Cozy Mark IV # 973


It's never skill or craftsmanship that completes airplanes, it's the will to do so. Patrick Kenny, EAA 275132

Well, it's been a long, interesting, exciting, frustrating, fulfilling 7+ years. They're not kidding when they say you build an experimental airplane for educational purposes!


After seeing the inside of my garage and hanger for so long, my work was finally rewarded on January 13th, 2009 with these views!


This is my first attempt at a web page...The format was shamelessly stolen from Rob Tester's web page and other cozy builders....I apologise if I have offended anyone!

This page is dedicated to my Cozy Mark IV (Serial #973) experimental aircraft. This decision has been in the making for almost 10 years now. I knew the only way I would ever be able to own a NEW plane with a NEW engine and a New panel would be to build it myself. I always thought the Glasair was a gorgeous looking airplane. I was all set to place the order when my wife informed me that if I was really going to build a plane, it had better carry 4 people. Well, that really narrowed my choices down. The Lancair ES is beautiful, but I couldn't swallow the price for a kit. The Velocity is a great looking plane, but if I was going to build a canard, why spend the extra money for a kit when I could build a Cozy MK IV from plans.

Building from plans

The big advantage here is that you pay for the plane as you go instead of laying out one lump sum. The initial disadvantage I saw (or so I thought) was that it would take a much longer time to build. I have seen numerous Cozy's that have been built in the 2,500-3,000 hour ball park. Many of the kit built Lancairs and Glasairs claim build times in the 1,000-1,500 hour range, but after talking to these builders, they have spent up to 3,000 hours putting a kit together. I didn't consider the building portion of this project to be a downside. I had worked on and driven racing cars for 12 years and had become accustomed to "working in the garage" almost nightly. Well, I hadn't worked on a race car for 10 years now and I found I was watching way too much TV.

Some Cozy Sites
The Official Cozy Homepage
Unofficial Cozy Homepage (lots of good stuff!)
Rick Maddy's Cozy (an immaculate example) and provider of this web space!

 

Current Status
Chapter Description Status Date Hrs
1-3

Prebuild

Completed 10/10/01 24.8
4 Bulkheads Completed 10/30/01 65.8
5 Fuselage sides Completed 11/24/01 58.7
6 Fuselage assembly Completed 1/28/02 116.6
7 Fuselage exterior Completed 3/2/02 56.3
8 Headrest, seatbelt, and Heat Duct Completed 12/2/04 52.8
9 Landing gear and speed brake Completed 12/8/02 147.1
10 Canard Completed 7/16/02 78.8
11 Elevators Completed 9/8/02 68.0
12 Canard Installation Completed 9/16/02 17.0
13 Nosegear/Rudder pedals Completed 12/10/05 209.0
14 Center Spar Completed 3/18/05 115.3
15 Firewall Completed 12/23/07 18.5
16 Control System Completed 8/18/04 48
17 Trim System Completed 7/15/08 42.5
18 Canopy Completed 2/24/05 232.5
19 Wings & Ailerons Completed 3/24/04 232.8
20 Winglets & Rudders Completed 12/6/03 136.7
21 Fuel Strakes Completed 7/30/05 213.0
22 Electrical Completed 7/15/08 127.5
23 Engine Completed 12/21/08 221.8
24 Covers & Fairings Completed 7/15/08 131
25 Finishing Completed 11/28/07 Too many!
26 Upholstery Completed 9/4/08 Pro Install

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