Jon Matcho

Adding to the list... Superior (Lycoming clone) DeltaHawk (diesel engines) I suppose we could use a comprehensive list of possibilities in the Engines section here.

But what the heck... I'll let everyone else get lost on the 'net like I have: Eggenfellner (Subaru conversion) Mistral (non-Mazda rotary) Crossflow (?) Powersport (rotary) Real World Aviation (Tracy Crook's Mazda rotary conversions) I'll check back in on this in a couple years...

Check out this rumor/report at the bottom of this page: http://www.avweb.com/news/avmail/187877-1.html I personally have plenty of time to ponder this one, and am finding it a practical waste of time researching Rotary, Subaru, Lycoming, etc. at this point in my build.

For what it's worth, I entirely agree. Some say that you need to find out if you like flying, but what if you just know? You can also point out that the expense is comparable to a hobby, such as golfing.

A temp of 70c (~160f) is an oven. If you can do that, you can postcure your parts in there. Your 35c (~95f) winter temp is good for building, and you can wait until the spring/summer to postcure (up to several months from what I recall). I believe the postcure calls for 16 hours @ postcure temp, but check the MGS Web site to be certain (or contact them).

Pick one: Fast and Cozy Slow and Comfy

Mark's 2nd point is correct -- if you slurry the foam properly, it's going to be like a sheet of glass when it cures and will not bond well to the next layer. It doesn't make much sense to sand it either... you'll just need to do that part by hand. The only thing I can think of is to vacuum bag peel ply onto it, but why not get the layup going instead? I don't know how vacuum infusion works, but I am setting up to vacuum bag as well using this technique.

Good point. There's who-knows-what on that plastic. Another good idea, but if Folgers is your dealer, you need to upgrade to the good sh*t. Still, that is a good idea and I may have to score some Folgers handle-cans for a few weeks.

You can use any cups that have absolutely no foreign substances on them. Waxed cups are no good because epoxy does not bond to the wax bits that get scraped off and mixed into your layup. The other benefit of the paper cups is their geometry -- shallow and near cylindrical, allowing easy mixing with the tongue depressor sticks as well as avoiding exotherm. A deep cup will encourage exotherm. You can use plastic cups -- just be certain that they have no residue of any sort. If they're drinking cups, I have to believe they're good to go, but not considering their shape and dimensions.

U4, you have identified one of the "EZ monopolies". There are a handful, but it's not as if the entire community is blind to the consideration. Last-a-Foam® (AKA "Clark foam") is a wonderful material at a reasonable price, IMO. I'm not worried about this particular component, as it can be re-engineered relatively easily. The component that I do worry about, from time to time, is the main landing gear. I understand that is only available from Feather Lite. If they were hit by an earthquake... ???

A well-structured Web site is entirely suitable for a builders log, considering some builder's logs are just pencilled notebooks (or marked up plans, etc). I intend for my Web site to be my builders log. The only other document I may present, although I don't think I'll be asked for it, is my time log that I maintain in a spreadsheet. Let me know when you have your site ready and I can create some space for you here. FrontPage is great with a FrontPage-enabled server -- just push a button and your site is updated and published. I actually was, as well as having Ghost Riders In The Sky going through my head...

Short answer, "no." Check out the FOAM section of Chapter 3 (page 6). There the plans state, "It has properties somewhere between urethane and PVS. Its peel strength and toughness is better than urethane." There are several other factors mentioned, which leave me convinced to use this foam only. With all that said, I'm sure it's possible to substitute other materials after carefully considering many factors. For example, some builders have substituted aluminum for the Instrument Panel bulkhead. However, for other Last-A-Foam parts, you'll likely be much on your own.

The Central States Association, managed by Terry Schubert is another great source... over 900 members with addresses as well. That membership was born from VariEzes and Long-EZs, so you must join. I'm sure there's some overlap between the 3 groups I mentioned.

Ghost, welcome! VariEze discussion is most welcome here. To find Florida members here, use the Member Search feature, and do multiple searches on Location for: miami; florida; FL; etc. I found a few in Miami, and several in Florida. The best database of Canard builders and flyers is available at http://www.cozybuilders.org/mail_list There are mostly Cozy builders there, but again, that's the best maintained database of canard builders (and their locations) that I know of. See the attached image for the approximate number of mailing list members in your area. Speaking of Miami, how's the weather? My sister moved to Clearwater recently, and just bought her first set of plywood "shutters" today.

That's what I thought -- you did a different piece than what is in Chapter 3 of the Cozy plans. Congratulations! You're definitely more than halfway to somewhere better than before, at least. Jump right into Chapter 4 Step 1 when you get the material -- you'll do fine.

