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cozy1bh

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Flying Information

  • Flying Status
    Flying since 1997 - 350 hours

Personal Information

  • Real Name (Public)
    Brian Heinitz
  • Location (Public)
    Rio Linda, CA
  • Occupation
    Boeing 767 First Officer for ABX Air, d.b.a. DHL Worldwide Express, overnight express cargo delivery

Project/Build Information

  • Plane Type
    Cozy III / Cosy Classic
  • Plane (Other/Details)
    O-320, Lightspeed Ignition, Ellison

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  1. I have a AeroElectric System in my Cozy III--and it works perfectly. It has worked well in my bird since first flight in 1997. It is one of the few systems that has worked correctly from day one. I've never had to do a thing with it. I am no electrician. I just followed the AeroElectric Connection advice and wired a system shown in one of Bob's schematics for a composite aircraft. As far as understanding everything is concerned, this C+ student was able to follow the text of the Connection. I didn't mind learning some of the theory. But you don't have to understand the theory to install the system using Bob's guidelines and schematics. It works. Cargo....
  2. I have two thoughts on this issue. First, if you are concerned that a pitot tube on the nose will be damaged due to others moving your airplane in the hangar, you should be even more concerned about the rest of your airplane getting damaged. Since I completed my Cozy III 8 years ago, I have never had a problem with the nose pitot getting damaged. It is made of a short piece of 1/4 inch stainless tube and sticks out about 1 inch from the tip of the nose. I used stainless because I wanted something durable in case people bump into it. I made a "Remove Before Flight" streamer and cover for it to keep bugs and dirt out of the pitot line while parked. My observation is that the biggest problem with other people handling your airplane is that they don't understand how to balance it and move it by lifting the canard. Second, I do not have a heated pitot because I have a VFR only airplane. I do not believe this is a good airplane in ice. Therefore, I decided that I would fly VFR, leaving the IFR flying to the pilots trained to do so and the aircraft certified for such conditions. Besides, a VFR airplane, with less equipment, is lighter, less expensive to build and maintain, and more reliable. The more I fly my Cozy, the more I appreciate simplicity and reliability. Keep it simple, light, safe and reliable. Cargo....
  3. Canardians, Just received some parts for my Cozy III landing gear attachment from Dale Rogers. He did an excellent job of boring a 3/8 in hole down the middle of a 6 3/4 inch long piece of 304 stainless. This is a difficult task that Dale did a beautiful job on. If you need any work done, I would recommend him. His job keeps him busy, and he needs time to build his own Cozy, but if he says he is willing to help you out, you can be sure that the quality of his work will be top notch. Thanks Dale! The reason for the need to make these parts is that I suffered a gear attachment failure of the kind mentioned in the last Central States newsletter. I also posted an article on this site several weeks ago on what I found and what I am doing to ensure a quality fix. You can find the post in the landing gear section. I will add an update in the weeks ahead when I am through with the project. Cargo....
  4. Manifold Pressure Gauge - Electronics International This instrument is in like-new condition. It has been flying in my Cozy III for about 150 hours. Digital display with green LED radial readout. It has an internal backlight that wires into your panel lighting system. Easy to install, it only has 6 wires and a connection for the pressure line. I'm removing it to make room for other stuff. New, this instrument sells for $400. I'm offering it for $150. If you like, you can ship it to Electronics International and they'll recondition it for $65. But I don't think you need to do that. The thing works well and is in excellent condition. This model has the original size (about 1/2 inch) display readout. If you want, you can send it into Electronics International and for $100 they will upgrade it to the newer and larger (about 3/4 inch) size display. Again, I do not think this is necessary since I never had any trouble reading the present display. This is not one of those instruments you stare at all the time. If you decide to buy my gauge and go for the full upgrade, you end up with a $400 manifold pressure gauge for only $250. I'll send the instrument, wiring harness, and the manual that came with it. You can also go to their website to see what this instrument sells for new and get its specs. www.buy-ei.com
  5. I am still working on the "fix" on my Cozy III as I go. When I am done with this project, I'll post a full article with pictures for others to learn from. I don't have all the answers yet. But for now, here is what I can say in answer to your questions: First, the delamination in the composite tab I discovered was as a result of me trying to remove the old steel tube. It was not from landing loads or the failure of the AN6-80A bolt and tube. The delamination is rather small and minor and does not extend to the strut itself. Local builders have looked at this and have come to the same conclusion. Therefore, I do believe I can fix the delaminated area with an injection of wet flox. The problem is that in the plans, you build up half of the tab, let it cure, then build the other half. Between lay-ups, you must rough the first lay-up to ensure a good bond. But this will never be as good a bond as you get if you lay-up over wet glass. This is where the delamination occured. It happened when I had to pound out the old tube, right at the point where the two lay-up schedules come together. This is not just a "30-year old EZ" problem. In fact, I believe that there are builders out there right now flying on damaged gear who don't even know it. I believe I had been flying on mine with the damage for about 18 months to two years. I say this because I noticed some alignment problems. On some flights, the airplane would pull to the left while taxiing. Then on others to the right. Sometimes it would taxi strait. I kept thinking that maybe it was a