Voidhawk9

Not mad at all, I appreciate the feedback. The post cure is recommended for this epoxy system, so I believe that is a good reason to do it. Once I got it set up (an hour?), I only checked on it from time to time while working in my office, so it was not a big time-sink, perhaps 2-3 hours total. Due to life circumstances (2x career changes, house moves, etc), it did take me until 2016 before I was able to lay-up my first actual parts in Chapter 4. I first seriously started considering building following the CSA BBQ at Osh 2011. In the intervening time, I managed to read through most of the e-mail list archives, forums, many builders logs, etc. so it was not all time lost! It has been slow since then as well, largely due to work and another house move, and of course, the kids have to come before the project; my marriage is also a higher priority, which I have seen is not the case for some, to their detriment. But the pace is picking up and I'm hoping to move much more quickly in the year ahead. There are more disruptions on the horizon, but I'll keep doing what I can when I can rather than wait for everything to be perfect. I'll see you at a fly-in (with my airplane) sometime in the mid-2020s!

It's cake day! Well, not quite - I'm baking a Cozy tub! The epoxy system I am using reaches its full potential and highest HDT with a mild post-cure (frankly, so do most other systems, and per Gary Hunter, post-curing improves chemical resistance as well). I can still get a good cure at anything above 15c, but since I have built a heat-tent sized to fit the tub to assist with curing during cooler months anyway... I set the tub on the workbench on two lateral 'rails' to leave some air-space underneath. I used thick rags between the wooden rails and the fuselage bottom to provide some thermal insulation to avoid a 'cool spot' where the wood will wick away heat into the workbench. The frame of the heat-tent fits around the workbench, with transparent plastic panels at each end, and a 2kw fan heater mounted in the aft end of the heat tent. The same end has a temperature controller that the fan heater is plugged into, and a temperature sensor that I clipped about 6 inches above the floor in the backseat area. I placed a 2kw convection heater (safety circuit disabled - it had failed previously so I just bypassed it) in the front seat area, and a floor fan in the backseat area blowing forward and to one side to circulate the heated air and keep the temperature in there more even, as well as to help the warm air make its way around the exterior of the fuselage. The photo shows the rough positioning, I moved things around a bit and ensured there was no strain or stress on the cables before beginning. With everything in place I covered the entire apparatus with a tarp clipped to the edges to mostly seal it up (the fan heater draws in air from outside the tent, providing a positive pressure and forcing the coolest air at the bottom out of the small gaps), and some sheets and canvas I had around on top of that for insulation. Power-on, and gradually step-up the temperature, 35c (95f) for an hour, then 55c (130f) for an hour, then to the max target of 70c (158f) for 6 hours. It is still baking as I type. The convection heater is running at partial load, 1.2kw, and the 2kw fan heater cycles on and off to maintain 70c. So I have lots of margin heat-wise, which is nice. If nothing else, I know I will be able to spill hot avgas in the cockpit without harming the structure! ?

This is certainly a topic worthy of plenty of time and research. I have been for years, and I'm still years away from installing an engine. But I have a fair idea of what I'm going to do. I might argue with the idea that Lycomings are 'bulletproof'. Yeah, they are generally reliable, but they have their flaws and issues (I've been aboard a twin that suffered an unidentified failure). It is just that they are so old that the flaws and fixes are very well known. For the Jabiru, clearly, you'd need to design a very different cooling setup to make it work. Possible, perhaps with an effective eductor. I studied and liked the rotary for a long time. I've read and re-read John Slade's site, and the experiences of others. It can be a good engine... but. It appears to be a 'dead-end' design at this point. You would need to design and integrate a turbo setup, adding to the complexity. You'd need a better cooling design. I'm just not convinced the rotary is worth it at this point. I do like some auto conversions. Looking beyond the canard world, there are a great number of successful implemetations to study. Keeping it simple (so far as possible) and not being tempted to 'make it better' yourself (ie swapping cams, pistons etc), seem to be prime indicators for success. The Alternative Engines volumes are educational reading on the topic. One engine that could be a great fit for a Cozy (or even maybe a Long) and one I am watching with interest is the Aeromomentum AM20T. 260hp in a lightweight package built new for aircraft use. As yet unproven, but the company and its other engines appear to have a great reputation and expertise in the field so far. The same cannot be said for some other similar engine conversion companies.

At least two need to move out of home by then (another is on the way) so I have enough seats for everyone!!! Of course, it is fun to be able to sit in it now and imagine. It is also encouraging that this collection of parts that were pretty fragile in their incomplete state not long ago is quite tough and robust now. Good for confidence - not that I doubted before.

Tub complete (except a few touch-ups and repair to the rotisserie mounting holes). Taking a test-flight with my 3 boys: Intending to get started on the centre section spar next, as I have all the materials needed to do so already.

Yes.

Yup. But how much is it worth to you? To me, less than half. To someone else, maybe full price!

I'd say the same thing, but then that Long-not-so-ez-to-fix sold for far more than I ever expected!

