Crazycanuck

If all goes as planned I am going to start building in the spring, so I am considering the first few chapters carefully now. The first step major step is to build are the bulkheads. One method I figured that might work better is to simply layup a fiberglass sandwich that is a little larger than what is required in the plans. Then cut a piece of plywood in the correct size and shape of each bulkhead. Then I would clamp the plywood to the cured fiberglass sandwich sheet and use a router or fromica cutter to trim the fiberglass to the exact shape of the plywood. I figure that the velocity of the cutting blade on a router would result in a nice clean cut at exactly a 90 degree angle. Does anybody see a problem with this method?

Good work... I got plans in March and I read something about the Cozy and other canards just about everyday. I am going to start building in the spring when I should have a garage. I really feel that all this prebuild reading will really help the project come together more smoothly down the road. I am going to really try to focus on keeping momentum once I get started building. Anyway, good luck. Good to see another builder.

It is a difficult balance to manage inventory and backlog. I think that a 4 year backlog is more appropriate for an Airbus A380. Anyway, I am really surprised their isn't more of a standard established. Are there any certified gear systems that could be adapted? It would be interesting to develop plans for retractable gear and then folks can get their own gear machined on their own schedule. Has anybody on the site ever used www.emachineshop.com to have stuff machined?

So bottom line is that it isn't really a kit, there is alot of further work to be done to get it right. The more I think about it the more I think that I should just stick to the plans. I guess I should save all the fancy stuff for my second plane.

I guess I don't really understand why it should take so long to fill an order. One would think that the machining work would be subcontracted. The parts look realatively simple from the pictures that I have seen. Is there a plans alternative that I builder could machine, or have machined, himself? It seems to me that this bridge must have been crosses before either with these aircraft or similar. Anyway, I guess sticking to the plans is yet again the most sensible course of action.

I gotta say, that waiting anything longer than 6 months for something like this isn't really customer service. I don't think I could hold up such a significant project in my life waiting for someone else to get organized.

TMann, how long have you been waiting?

I guess that there are two main reasons that I would like retractable gear. The first is to increase the speed capabilities. The second is the overall appearance. I just want to be very proud of my finished product. I guess for me that means making it just a little better. Maybe it’s rational or maybe not, but most hobbies aren’t particularly rational. I don’t really consider the cost to be a huge issue, mainly because building this plane is already such a huge time commitment. I plan to own it for 20 years, so I want it to be just right. As far as gear up landing goes, my whole life is check and double checking my work, so it is all about good habits. I am just planning on minimum liability insurance, because I figure that if I crash the plane I will just be happy to be alive if I live through it. So really what I am trying to establish is that no existing builders with this system have had structural issues. I haven’t really come across any hard evidence of this from what I have been reading. I am also really concerned about the time delay of delivery that I have heard about. The commitment to fixed or retractable gear comes fairly early in the build. I would be really annoyed if I was ready to install the gear and I didn’t have them yet. I have heard numbers like 4 years, which seems strange to me. Is this an exaggeration? I would be even more frustrated to discover that after waiting a few years that they were no longer being manufactured. Then what? Is there a similar system with no time delay?

So what is the current situation with Infinity retractable main gear? I have read a lot about it in past threads, but most of the threads are old. There seems to be much controversy surrounding this modification not being according to plans. I spent the last little while reading about this modification. The trouble with the Internet is that it is difficult to separate truth from questionable opinion. Most of the rejections seem to be gut feelings about the modification. The plans and newsletter obviously don’t recommend retractable gear, but this is probably because of liability issues more than anything. Isn’t the experimental category intended for a little experimentation? Anyway, if I am going to build my plane with retractable gear it makes a lot more sense to build with this in mind from the beginning as opposed to retrofitting it later. So I should get to this decision made very soon and then get onto acquiring the parts. I really like the idea of retractable gear. It seems like this is such a huge project already, it would be nice to finish it off with full retractable gear if possible. Some say that Infinity is very slow at delivering product. How slow have they been recently? I thought that perhaps I should place a deposit now and get my spot in line. I understand that he needs enough orders to do a production run, but I don’t like the idea of leaving money someplace while waiting for delivery. What happens if the company goes bankrupt before I get my landing gear?

Yeah, I am really just a bookie in a suit.

Commodity Futures Broker...lots of fun these days.

Yeah, one reason is that I happen to know the owner of Composites Canada and would like to give him the business if I can. He is actually a customer of mine in another business line. He has been in the composites business for a long time and I think I could pick it up direct from his warehouse. If it's the same stuff, it's the same stuff. I just want to make sure it is in fact the same stuff.

I have a few questions about materials supply. Has anybody figured out the supply chain of the major Cozy building materials. I am trying to figure out if I can get supplies locally from a wholesale source in Canada. I know that I can get MGS Epoxy from Composites Canada, but what about forms, microspheres, and glass cloth? Has anybody figured out the where aircraft spruce is getting these materials, the spec sheets, and if the same materials are distributed under their manufacturers names? If I can establish that it is the same stuff then I will get other stuff from Composites Canada.

