jpolenek

Hi all! In terms of the way the Cozy MKIV is supposed to be built, is there any reason why I couldn't build wings first, then do the fuselage and everything else? I'm considering some modifications to the fuselage and it will take some time to make the decisions, figure it all out, design it in CAD, etc. But I don't want that to slow down the overall project, so I want to work on the wings in the meantime. I already have some glassing experience from my previous project, so proficiency shouldn't be an issue. Just want to make sure there isn't some technical reason why I shouldn't be building out of sequence. Joe

Looks like the two different techniques you and I are describing both appear in the thread you reference. Your way was used to make the blue foam plug (seen in the video), and I'm describing the way the fuselage (nose) was done. Both seem to work. Joe

Sounds like a lot of work. Plus, you'd be sanding through different densities of material (epoxy, foam, epoxy,...) when contouring the surface, which I've read can be problematic. It also doesn't give you any more elbow room, just more fuselage bulk. Why not add more curvature to the fuselage side by adding curvature to the mould? It might require pre-scoring then heating the foam to get it to conform to the tighter compound curve. Joe

Thank you Rich! Your explanation has me re-thinking my inclination toward Aeropoxy. Joe

Rich (argoldman); It’s good to see a familiar name on this forum, to which I am relatively new. I followed your progress on the Dragonfly for several years through that discussion group. It was a shame to hear of the loss of that plane. But it’s nice to see you’re back at it with the new project. I'm trying to do my homework and determine which epoxy I’ll be using on my future Cozy. It seems that most Cozy builders are using MGS for one reason or another. If I am not mistaken, you are also using this product. I'm leaning toward Aeropoxy since it is available locally and I'm already somewhat familiar with it, having gotten part way through my Dragonfly project. Based on your experience with Aeropoxy on your Dragonfly, and now MGS on the Cozy, could you comment on how the two products compare, and why you didn’t just stay with Aeropoxy? Joe

I'm going to put up a wall to enclose and seal the basement space allocated to me by the "domestic boss":D . Hopefully, that will be enough to maintian the one-way airflow into the shop and out the window. I will start a new thread on this topic, as others may also be interested in your response. (Hopefully, it hasn't already been beaten to death in some other thread that I might have missed.) Don't know how to link to it here so I'll just post it. Joe

That's the plan, if necessary. Yup. I use a respirator whenever I do any epoxy work. To keep the rest of my family from breathing the stuff, I will set up a high CFM bathroom fan exhausted to the outside, with a furnace filter in front of it. That should be enough to put the basement workshop at negative pressure w.r.t. the rest of the house so the direction of airflow is from the house into the basement shop and then outside. The filter will catch sanding dust. BTW argoldman, did you get my private message regarding your choice of epoxy? Joe

Do you have any contact information (like a URL)? I can't seem to find them on the net. Joe

Richard; I'm planning the Cozy4 project (without actual plans yet) and want to determine if a completed wing will fit through a basement window. Next time you're doing something with your wings, would you mind measuring the widest point (i.e. longest chord length)? Joe

Richard; Thank you for posting all those excellent high-resolution photos!!! Joe

Does he drape it over a plug? I thought the spherical shapes he creates were made by vacuum-drawing the plastic through a big hole that's the shape of the canopy's contour, so the equal vacuum pressure on the plastic sheet is what gives the perfect bubble shape, rather than actual physical contact with a plug. If he can drape-mould non-spherical shapes, that's good news for me. I'm throwing around the idea of a custom canopy that's not spherical but flatter at the top. One of Bingelis' books illustrates the concept, and it's used by some side-by-side homebuilts (DF, KR2S) to give more sideways headroom. Joe

Is anybody out there in regular contact with Todd the canopy guy. I've tried to email some questions to him a few times, at the e-address given on his website, but no reply. Maybe somebody on this forum can answer the questions. -Are his canopy shapes limited to "bubbles" or can he drape-mold over a custom-shaped plug. -Does drape-moulding create a lot of optical distortion? -What's the canopy size limit (length x girth) Thanks Joe

Has anybody made a Cozy with fuselage sides that have vertical curvature in addition to the lengthways curvature? Not having the plans yet, I'm guessing that the jigging of the compound curve might be a pain, not to mention that a lot of things that are connected to the fuselage would have to be tweaked. However, it should provide a little more elbow room, depending on the degree of curvature, and it should also increase fuselage stiffness. Are there any aspects of this modification which would be considered a major divergence from the original plans design? Joe

How can winglets produce "thrust", i.e. a forward force. In ground school we learned that an airfoil produces a force normal to the chord which can be split into a vertical lift component acting up and an induced drag component acting back. (This should be true for any airfoil.) There's no angle of attack that can produce a forward component of that force. So if the winglet is basically an airfoil on its end, why should it be able to do this? Joe

