Rick's Airplane
 
 
Rick's Airplane


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Pages Posted:     Hrs.
Chapters 1, 2, 3  
Chapter 4 106
Chapter 5 84
Chapter 6 165
Chapter 7 132
Chapter 8 54
Chapter 9 62+
Chapter 10 167
Chapter 11 113
Chapter 12 49
Chapter 13 +461
Chapter 14 ?hrs
Chapter 15 ?hrs
Chapter 16 ?hrs
Chapter 17 ?hrs
Chapter 18 +189
Chapter 19 ?hrs
Chapter 20 ?hrs
Chapter 21 ?hrs
Chapter 22 ?hrs
Chapter 23 ?hrs
Chapter 24 ?hrs
Chapter 25 ?hrs
Chapter 26 ?hrs
"+" = hrs in progress
Oshkosh Cozy 2005

A fine looking plane!  Well, this is not my airplane but mine will look similar.

Here's some other pictures of Cozy airplanes:
Front view with open canopy
Grazing
 
For helpful information in building your own very cool airplane go to CozyAircraft.Com
 
My Cozy Mods:
This plane is so cool. Being made of foam and fiberglass, modifications can easily be made. However, they are not recommended by the designer. I have decided to make the following Mods realizing that I am responsible for the outcome of this project. I have taken the risk factors into account and have been especially careful in the construction of this aircraft.
 
4 inch wider fuselage:
I chose to have my fuselage wider throughout the entire length of the fuselage to give the pilot and all passengers (front and rear) adequate room for comfort. The original cozy is almost claustrophobic for me. And it is certainly worse in the back seat. I consulted with many builders and discussed this option with lots of "in the know" builders including Nat Puffer, the original Cozy Designer. He told me I was on my own. I know of a cozy that is 12" wider and has flown over 200 hours. I know there are several that are from 2 to 6" wider that are flying or will soon be flown. The Cozy is actually a wider copy of a Long Eze. Nat Puffer was the first one to make it wider. The issues are in the fuselage body being a lifting surface, and weight & balance must be known and checked prior to flight.  Also there is more drag with a wider body. This is compensated for by other modifications like retractable landing gear and a higher horsepower engine in the form of a Wankel type rotary. (Mazda)
 
Center Fuel Sump System and retracts:
A center fuel sump was added because I am also using the Infinity Aerospace retractable landing gear.  That gear takes up area that the fuel tank would normally occupy and hence a need for more room for fuel. My tank is just under 5 gallon capacity. It is located where the non-retract landing gear would normally go. The tanks have double foam wall insulation. Glass/Foam/Glass/Foam/Glass for safety from possible outside penetration in event of landing or crash landing and dragging on the ground. Both wing tanks feed into it. The wing tanks have drain/check valves, and their own individual sump area for water collection which can help eliminate water from entering the main sump tank. The main sump tank has a drain/check valve which is lower than the outlet position of the tank. (just as the wing tanks do as described). The fuel switch does not have to become a management issue for the pilot because it doesn't exist.  There is a fuel on/off switch in the event of engine out landing or fire but no other fuel switch. The fuel pumps will not pump fuel without the engine in operation. All tanks are vented to the outside with less resistance on the sump tank. Inlets from the wing tank to the Sump tank are one way valves to prevent fuel from flowing backwards into the wings while making turns or maneuvers. No fuel lines are inside of the cockpit or passenger areas.  All 3 tanks will show level via windows and Princeton computerized level gauges.
 
RX-8 Renesis engine:
I chose this engine because of it's power, safety factor, and reliability. More on this later. For now, trust me, it's a pretty cool engine.
 
Electric speed brake using a Danaher Motion 112lb capacity motor:
There are limit switches set at 6" travel. A pot is used to indicate the speed brake position and control the speed brake direction. Strong points are made in the corner of the passenger seating and were designed to avoid striking the passenger in the event of landing with the brake extended and the landing gear not extended.
 
Rudder Pedals and Brakes are mounted from above rather than from the floor:
I did this modification to avoid having the actuator arms across the floor of the cockpit where the pilot and passenger feet go. This improves comfort and looks. A bearing system is used to help things move smoothly and to secure the actuator arms in place. Strong points were made with more than adequate layers of glass to hold these points in place. The brake arms are adjustable to one of five positions and there is direct pressure on the brake master cylinders for better actuation. My rudder/brake arms were built (welded, finished, and painted) by Dennis Oelmann.
 
Landing lights in the Nose:
This will be covered in my Chapter 13. There are two 75 watt projection lamps in the nose. I use my own aluminum lamp assembly with fans for cooling the lamps.
 
Specs Plans Mine
Main Wing    
   Full Span 28' 1" 28' 5"
   Area 101.4 ft2 101.4 ft2
   Airfoil Modified Eppler Modified Eppler
Canard    
   Full Span 151" 154"
   Effective 144" 144.5"
   Airfoil Roncz 1145MS Roncz 1145MS
Length 17' 0" 17' 7"
Height 7.9' 7.9'
Cockpit Width    
   Front 42.0" 46.0"
   Rear 38.0" 42.0"
Seats 4 4
Landing Gear    
   Nose Manual retractable Electric retractable
   Rear Fixed to body Hydraulic retractable into wing
Engine Lycoming O-360 Mazda Rotary Renesis RX-8
Weight    
   Empty 1050 lbs 1150 lbs
   Gross 2050 lbs 2200 lbs
Range (w/ 1hr reserve) 1350 mi 1200 mi
Speed    
   Minimum 64 mph 64 mph
   Maximum 220 mph 237 mph
Airframe Cost
w/o engine & avionics
$14-15k
(old #'s)
$40-50k