I think we are moving out to East York. My wife is a teacher in that part of the city and it is still a reasonably priced area. Most of the homes have no garage or a single car garage. Some on laneways have garages across the entire rear of the lot. Some rare homes that were owned by a trade’s person have nice full workshops. Hopefully I can get my hands on one of those. Otherwise I was thinking of something without a garage and build it new and to my specs. I will install some baseboard heaters, bright lights, and a nice stereo system. Anyway, I guess we’ll know it when we see it. Yeah, the dust is an issue that I have probably been underestimating. I was hoping to build the smaller parts in the basement and assemble it in the garage. My wife is a neat freak, so dust in the house wouldn’t work. Perhaps I could seal off part of the basement and setup a ventilation system out a basement window. Winter sucks in Canada, so it would be nice to be able to build indoors during winter months. The main thing is that I want to get setup properly so that once I get started I keep the momentum. Right now I am collecting tools. I just bought a nice jigsaw last weekend. NeilK, I’d love to take you up on your offer to see your hanger. It would be nice to see one of these planes in the flesh. Perhaps in early September we could arrange something. I was thinking of motorcycling down to Rough River at the end of September, but I think I will spend the time finishing the renovation instead so I can get closer to building.

I am getting really eager to start building. The wife bought me plans for a Cozy MKIV last March for my birthday. Unfortunately, I have to finish renovating our condo to sell and trade for a house before I start building. I was getting eager and suggested that I just purchase chapters 1 through 4 to build some of the smaller pieces in the condo. The wife’s response was “Get the condo finished and sold and you can build all you want.” So off to Home Depot we went. The time has allowed me to read all kinds of information about the Cozy. I have been reading Newsletters, other builders’ websites, canard forums, and the plans. I have just started reading the plans for the second time cover to cover. Hopefully this will put me in a good position to see the big picture when building. It has also gotten all those silly modification ideas out of my head. Almost every improvement I have come across seems to have significant downsides elsewhere. Usually the downside is extra building time, extra cash, or extra weight. So I have decided to build pretty much to plans going the simple route for everything. My goal is to build everything carefully and correctly keeping the weight down. Once the plan is finished a flying I can change the things I don’t like or just build another plane. We have started house hunting recently. My only deal breaker is a suitable garage and basement workshop. Is it realistic to build in a single car garage, or is a 2 car required? What is the minimum width for the garage door to still get the bird in and out easily?

FYI - It doesn't seem to be a huge problem. I recieved the following reply from MDRA regarding the question. Transport Canada has assured us that MPL 10(copy attached)- the document governing construction of Amateur Built aircraft outside Canada- is still valid, as is the exemption document, and both will remain so. You are responsible to ensure that the country in which you build the aircraft will permit you to fly it with a Canadian registration and Certificate of Airworthiness. Please read the attached document and call me if you have any questions. Please note also that the category in which you wish to build is Amateur Built- we do not use that other word in Canada. Regards

I was wondering if anybody knew about homebuilt aircraft rules in offshore jurisdictions like Cayman Islands, Bahamas, or Channel Islands. I am considering employment offshore and I would like to bring my project with me. It would be a good way to pass the time while away. I know that Canadian homebuilding laws seem fairly flexible and easy to negotiate. Are the countries lists above more open to the experimental category, or are they restrictive? Obviously I don’t expect anybody to know the specifics of each country, but has anybody on the board built an aircraft aboard and then imported it back into Canada or the United States?

Wow that was a great video. It is a great method to get a precise finish. Thanks for the tip.

Up north for me is Timmins, Chapleau, and Iroquois Falls. I am not flying yet, but I have got the plans and I am working to secure a suitable workshop. I look forward to the day when traveling up north doesn't involve an 8 hour drive and traffic congestion.

Well, I am glad we got this parachute thing all sorted out.

Save it for your election day. Most of us have hoobies like building aircraft so we can escape these sorts of conversations at least for a little while. Besides, not all of us are Americans on this board. Unless of course if you want to hear about Canadian politics. I didn't think so.

Thanks, that is helpful information.

I have been going through my Cozy plans before I start building. I noticed that the plans suggested wearing a parachute during the test period. This sounds sensible, but I would like to know about the logisitics of exiting a pusher prop aircraft. How would this best be done. Also, I have been looking around on Ebay for parachutes just to get a sense of the prices. I see the army surplus chutes cost next to nothing. Most of them have the shroud lines cut "as per government regulations". Is there a way to reconnect new shroud lines? Is this one of those wink wink nudge nudge warnings, or is there really a safety issue with using old surplus parachutes? I don't think that I would skydive with such a chute, but it would be cheap insurance during the test period if they could be repaired. I don't really want to dish out $3000 for a professional chute if it can be avoided.

Did that Cozy get rear ended by a Beaver? I don't get it, why would someone want to put a radial engine on such a nice clean aircraft like a Cozy? I also think the picture was doctored, not to mention how it would screw up the CG having the engine mounted back that far.

It was in the January 2008 issue of Plane and Pilot. I also found the link to their website. http://www.ethanolairshows.com/