I'm new to the canard pusher world and intend to order Cozy4 plans in the next month or two. In the meantime, I'm learning about the design by going over the Open-EZ drawings. Looking at this design, it appears that the winglets have an airfoil shape that produces lift in the inboard direction. I assume this is common to the Cozy4 and similar designs. Why would the winglet be designed to produce lift inboard? Doesn't this create unnecessary stresses where the wing meets the winglet, as well as additional induced drag when compared to a symmetrical shape? Is there some aerodynamic purpose/advantage with the airfoil? Joe

If anyone is interested in buying Dragonfly parts, I'm selling my project. Below is a list of what I have. I also have photos of the items but if I attach them, they will use up gobs of memory. (I'm new to this forum & not sure what's allowed.) So if anyone's interested in specific parts then I can reply and attach just those photos or email them privately. The reason I'm selling is because needs have changed since my single days when I started the Dragonfly project, and now I'm looking to move to a 4-seat canard (Cozy/AeroCanard?) that can accomodate wife AND kids. Haven't determined pricing, but I no longer have any use for these parts so I'll work with any offer. For anybody who's serious and wants to take a look at the items, I live about 1 hr west of Toronto, Ontario. - Joe - FUSELAGE: plywood firewall canard lift bulkhead canard drag bulkhead forward fuselage floor fuselage console sides fuel tank upper seatback bulkhead lower seatback bulkhead intercostal bulkhead wing lift bulkhead wing drag bulkhead tail bulkhead fuselage sides fwd & aft turtle decks MATERIALS: carbon fibre for canard UNI for canard pre-cut BID cloth for canard shear web pre-cut sheet steel for hinges (10 pcs) 2 lift fittings (2024-T351) 10oz BID reinforcing pads (aprx. 3/4" stack) seatbelt attachment fittings & wood inserts tail spring tail wheel OTHER: wing - glassed, needs aileron hinge fairings & wing tips to be done (inspection reports available) plans (construction manual & drawings) newsletters (#1 to #111) wing hotwire templates (free) reflexer in progress - my design (free) some control stick parts (free) 6 phenolic bearings for canard torque tube (free)

I'm about 10 hrs to the north, but I pass by you on the I95 every few years when I take a road trip to Virginia to see relatives. Next road trip is due soon so I might take you up on the offer this summer. In the meantime, some pictures of your project would be great! Joe

Jon; Thanks for the insight. I'm still on the fence, but based on the improvements AeroCad has made, it sounds like they offer more for the money. Let's see if I have it straight... - AeroCanard plans are originally copies of the Cozy MKIV - they have been updated with CAD drawings - they provide the flexibility to scratch-build the original Cozy (AeroCanard SB) or one of the wide-bodies (FG or RG) from the same set of plans (?), so if you're like me and don't know which model you want to build, you can still buy the plans and complete the wings before making up your mind - AeroCad offers the flexibility to swap in numerous pre-fab parts It sounds like my $500 would go further with an AeroCanard. Am I missing something here? Maybe the errors you mentioned. Are the AeroCanard print errors obvious? (e.g. your example of AN-S versus AN-5) Or are they errors that could easily be followed and lead to a screw-up before they were detected? Has anybody compiled a list of errata, if AeroCad hasn't? Joe

Piotr; I bought it plans-only. No engine. I do have a logbook as well as detailed epoxy records for what I've made to this point. For each layup, there is epoxy batch traceability to the manufacturer's (PTM&W) master batch #s and dates. Also, there is a sample "blob" for every epoxy batch mixed, and these are catalogued and stored. Since I'm in Canada, I have RAA records for the initial meeting with the inspector when I was approved to proceed with the project, and sign-off on the inspection of the wing spar layup. Although I had him inspect the completed bulkheads, this wasn't a requirement for these components. I believe these get officially inspected at a later phase of construction when they're part of the fuselage assembly. I will email you a detailed list of everything I have. Ideally, I'd like to get all of it off my hands, but I'll part idividual items too. Joe

Hi everyone. I'm new to the Forum and am seriously considering building an AeroCanard from plans. I was building a Dragonfly for a few years but realized that I need a 4-seater. I've narrowed the selection down to the Cozy and AeroCanard, and I'm leaning toward the Aerocanard FG due to its slightly larger size inside. It is good to see that there are others who are already building the AeroCanard from plans. I had been under the impression that the AeroCanard was only for kit-building, but Al Aldrich of Aerocad informed me that the AeroCanard can be built from plans just as easily as the Cozy. Can somebody tell me if the AeroCanard plans and the Cozy MKIV plans are essentailly identical in terms of layout, sequence, how they expalin things, the diagrams they use, etc? Are the designs themselves close enough that the cost to scratch-build would be basically the same? Joe

If you decide to go with used Dragonfly plans, I am selling mine, purchased circa 1997. (I'm switching projects to a 4-seat canard). I also have bulkheads, turtledeck, wing, some hardware, newsletters, etc. Joe