Dave Clifford

I've made all the metal parts for our planes EXCEPT for one,,,, the elevator offsets for the canard. They are expensive but are priced accordingly for their complexity. A lathe, mill, tig welder, and your all set. The measurements are all there for the metal parts,,,you just have to look for them.

Joe, It doesn't take a whole lot of money to get started, nor to continue the build at a reasonable pace. That was the deciding factor for me to build the Cozy MKIV. I saved up enough money to make my initial purchases by packing a lunch for work everyday instead of going out. The money I saved, CASH, went into a jar I kept at work. In a years time, I had over a thousand dollars the wife knew NOTHING about to help me get going. I also decided to keep my truck for 10 years, instead of the 3 year cycle I was on for replacement. Six years later I am still doing the same thing and have a nice project to show for my efforts. The wife is O.K. now with the idea that there IS a plane in my future, a dream I have had for 30 years, and its going to cut into the budget a little, but not too painfully. Besides, as she likes to put it, I can alway charge the things to my MAGIC CREDIT CARD! As we have found out over the years from drop in's, we have heard all of the same reasons from prospective builders not being able to start the build "right now", but none that could not be overcome. Like anything in life, if you want it to happen, you have to make it happen. If I can do it, I think ANYONE can!!! Good luck Joe.

We cap our spouts at the end of the day. We also keep the box hot 24/7. We found that if you cap the spouts, you are less likely to get capulatory drips from the heat and it also prevents the hardener from getting hard around the spout.

The last two orders I placed with ASC were online orders from their web site. I must say that both times I was pleasantly surprised that both orders arrived quickly, and I was charged the web site price. So it does seem that Mr. Irwin has made some changes for the better in customer service. I will continue to order from Wicks though whenever possible if the price is close, as Wicks customer service is by far the best and I feel that competition is needed. As far as builder support goes for the Cozy plans, I doubt anyone on the other end of the phone line from ASC or Wicks, has ever built a Cozy,,,,or ANY plane for that matter. When Nat's long gone, it will be forums like this that provide the support builders need for chapter and task specific questions. So, buy the parts and supplies specified from the supplier of your choice. Gotta go now and order some supplies from Wicks,,,,specificaly some FAST MSG hardener to combat these COLD temps were having here in MI right now!

After getting the latest heating bill for keeping the garage heated for the SLOW epoxy to cure,,,,I'm ordering some fast hardener.

Although I have my fair share share of disagreements with Dust, I have to agree with him on this one. LP contributes a lot of good information to this forum and does not stand down to bully tactics so MANY people use here. There is NO reason to banish him from this forum. That only lowers the integrity and quality of this forum. There are many posts on this forum that have included copied information from other sources that have never caused any concern or coments about its use. Why this big deal over this,,,, other than the member who complained??? Bring back LP!

Hey LP! Don't piss off Marc or he will banish you from HIS site like he did me!

Heres the link: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2454597365

I repeat. Anyone who contemplates this has much between the ears. Because you don't care to hear MY opinion on this subject,,,,Thats TOO bad. The forum is for everyone to read. If you don't like what others have to say,,,,move on to the next post.

All this talk about doing aerobatics in the cozy is rubbish. The Cozy was not designed for it, built for it, nor tested for it. Anyone contemplating it has mush between his or her ears. Now,,,on a lighter note, here is a photo of the PROGRESS made on plane #1 last saturday by dust, mplafleur, and largeprime. Thane was off on an approved leave day and I was busy in the basement making progress fabricating the metal control parts for both planes.

I thought I read a short while ago in one of my mags, that MT also makes governors for their props, hydrolic and electric. You might want to check into it, if you havn't yet, since you are using a MT prop.

Jim Sower, Do you REALLY need to add the vulgarity in to your posts or do you just not know any better??? Been to Crossville, my guess is you don't know any better!!

Try looking up your local EAA chapter. They may have a hanger or shop for members to use, or you may locate a builder willing to share space for the build. If you have an extra bedroom,,, you could start there, but you might end up getting complaints from your attatched neighbors.

The 51% rule and prohibitions against "operating for hire" would preclude any homebuilts that could seat more than four people.<quote> What do you mean by this Jim? AeroComp has been marketing a 7 place kit for years and the Murphy Super Rebel is a six passenger kit plane they have been marketing for several years also.

There have been a number of jet kits that have come and gone over the years. One manufacturer to keep your eyes on for a small business class jet kit is from AeroComp. They have been around for a number of years and are always improving and adding to their kit lineup. Heres the link to check out their jet under development. I would be surprised if they DO NOT bring this to market as a kit. http://www.aerocompinc.com/

Found this listing for a Cozy MKIV on E-Bay. http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2449896834&indexURL=1&photoDisplayType=2#ebayphotohosting

Another consideration is engine choice. The rotary uses far less fuel than a Lycombing or Continental in comparable HP power.

Quote:This allows the plane to fly over 3000 miles without refueling. We gained a total of about 6-7 gallons by moving the baggage compartment bulkheads inboard 1-1/2". This will have little effect on the C/G of the plane and give us a little more range if needed. 3000 miles without a stop??? No thanks. You'll end up with bed sores.

All the parts have been fabricated for the control system, and in getting ready to assemble the AN4 rod end inserts into the tubes, the plans call for two AN470AD4-10 1/8" hard aluminum rivets to hold each insert in place. I am sure this is sufficient as I have never heard of a failure thus far, yet I would like a little extra shear strength here. Has anyone thought the same and used an AN3 bolt here instead, or am I being overly cautious here??

Sorry to offend you Chris, it was not not my intent.

And of course there's the extra 15 kts and increased range .... Jim S. [/b] Is there a Cozy MKIV out there flying with the retracts that has documented an increase of 15 kts as compared to the fixed gear??

I'll have to refrain from this discussion for obvious reasons,,,but you other rotary folks,,,, feel free!!!

Not only did they stop building them, they bought them all back and destroyed them!! Freaking lawyers!!

When I order from Wicks, the item is shipped the same day and I get it within 2 days. Three weeks ago, I ordered a 3/8" X 3" aluminum bar stock from A/S because Wicks did not stock that size. It took almost two weeks to arrive. I'll give them a day or two due to thanksgiving, but thats WAY to long to wait a one item order that was in stock.

I bought the Rutan video from Wicks prior to starting the build. Dust and I both watched it several times before we started. Its made in the 70's and does not have any glitz in it, but Burt and Mike do an excellent job in explaining and demonstrating the techniques involved in moldless composite construction. They also demonstrate the weight/strength advantage composites have over traditional aluminum construction. Watch the video and do the practice educational chapter in the plans, and you will be confident you can do this. By all means, if someone is building near you, spend a day working with the builder to get some hands on experience. There is no need to put out the money to attend a composite workshop though, unless you REALLY want to. A/S sells a composite practice kit for about $60.00.