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

I still have some of the items for sale. I have updated the prices, which includes shipping to the lower 48. The items are for sale individually or as a bundle. Part Description (Cost) Price CLEV WHEEL & BRAKE # 199-152 ($856.00 x 1) $650.00 500X5 BOLT-ON AXLES (6" LNGTH)($41.50 x2) $60.00 7/16" AXLE SPACERS ($4.40 x 2) $6.00 AXL SPCRS 500X5 1/4" 11716 ($3.65 x 2) $5.00 Cleveland #66-55 brake linings ($10.30 x 2) $17.00 For more info, go here and follow the link "Items for Sale" or go directly here Please contact me at gerhard@randombitcorp.com for more info

I have a full set of unused Cleveland 199-152 brakes (including the axles, tires and tubes) for sale. The parts, as taken from Aircraft Spurce, have a total retail price of $1,176.70 (please see below) Part Description / Cost CLEV WHEEL & BRAKE # 199-152 ($856.00 x 1) $856.00 500X5 BOLT-ON AXLES (6" LNGTH)($41.50 x2) $83.00 7/16" AXLE SPACERS ($4.40 x 2) $8.80 AXL SPCRS 500X5 1/4" 11716 ($3.65 x 2) $7.30 NUT, AXLE CASTLE 1-1/4 X 16 ($10.95 x 2) $21.90 MCCREARY 500-5 6PLY AIR HAWK ($39.95 x 2) $79.90 MCCREARY 500X5 TUBE W/90* STEM ($49.60 x 2) $99.20 Cleveland #66-55 brake linings ($10.30 x 2) $20.60 TOTAL $1,176.70 I will part with the whole bundle for $1000 plus shipping. Please contact me at: gerhard at randombitcorp dot com

I am getting ready to do the 30-degree UND cuts for the MLG torsional layups. I plan to use the cores of paper-towels to roll the strips up so that I can lay them on the MLG in an easier way. The plans says to perform the layups so that the UND threads are at a 35 degree angle. I am having a hard time to visualize it. If you cut the strips at 30 degrees and you lay them up so that the MLG runs down the middle of the strip, does that not imply that the threads will run at 30 degrees to the MLG? Is the implication to distort the UND strips (basically scrunch them up) so that it will lay at 5 degree higher angle than they were cut?

I am about to cut the hole for the Landing Brake actuator, glass the fuselage bottom and Landing Brake and assemble it all. In trying to determine the best place (and angle) to install the actuator, I used M-13 and M-14 to see how it would turn out. A major factor would be how far I would want the landing brake to open up. I have seen pictures of Cozies (or is it Cozii?) that have the LB open to (what it seems) 90 degrees. I have not been able to determine the angle that would allow a 4-inch actuator to push it to the 90 degree position. It seems that I can get it to around 45 degrees. Is that enough? Could you please tell me how many degrees your landing brakes typically open up to?

I am getting ready to work on the landing brake of my Cozy. When I compiled my wish list, before acquiring the project, I had decided that I wanted to put a full-length piano hinge on it. Since I had planned on an electric actuator, I also decided that I wanted to move LB-19 towards the center. My Cozy came with the landing brake already installed, but not glassed on both sides. It has the 10-inch hinge already Micro'd in (see my website). There is a chip busted out of the one edge (was that way before I got it). I am now standing before a decision. I either: 1) fix the landing brake by cutting out the busted piece and putting a layer of BID over it and merely do the inside layups. 2) fix the landing brake, remove LB19 and install a bigger LB19 to move it center. 3) remove the whole landing brake and make a new one, installing the hinge. Option 1 would be the easiest. Option 3 would require digging out birch, the lugs and then having to contend with a larger hole than the original plans piece of birch. Just by writing this e-mail, I think I have talked myself into either Option 1 or Option 2. Problem is that I have already bought the birch and piano hinge (3 foot of it). Lesson learnt: Figure out what needs to be done and HOW it is going to get done before pulling the credit card out. Any comments? Has anyone retrofitted a full length landing brake hinge? Zulu Yankee www.randombitcorp.com/cozymkiv

I have been searching for the right opportunity to kickstart the process of building my own Cozy MKiV. I found a Cozy in tub form a few weeks ago that comes with a set of plans and build logs to support the construction to this point. Kent Ashton, who has been showing an insurmountable amount of patience with my questions, and I flew to Tennessee to look at the project. My take-off involved PIO with all capital letters.... After the deal was done, Jeff Smythe (the seller) and his wife treated us to lunch before taking us back to the airport. We flew back at GS of 220 KTS (quite a strong tailwind) and got home way quicker than the trip out there. I just got notification from Aircraft Spruce that Cozy Mk IV plans #806 have been transferred to my name. The assistance and interaction with Aircraft Spruce was superb. Now the fun starts...... Gerhard Ungerer N51ZY (Plans 806) http://www.randombitcorp.com/cozymkiv/

I have one of those pesky two-car garages with two single garage doors and a SOLID structure between them. The structure between the two doors is load-bearing, so no way of removing it. Could anyone tell me how wide the Cozy is at the strakes? Has anyone else solved this problem? I have seen references to the problem on the internet in old newsletters, but have not seen the solution. For the sake of aviation, I guess I could knock the garage down around the airplane, but I doubt that I will be able to sell that idea to the Mrs. 1) Dimensions? 2) Ideas?

Hi Shogan50, I have only flewn in a Cozy once, so I cannot be regarded as any type of Cozy expert. However, if it helps, I am 6'2'' and weigh 190 lbs, 36 waist. Getting in took a little coordination for my long legs, but not difficult by any means. I fly mostly Cessna's and the independent rudders were something that I was particularly interested in / concerned over. It was a non-event. Just step on the ball when needed and you will be fine. I have never felt the urge to step on both rudders in the Cessna, so I doubt that I would do that except for purposefully wanting to increase drag. The real difference for me was in the handling. In a Cessna, you can control your glide path with adding/reducing power. If you are sinking a little, just add some juice and you can extend your touch-down point. Don't try that in a Cozy. You will just head to your crash-point faster by adding power. Elevator trim is what is asked for. I close with the same disclaimer. I am not a Cozy expert. I am a fairly low time pilot that flies C150's and C172's quite often and who was in the wonderful position to experience a Cozy flight recently. ZY

I just called Wicks to get a quote on Chapter 4 materials. First, they would not tell me how much shipping would be, since they did not know. (strike 1) Then the lady on the phone told me that I would have to buy epoxy separate from the kit for Chapter 4 and suggested strongly that I do not buy MGS, because it would be too expensive. The she tells me that I needed to combine several chapters together in order to get the shipping cheaper. I asked if she had an estimate. She told me, again, that she could only calculate shipping at the time that they put it on my credit card. (strike 2) Finally, after I got irate and told her that I needed to budget for the materials and needed to get an idea of what they will charge me, she took my details and told me that she would get back to me (strike 2 1/2). Just before we rang off, she told me that I needed to reconsider building a Cozy. She said that people say that it can be built for $50,000. But, in her esteemed opinion, it is impossible to build the airplane for anything less than $75,000 to $100,000 (depending on options). (strike 3). I hung up.

How good an idea is it to buy plans from e-bay? Do the newer plans not already contain the updates that were published in the newsletters? Or is it not as big a deal as I think?