Phil Kriley

Do pax agree with that statement? I have not talked to one potential passenger who said they would prefer to sit in the back, looking at the back of my head for 3+ hours...

Be sure you understand this change completely before you continue. I tried to follow the 6.25" suggestion and wound up with a 1/2" gap between the canard trailing edge and the face of F28. I had to make my tabs 3/4" thick. Measure everything, as you appear to be doing, and be sure you understand what the results will be. I have edited this damned thing 3 times and cannot get F22 to read F28, as it should...sorry about that! Well, naturally it took the change that time...LOL!

Thank God! I thought I was going to have to scrap the whole darned thing!

Just a thought - I would not build one vs the other based on how long they take to build. You want to build the one that is going to fit your mission. The Long will get better fuel economy and will be less expensive to operate due to the smaller engine. But the Cozy will take two people and lots of stuff or four people that like each other a lot.

Well, you didn't tell us about this idea in your website discussion on the things. Heck, you had us making our own thread cleaners by cutting nuts with exploding discs, IIRC! :D

I'm trying to understand - are you saying that your tabs come into direct contact with your bulkheads?

I had to put in a washer on each side, and I did not miss any layups.

Congratulations! You learned from Howard Hughes' mistake!

How does the Long EZ CS compare in size to the Cozy Center section spar? I hope the Cozy's is bigger!

That's a good spreadsheet, but what I'd like to see are weights of the components before final assembly. This would help us who are still building to assess whether we are making a heavy mess or are on the right track. Wayne Hicks, IIRC, posted on his web site that his center spar weighed 44 lbs. Since mine came out the same, I figure I must be doing something right. It would be nice to be able to compare the weight of my canard to other builders, and the weight of my wings, fuselage as of chapter 6, etc.

Fair enough - but just to be clear, my plane IS being made in this century and I am using the most current plans available. They are pretty clear on the subject of preparing the foam for glassing. The micro slurry is made by mixing micro spheres 1-1 by volume with pure epoxy. This is POURED onto the foam and moved around with a squeegee, then the excess removed. The plans state that the slurry is almost as runny as pure epoxy. The plans go on to explain that making the slurry too dry will not give a good bond between the glass and the foam. If low-vac or vacuum bagging fixes this, then that's great. I do believe I will continue to follow the plans to the best of my ability.

I have version 3 of the plans, and micro slurry is not described as peanut butter texture.

Well, that sure as heck isn't what Burt and Mike demonstrate in their video...and what is described in the plans, chapter 3. The micro slurry is RUNNY - more like molasses than peanut butter. The thicker stuff is called dry micro, and is used to fill holes, dings and areas such as the trailing edge over the peel-ply. My completed center spar weighs 44 lbs - that seems comparable to other builders who have a reputation for excellent construction technique. I'm working on my wings now, and if I tried to spread dry micro on the wing, I'm sure I would damage it because of the hollow portions and the need to press hard with the squeegee to move dry micro around. Mike Melville's demonstration in the video shows him POURING the micro slurry on the foam, moving it around with light passes of the squeegee, then using firmer strokes to remove most of it. Then he lays down the glass cloth, pours on pure epoxy, moves it around the part until it is wet out, then squeegees off the excess. I sure hope I'm doing this right! I had a couple of inspectors check my work a couple of weeks ago and got a "thumbs up" from them. They are both A&P's and one does fiberglass work for the airlines as his day job.

Very sad to hear...

I believe that one of the other guys is going to send me a PDF with the instructions. Thanks!

That's a big step - I trust the move went smoothly! Congrats!

I've bought the hidden horns from the Cozy Girrrls, and have looked at Wayne Hick's site, but I honestly need someone to hold my hand on this. Is there ANYWHERE that I can get instructions on how to install the hidden rudder horns? Please...? Chrissy said I'd have to beg, so I'm beggin'...

:D And thanks Wayne - I appreciate the explanation!

That's what I did, and it turned out well. The center spar is finished. Working on the right wing now. I bought wing cores from Eureka and they went together w/o much trouble. Skinned the wing bottom yesterday (6-14-2009). Will have to wait until next weekend to flip the wing right side up, but that will give it time for a good cure before I move it. I bought a couple pieces of 3/4" aluminum "C" channels and clothespins for truing the trailing edge. I could not find any "T" bar stuff.

Chapter 19, step 6, bottom wing skin has you add a piece of UND that is 12 inches long and fits between the spar cap and the aileron, but not over the aileron. But where does it start/stop? I did the layup yesterday and centered it on the joint near the outboard wing bolt access hole, because that's what the drawing looked like, but that only put part of it actually between the aileron and the spar cap. Half of it is inboard of the "kink". I looked all over the forums and FAQ to no avail. Surely I'm not the only one who couldn't figure out the correct location...?

A friend has a Vari EZ that has a couple of those on the top of the wing near the fuselage. He said it was a paint blister. If it were me, I'd open up that bubble and see what was under it. If it's just a paint bubble - well, you have a really simple repair. But if its a delam, better to fix it now before it gets any bigger, IMHO. Being under the strake, do you think it might be a fuel tank leak?

I have that Canard Special DVD and a segment is devoted to Jack's previous E-racer, and that is inspiring! ZOOM! Can't wait to see the new one!

If you weighted your parts while the layup cured, then the excess micro on the underside should be pretty flat. If that side was not already glassed, I'd just rough it up a little and do your slurry/squeegee/glass layup over it, unless it is raised up. I remember when I tried to sand off the stuff that got onto bare foam, I wound up causing damage to the foam (low spots). It's easy to sand off the excess on the edges, though. My $.02.

I bought pre-cut foam cores from Eureka and they really look good. I was afraid I'd make a mess of them.

Welcome and ditto what Jim said! My only regret is that I didn't start this 5 years earlier. Spend some time each evening getting the plans in order - as Jim said make the appropriate changes to your plans so that you don't forget later. If you have not joined Central States, I suggest you do that now and get caught up on news, changes, etc. Have fun! And HAPPY BIRTHDAY!