Zulu Yankee

I am similarly afflicted with a lack of funds and time. I first checked with Jack Wilhemson if I would be able to install a manual system and then upgrade to the electric system later. He said that it was an easy upgrade. I then bought a manual retract system (on the cheap) from someone who had upgraded and started building the nosegear box. I can now decide to either fly it this way (one day long long time from now) or upgrade later. I am still not making as much progress as I would like to, but more than what I would have if I had waited.

I am considering moving the battery to the nose also. Would that not add considerable weight in running the battery leads though?

How many plies did you have top and bottom, Al?

There is a chance that I might have miscounted, but not by much. I think I had 3 full length, although I had to cut it 4 inches shorter on the last ply on the port side. I remember putting one more ply (maybe two) a little shorter, one more ply a foot shorter both sides and then a last ply approx 4 foot wide across the center. The first two plies were not squeegied as vigorously as those afterwards. :sad: :mad:

Hi guys and gals, I just completed the top spar cap on the canard of my Cozy MKIV project. The plans say to fill the trough with plies of UNI spar cap tape. However, it does not say how many plies of this tape must be in the trough. After 6 plies, my top spar cap was full. I looked in the archives and saw that other folks managed 9 to 11 plies in theirs. The spar cap tape that I used came with the tub that I purchased. It was indicated to me that the tape that I used might be thicker than the type in use these days (from ACS). A friend sent me a sample and mine looks a little bit thicker but not by much. I guess some of the reasons for this could be: * Incorrect foam cores (not likely. We checked them against the templates). * Not enough squeegying of each layer (possible). * Thicker spar cap tape (possible, but not by much). * A plot by "the man" to keep me from finishing. I polled a few of the knowledgable folks and the responses ranged from "press on" to "stop and redo". As a poll, how many plies did you have in your canard top spar cap? Also, could we get an indication from those with flying airplanes? Any other thoughts? Gerhard Ungerer www.randombitcorp.com/cozymkiv

Where will the master cyliners go?

I am looking for a manual nosedrive assembly for my Cozy project. If anyone has one of these assemblies (probably left over from an upgrade to the electrical system) that you are willing to part with, could you please contact me directly? If you don't have one, but know where I might find one of these assemblies, I would also be interested to hear from you. My e-mail address is gerhard@randombitcorp.com Gerhard

Is the objective to go into the ocean in your bird if the engine goes quiet? In stead of putting a BRS into the airplane, why not strap a conventional human-saving parachute to your back. I am assuming that you will be wearing a thermal suit, etc also. If you are going to ditch it, is it not pretty much certain that the airplane is a gonner? I vote for saving your own behind at that point. Maybe with a personal ELT or satellite phone in hand? ZY

The guys at www.vestav8.com have a Honda option. They used to have a lot of details about it on their website, but have removed mention of it recently. They also provide a Chevy Corvette option. I am in no way affiliated with them.

I see that X-Plane 9 is available now. Are the canard airplanes (spacifically Cozy and Long-EZ) available on X-Plane 9 yet or should I start out with version 8.6?

I am 6'2'' and approx 210 lbs, size 11 shoes. I have flewn twice with a friend of mine in his Cozy, which was constructed almost 100% according to plans. Getting in and out of the Cozy takes a little bit of planning, but it was very comfortable once I was in. We flew 8 hours in one day and I felt no ill effect. Not like I do when I fly a C-172. On one trip, I flew a 4 hour cross country in a C-172 and just wanted to take a nap afterwards. I am going to make the IP opening on mine a little larger too, just to help with getting in and out. I plan on raising and widening the canopy also, but have no plans on how to do that yet. HOWEVER, the vanilla Cozy makes a VERY comfortable traveling machine. Be assured of that.

I have two Thompson Electrak actuators for sale to be used on the landing brake. It has a 4inch stroke and 75lb rating. They sell at $210 to $230 a piece, excluding shipping. Details of the actuator can be found at the link below: http://www.powerdrives.com/electrak/S12-17A8-04.htm My price is $170 each, which includes shipping to the lower 48. Please see http://www.randombitcorp.com/cozymkiv/For_Sale.htm Gerhard Ungerer www.randombitcorp.com/cozymkiv

I had the multimeter, in parallel with the hotwire saw, across the DC poles selected to measure voltage. With the saw unattached, it shows 12v. As soon as I attach the saw, the voltage drops to 0. Then I put the multimeter in serial, selected to measure amps, and got nothing. Lastly, I removed it all and just put a simple lightbulb across the poles, but it does not even glimmer. Nor does it show any current. Yes, I have it on the 5v side and it heats up, so I know that SOME current is being drawn somewhere. I installed it, in parallel, across the DC poles. It is rated for 250W. Do you have an installation like this that works?

Unfortunately not.

Hi all, I need some help from the electronically gifted, a group that I do not include myself in. I built a DC power supply (to use for hotwire cutting). I followed the instructions on the link provided below. http://www.wikihow.com/Convert-a-Computer-ATX-Power-Supply-to-a-Lab-Power-Supply In stead of having several DC poles sticking out of it, I created a switch that would switch between 6V and 12V. I further added a potentiometer (from a light dimmer) to control heat. When I switch it on, I can see the voltage go up and down between 0v and either 6V or 12V respectively, depending on the switch position. However, as soon as I hook it up to the hotwire saw, the voltage drops to 0V across the poles. I also hooked up a 12v lightbulb between the poles. Nothing. Not even a glimmer. When I hook the multimeter up in series, I can see voltage displayed, but 0A. I don't understand. How can it display 12v, but 0A? Any thoughts? ZY