crosswind with the open canopy, or a sloping taxiway, or uneven tire pressure, or the new set of tires I just installed, or a dragging brake.... You see, there was always a variable that coused me to think that something other than a gear problem was the cause. Know I know that as the gear moved on the tube - back and forth - both sides did not always move evenly. Sometimes the right side of the strut would move back; other times the left. In any case, the shifting gear caused alignment problems. In 1986, when there were no 30 year-old EZs, RAF issued a recommendation that spacers be installed on the tube between the saddle and the extrusions to keep the gear from moving in its attachment. Unfortunately, word did not get to a lot of builders. I never knew about it. And, although I am not a structural engineer, I can't help but think that the combination of the shifting strut problem, the thin wall tube, and the foam instead fo flox in the void between the tube and the strut all work together to result in broken tubes and bent bolts. And, if the condition continues, in delamination of the tab lay-ups. Finally, I'm not using the bushings. Instead, I'm following the Bill Oertel recommendation to replace the thin wall tube and bussing design with a solid tube. But, instead of using 4130, which can rust, I'm using 304 stainless. It has the same outside diameter of 5/8" to fit the current installation but I need to have a machine shop ream up the center to match the 3/8 inch AN6 bolt. Pictures to come later with the full article.
  6. Canard Zone Members, I discovered I have a gear attachment failure like the one described by Bill Oertel in the latest CSA newsletter. The failure is made up of three items: 1) the steel tube between the two attach brackets that mount on the fuselage sides is broken at the point where the steel bushing ends, 2) the AN6 bolt is bent, and 3) there is a de-lamination in one of the four heavy glass tabs. In my case, the de-lamination is in the tab only and does not extend into where the lay-ups attach to the strut. Does anyone know if it is best to replace the whole lay-up or can I repair the de-laminated portion by injecting wet flox? For the other two items, I am replacing the thin wall steel tube and bushing arrangement with a thick wall 4130 tube that has the same outside diameter but is reamed out on the inside to perfectly accept new AN6 bolts. Also, since only the Cozy Mark IV has an access panel under the gear strut so that it can be inspected or removed, I had to cut out a portion of the bottom of the fuselage to get the gear out! Big and messy job! I talked to Nat Puffer and he said it is O.K. for me to make a removable access panel out of the part I cut out. This will make future inspections and repairs easier. As always, I'm open to any suggestions on completing this project any of you may have. Any cautions I am not thinking of??? Bill Oertel has been very helpful so far. Thanks Bill! Brian....
  7. Canardians, I read a reference in the Central States Association newsletter to a RAF design change on the Long EZ main gear attachment. If you build the main gear according to plans, there will be extra space on both ends of the LMGA tube that fits between the aluminum brackets that are mounted on the fuselage sides. There is about 1/4 to 3/8 inch space between the brackets and where the big fiberglass layups begin. My understanding is that this space should be filled with something to minimize the possibility that the gear strut could move fore and aft in the attachment. I guess in new construction you would fill this space with washers. For those already flying, so you do not have to remove the gear from the airplane, people are filling this area with flox. Do any of you know anything about this? Brian, a.k.a. Cargo....
  8. Canardians: I just joined this forum and already am impressed with the site. Some of you might recognize me from the Yahoo message group. I purchased my Cozy III plans at Oshkosh in 1985 and began building January 1, 1986. Eleven years and two college degrees later, N171BH took to the air. She now has 350 hours and performance is typical of an O-320 Cozy. Cruise at 65% power is an honest 170 knots true at 7500 ft. while burning about 7 1/2 gallons of 100 LL per hour, maybe less. The Cozy is powered by a low compression O-320 with an Ellison throttle body injector, Lightspeed ignition on the top plugs, mag on the bottom plugs, light weight starter and alternator, and a Bruce Tifft prop. A Klaus Savier spinner completes the engine installation. I certified my Cozy for VFR Day/Night only. I am not the least interested in gathering ice on the canard and becomming an instant test pilot! Besides, I get enough IFR at work. I fly as a Boeing 767 First Officer for ABX Air, Inc. Never heard of it? Well, we used to be Airborne Express, the number three overnight express carrier after UPS and Fed EX. Now, through a complicated business arrangement, we are part ot DHL Worldwide Express. Never heard of that either? DHL is huge in Europe, the Middle East, and throughout the world but has a small presence in the U.S. DHL is a much larger shipper than Fed EX and UPS in most areas of the world except the U.S. They are reorganizing their U.S. operations and soon will be in a position to gain domestic market share. Bottom line: It's good to work for a company that is growing and expanding operations and--making money! There's hardly a passenger carrier out there you can say that about! Back to the Cozy. I am really happy with the performance. The LSE ignition is a thing of beauty and Klaus' low-drag wheel pants look good and fly fast. The problem is that I do not have good instruments for measuring performance. Therefore, I'm beginning to upgrade my engine instruments. A good engine analyzer will help me set power and mixture and a good fuel flow gauge will help measure the results. Another project is to install VGs on my GU canard. My Cozy is clean, looks good, is relatively light (1030), and flys fast. I have only basic VFR instruments and no GPS. I like to fly pilotage and DR. One of the most common questions, after the series of nose gear questions, is how I navigate. It is amazing how many pilots are confused about the fact I do not fly with a GPS! I like basic, simple flying. Fly safely out there! Brian....
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