GC, I'm guessing that you're referring to a "practice kit", which I don't have. The practice layup in the Cozy plans calls for a 6-BID layup that is 12.5" x 18" and then cut down to 10" x 16". The final weight is expected to be anywhere from 10.5 to 12.5 ounces, with 11 ounces being ideal. I wouldn't knock yourself out over it. You could try it again, and squeegee even more agressively to see what happens with the next practice weight. The important point is that it's really hard to judge too heavy or light on such a small scale. Assuming the precision of your scale is accurate to 0.1 ounce, you're talking about 0.16 to 0.24 ounces difference. That's just a few paper clips. I'm in chapter 4 (bulkheads), where it's more important to worry about structural integrity than it is part weights. You get to practice there several times over, and compare your part weights with other builders. See http://www.cozybuilders.org/ref_info/part_weight.html

I tend to agree. If you're not comfortable with putting your money entirely at risk, then offer PayPal or nothing. You might also want to consider asking here: http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/index.php?topic=air-elec (BTW, anyone who thinks this or the CAI forum is "active" should check out how many users are online at that forum at any given minute in the day. )

I verified my AeroCanard plans -- no mention of the RG (retractable gear) version, and so I believe that is a kit. An AeroCanard kit would be a high-risk investment given the company's current status. Besides, you don't need retractable gear anyway. Doh!

I believe you're referring to this discussion, which I have been following as well. Or "yikes!" There's a lot involved with committing to such a design, such as picking the test pilot for example. In actuality, you want to be building a Cozy with modifications published by AeroCad. Check my home page for how I refer to this predicament. I HIGHLY recommend it. You want to base yourself in the Cozy Mark IV, and consider the AeroCanard plans modifications. They're 95% identical, with the Cozy Mark IV plans being most up-to-date in all areas other than the actual modifications (5% of the whole picture). My understanding is that the RG is NOT plans built, and is a kit. AeroCanard SB = 100% Cozy Mark IV plans (first edition) AeroCanard FG = Cozy Mark IV plans (first edition), with widened back mods AeroCanard RG = kit only??? I'll check my AeroCanard plans tonight, but I believe the SB & FG are only included in the plans. Answering your question, if you want to build a Cozy Mark IV @ plans (first edition, instead of third), then "no", you do not need to purchase Cozy Mark IV plans. Personally, I want every revision ever published by Nat Puffer. Nat also has several newsletters left in him, which you would not have access to. Assuming your total investment will be in the neighborhood of $50K (see Costs section here), what's another $500? Great, looking forward! You got it Waldo.

I see. That's what my EDF IA-63 Pampa is (still in box). Again, I was afraid of fiber glass and epoxy, but now I'd be all over that stuff. Maybe in the winter... IF I can find stuff on electric modeling here, it's usually imported or in one of those crazy-sized magazines from the UK. More cool stuff! We call them overalls, and probably something else that escapes me right now. Do post those pics when you can. Cheers!

I thought the same thing when I was modeling, but I'm telling you -- you can do it. It really isn't that hard, and also is great training for the real thing. I can't imaging the plans cost more than $48 total. Maybe 'P.P.' is just a repeat of 'printed plans'. It is your experience waiting to happen. :-) In my neck of the woods, there's practically nothing going on. I love electrics -- quiet, and no mess. That is cool. I have a large ducted fan still in a box, because I was afraid to start the fiberglass (but not scared enough to buy it). What does GRP stand for?

Lookie what cured fiberglass can do to a router bit (notice the 2 notches where the glass burned through the bit): I thought I'd breeze through cutting in a 45 degree angle to finish off my LG bulkheads, but laws of physics reared their head. Nothing some good ol' fashioned sanding couldn't handle. I'm also setting out to do my instrument panel, and after tracing I can't believe how tight the leg area looks. I might sand and contour a bit more agressively here to get an extra 1/4" on each side.

Depending on where you're at, this is not a bad idea at all. If you look into the process by which planes become airbourne, you'll find that models are an integral component. Flying is also fun too, even though I'm limited to models and X-Plane right now. Still, in just 40 hours or less you can be flying a canard. If you were thrilled with that experience, you can move on to the full size model. On the other hand, if you KNOW you love building, have the space, time, money, and support, then jump in!

You're like my mother John -- I need to explain all the jokes to her too! The subject of that post is 'How many forum members does it take to change a light bulb???' It illustrates how us canard types can take a simple 3-step drill and turn it into an engineering project, just like we do with practically everything in these planes. I for one am a guilty party -- omnipotent in my abilities, and all-knowing of the best practices to canard nirvana...* Also note that this section is the Coffee House -- we're allowed to talk about nothing here. * This was a joke.

Clive, Here's a Long-EZ kit: http://www.geocities.com/rclong_ez/index.html These guys have a Velocity XL kit: http://www.rchomebuilts.com You used to be able to get a Long-EZ kit from Fusco, but I understand there was some sort of fiasco between the designer and the company. Here's another link related to that kit I believe: http://homepage.mac.com/mikejames/rc_reviews/berkut01.html Here's a Vari-Eze kit (in the UK): http://www.rchobby.co.uk/canard_artf_plane_varieeze.html And an almost-canard aircraft, the Piaggio Avanti: http://www.hobby-lobby.com/piaggio.htm Now that I'm building a 1:1 scale plane, I'm amazed at how many of my model building tools and skills are useful. Have you caught the electric craze over there? Let us know what you do and post pics when you're done!