you guys just buzzed over my neighborhood (Ann Arbor, MI) at 8:15AM on Saturday morning (08/09/03)! It was sooooo coooool! I heard a plane coming from the distance, but the sound was really different. Lo and behold, I see a canard approaching, and as it got closer I could see it wa a COZY! (too wide for a long-ez). It was hauling a&&! It was inspiring to see one in flight, and I didn't even have to go all the way to Oshkosh! Thanks to whomever paid me an inadvertent visit! It has inspired me to start building! Rob

So John... Despite not having started the plane yet, I still find myself oscillating between Lyc, Mazda, and Subaru power plants. If I'm not wrong, you hope to get smooth 300HP with a 10-12 GPH burn rate...is this correct? I must admit, the ideas of no carb icing, single power lever, and constant HP at any altitude sound absolutely great. But I must say, after looking through Greg Richter's as well as your web page -the task of pulling everything together from spare parts from all over and then observing that there are as many installations as there are people- the idea of a rotary powered COZY seems that much more daunting to me. It's probably because I know very little about the finer aspects of reciprocating engines (let alone rotarys). I just look at your installation and wonder "where on earth would I begin?". Hey! here's a thought! If it's not too much trouble, would you mind...eh....just puting together a parts list of everything that went into your power plant installation (and where to get these items as well...of course!) as well as ....uh...a complete and exploded schematic/view of where things go....and...oh yeah....a list and schematics/drawings of fuselage structural mods necessary for new fuel/cooling systems? You'd really be helping us newbies'out! I guess I should just suck it up and demonstrate the same courage you, Greg, and Tracy (and numerous others) have shown and just dive into it. I suppose every journey begins with a single AN fitting! Rob (Ann Arbor, MI)

Hello folks! Although not a builder yet, I was wondering whether y'all were aware of the link below. I'm not sure how recent it is, but it details the spar cap weakness and some corrosion of the wing fittings found on a 20 year old EZ. Luckily the guy saw it before going up, but it's a bit of a wake up call. Spar cap might have been poorly made and the EZ might have seen some excessive G forces. How many 'Gs' is the COZY rated to, by the way? Rob Schaum Future builder http://www.ez.org/corrosion.htm

Hi all, Let me begin by saying that my question is merely out of my concern for safety, and is not meant to upset anyone. I admit that if I had more experience flying or building, the answer might be obvious, but since I'm not there yet (and you seem like a pretty open minded bunch) I've decided to ask it anyway: I was at the Infinity web site looking over retractable landing gear for canards, and they seem pretty adamant that re-tracts are safer, because if you have to do a forced landing, you'd at least keep the gear up. The site continued to say that the main gear on fixed-gear canards can come off and rip out a hole under your passenger(s), or you could flip over after the nose digs in during the 'slide'. Now, simplicity is job 1 in my book, so deviation from the plans is really not what I have in mind when I eventually build the Cozy. I would really rather keep the fixed main gear. I know Nat does not endorse the re-tract modification, and his reasons make sense. However, some of the statements made at the Infinity site seem to also make sense (despite their somewhat defensive tone). Can anyone comment on this? Thanks! Rob Schaum http://www.infinityaerospace.com/infgear.htm

Hey Mike! I'm about an hour away from you in Ann Arbor! Haven't started building yet (two almost-finished wood strip kayaks are presently sitting in the spot the plane should be in!) so I can't be considered an active builder yet. If you don't get any responses from active builders in this area, let me know before you feel you have to do something drastic! I'm looking to start in the spring, after I get the garage set up, but I'll make room for your stuff if you need to get rid of it. By the way...would you mind a visit from a nosy (read COZY) neighbor? I'd love to see a work-in-progress! Rob

Perhaps significant others..(including children) are there to prevent a hobby from turning into an obsession! Besides...aren't they the reason for building a COZY instead of a Long EZ?

Once again, my patience has been rewarded with a great response from a Canard Cummunity member. Thank you Jack (I apologize for the mispelling of COZY, by the way!), your experience with other aircraft makes your comments that much more credible. Thanks to your comments (and a few months of research) I'm pretty much hooked on the COZY, now if I can just convince (read "persuade" or "bribe") the wife....... You guys(gals) have a great forum here...your input has been very valuable! Thanks again! Rob

Once again, my patience has been rewarded with a great response from a Canard Cummunity member. Thank you Jack (I apologize for the mispelling of COZY, by the way!), your experience with other aircraft makes your comments that much more credible. Thanks to your comments (and a few months of research) I'm pretty much hooked on the COZY, now if I can just convince (read "persuade" or "bribe") the wife....... You guys(gals) have a great forum here...your input has been very valuable! Thanks again! Rob

Hi All. Do all you builders/flyers build this plane with the intention of hauling your friends and family long distances or do some of you build it because it's a fun plane to fly on a clear Sunday morning...just for the hell of it? I know it's FAST, but the higher you go the less you notice the speed. Does this aircraft have a high "fun factor" or is it pretty much a docile 4 place transport vehicle? Just wondering since I've never flown one...but even though Nat specifies "normal" category, it sure looks like it could tear up the sky with one pilot and half tanks! I've asked Marc Zeitlin, who just completed his, and he says it might be tough to fit two 'real' people in the back. Can anyone verify this? How many inches of space are there really between the forward edge of the back seat and the front seat back-support/bulk-head? Thanks in advance! Rob

Thanks guys! I really appreciate your comments. It helps a great deal! Rob

Hello everyone, My name is Rob Schaum, and I am in the final phases of decision-making about which plane to build. Obviously, the COSY MKIV is way out in front, but I guess I'm a bit concerned about forced landing speeds. Some sources are quoting that 'crashes' at 55 mph are more survivable than crashes at 70 mph. I have read that the cosy main gear is supposed to break off on impact to prevent nosing over. I have also read some of the newsletters relating stories of successful forced landings. Can anyone out there add to this knowledge base? Was this a consideration for anyone of you builders? Other questions: How does one verify the lay-up quality of workmanship with composites? Do you all just go on faith that each epoxy layer has cured correctly or are there some tell-tale signs to look for? Do you keep the left-overs (in the cups) for inspection after cure? How do you perform maintenance checks on a composite airframe? How can you tell something's amiss? Do you check for 'flutter' during the individual test phase of these aircraft? I know about the problem of overweight elevators, but even when everything balances out correctly, are there any special maneuvers during the flight test? I hope I'm not boring anyone with this...I'm just a curious newbie! Rob