Wow, great for the seller. I expect there may be some buyer's remorse at the other end!

He's dreaming if he thinks he can get over $3k for an airframe that has been left to rot for 30 years! If I was in the US I might offer to take it off his hands for nothing, and use it as a ground-only instructional airframe and / or simulator.

The line of the clear part of the canopy over the top there is a bit different to usual. I like it.

Then I shall share more. Glad the site is down - my host decided to move all sites to another provider that was worse and did not honour the original terms (or everything that was paid for), so I've let both my sites expire. Curiously the other one is still up! I'll be re-launching on a new host when I get a round tuit (anyone have plans for making these?). So true. And thanks for the feedback, they came out nicely. I know it has been said plenty of times before, but I really do look at the project as a long series of small parts, and I enjoy building each one. I swear, after spending an hour or so in my workshop, I am more energized and motivated to get back to whatever else I need to do (like making a living!).

I have this protective covering on many of my parts too. And shelves. And tools. And walls...

I have a website to record my build progress over at www.canardspeed.com, but it is woefully out of date. So I figured I might post here from time to time. I might get some useful feedback to boot! I am building from Aerocanard plans, but with a few modifications that will mean it will not be called an Aerocanard or a Cozy when complete. You'll probably notice a few differences as we go along! Most notably so far, the fuselage is 6" wider at the front seatback, smoothly tapering to standard Aerocanard FG width at the firewall (a bit wider than a Cozy) and intersecting the standard nose profile at around F-10 forward. Today was plane day, though I had some stuff to do that meant I didn't use the whole day. The task was to fabricate and install the outboard seatbelt reinforcements. As you'll see, I have twice as many as per-plans (I know, I know, they came back down when I threw them up in the air!). The reason for the extras further forward in the front seat is in case Beagle ever flies with me so that he can sit far enough forward to reach the panel because I will be installing 6-point harnesses in the front seats. The extras in the back seat area are for securing heavy items in this area, such as auxiliary fuel tanks for trans-oceanic operations (which are more likely to be used when one is located on an island in the South Pacific!). The ply inserts came out nicely, and were easier to make than I first anticipated. Almost a shame to cover them up with so much glass! Floxed into the front seat-area. Pressing them into place, the excess flox squeezed out and the inserts became satisfyingly rigid in their locations. Rear hardpoints glassed and peel-plied. The yellow area on the floor is where I used a ply of aramid in place of the extra BID in this area when building the floor. I just 'happened' to have some around... The white along the edges of some of the tapes joining the floor to the fuselage is a result of being unexpectedly interrupted before I could peel-ply those tapes. That certainly added a lot of time to the build as I dealt with all those tape edges! And a few bloodied fingers (all mine) along the way too. So I've left it now to cure. Almost done with the fuselage tub!

Watching with interest. I'm not that far along, but have wondered a bit about it myself.

Sure. But are you building a Cozy or designing something new? Changing materials, strength testing etc. is not trivial and will make the project take much longer and become more expensive.

As the builder, you can technically write in whatever MTOW you choose, but one should be wise about it. Will it need stronger gear? More power to maintain performance? The Infinity Retracts are made and tested for 2,200lbs, so that might help with the former. A more powerful engine may help with the latter, but might add weight and wipe out any starting benefits. These are just starting suggestions, of course, and by no means an exhaustive list of considerations. How much payload capacity do you need? Build light and fit minimal equipment, and all those weight savings translate into payload capability.

Hi Fred, Building bigger with more load but the same structure would result in a weaker aircraft. Not recommended. What is your mission objective? Many people have built fuselages a bit wider (myself included), and the Aerocanard is basically the same but a bit wider at the firewall, so more room in the back-seat area. How much space do you need? Of course, you have to be careful here - building bigger increases weight, which reduces usable payload!

Please please please someone record this (and the other presentations) for the sake of those unable to attend!

But don't expect to ever have one in your hangar! There is also a live presentation on the SpaceX Youtube channel at 0100UTC today (about 1hr from now). DnRWQtPU4AAE1jj.jpg_large DnRWgQmVYAAclo-.jpg_large

That is a very sad looking head.

I've made more dumb mistakes with filling than probably half a dozen of any of you! I found it really hard to sand when I first started out on some educational pieces. It took me quite a long time to discover that I was using a micro-BLEND, not just micro. Blended with colloidal silica, the stuff that makes it cure really HARD! Then later when I switched to my 'production' epoxy, the sanding was pretty hard too... because I am using a TOUGHENED resin! Once I switched to micro and a non-toughened resin for filling, it got a LOT easier!

I don't see any evidence that I'm wrong so far. Disregarding a significant portion of the data I presented and telling me I'm wrong is not very convincing. If someone could verify my measurements (or show me where I went wrong with them), then we might be getting somewhere. Even better, if someone could measure some original Long spar cap troughs from the templates (which I don't have) then we'd have full apples-to-apples comparison.

Well if we put aside the wings entirely, the project gets much easier to build too.

Now you're telling me that a Cozy spar caps are about the same as a Long.