Q. Why should I build an airplane?
A. If you are satisfied with factory builts and don't wish to become involved in an absorbing hobby, don't. Building an airplane is fun, but it takes a lot of time. Home-building is where you find the new ideas -- state of the art design and construction techniques. Factory builts are more general purpose designs which do nothing particularly well. Homebuilts are more special purpose. A much greater variety are available and they tend to perform very well when used as the designer intended. As a class, they are better performing and more economical to operate and maintain. Building requires a commitment of time, forces you to learn new skills, sets you apart from others, provides an outlet for your creative instinct, builds ego, and will introduce you to a whole new world of very fine people similarly motivated.
Q. Why should I select a composite design?
A. Composite construction requires fewer skills and is easier to learn. It is uniquely suited for homebuilding and unsuited for mass production. It is superior to other forms of construction in terms of skills required, simplicity, strength, ability to absorb energy, resistance to fatigue and corrosion, repairability and durability. It is state-of-the-art.
Q. Why should I build from plans using moldless construction?
A. Moldless construction is easy, it does not take significantly longer than building from a "pre-fab" kit, and it is the least expensive way to build a single airplane. The builder saves the cost of mold amortization, return on investment, outside labor, and profit. The builder does not have to put up a large amount of money up-front, because he can buy materials as he needs them and as his budget allows, and he is not dependent upon a single source for his materials.
Q. Why should I choose a canard type?
A. Although canards date back to the first airplane ever flown (Wright brothers), it took Burt Rutan to solve the more complex aerodynamics and to popularize the configuration. Burt figured out how to make them safer, to not be subject to stall and divergence from controlled flight, which is the cause of many low altitude accidents. He made the canard airfoil angle of attack limiting, so that the nose could not be lifted high enough in level flight or turns to stall the main wing. The only result of full aft stick with no power is a high sink rate, immediately correctable with the addition of power. Canard configurations are more efficient, because they have two lifting surfaces. This allows the main wing to have less area, less span, and lower weight loading. Because of the distribution of lift between the two surfaces, there are lower bending loads and the structure does not have to be as heavy. This reduces drag and results in better performance with less horsepower.
Q. Why should I choose a Cozy?
A. Both the 3-place Cozy and 4-place Cozy Mark IV use the technology that Burt Rutan designed into the Long EZ. The Co-Z Development Corp. has an exclusive license from RAF to us this technology in a side-by-side configuration. As a result, both the 3-place Cozy and 4-place Cozy Mark IV perform very similar to the Long EZ, and exhibit the same stall resistant characteristic.
Q. What skills are required to build a Mark IV?
A. No special skills or previous experience are required. Builders come from all walks of life. The plans are written for the average person and first time builder. The most important skill required is the discipline to consistently read and follow a large number of written instructions. You do not need to be an engineer to understand the plans. They consist of over 100,000 words, over 1,000 illustrations and photographs, and full size drawings to lead you step by step.
Q. Can I buy an airplane already built, or do you have someone who builds them?
A. No on both counts. The FAA licenses a person to build an amateur-built aircraft for recreation and educational purposes only. You have to build it yourself.
Q. What prefab parts are available, if I decide to build?
A. All parts which would be difficult for the average builder to make, such as retract mechanism, engine mount, landing gear struts, cowlings, canopy, etc., are available prefab.
Q. Can I get a list of Mark IV builders?
A. Our builder list is confidential. However, as a prospective builder, you can join the unofficial Cozy Builders mail list where over 400 builders chat daily about the issues. Contact your local EAA Chapter for a list of builders in your area.
Q. Can the wings be removed so I can trailer the airplane?
A. Yes, the wings and canard are designed to be removable, however, the fuselage center-section is still 11 ft. wide with wings removed, so it is not practical to routinely trailer it to and from the airport.
Q. Can I equip the Mark IV for IFR?
A. Yes. An IFR rated pilot can operate a Mark IV IFR if he equips it per FAR 91. The builder must develop the avionics installation himself and coordinate with his local FA
Q. May I do aerobatics in a Mark IV?
A. No! The Mark IV is rated in the normal category. It was designed for economical, high-speed, cross- country flying. It cannot do stall or inverted maneuvers and picks up speed rapidly when pointed down. Aerobatics are not recommended.
Q. Can I operate from unimproved runways?
A. No. Due to the pusher configuration, the prop is subject to damage if operated from a gravel runway. Grass runways are bumpy and extend take-off distance. Only hard surfaces are recommended.
Q. Can I get a demo ride before I purchase plans'?
A. No. We are not organized to provide demo rides. If we were selling complete aircraft, we would provide this service. Since we are only selling plans, it is not feasible to do this.
Q. Why is the nose retracted while parked?
A. Without the pilot in the aircraft, there is not enough weight in the nose to insure it will not tip back on the prop and rudders. Parking nose down prevents this. A small rubber bumper under the nose provides a very effective parking brake, allowing the aircraft to be unattended in 30 + knot winds without tie down or wheel chock.
Q. What is composite construction?
A. Technically, it is the use of two or more materials together. In aircraft construction, it refers to a sandwich of foam (or some other lightweight material) sandwiched between two layers of fiberglass. The result is a very light, rigid, and strong structure.
Q. How long does it take to build a Cozy from plans?
A. We estimate a good worker can build a Cozy in 2500 hours. These are working hours, not time spent reading plans, drinking coffee, etc. Although some might think this is a long time, it is actually shorter than it takes to assemble many pre-fab kits, or designs made from aluminum, tube & rag, and/or wood.
Q. What does it cost?
A. At current prices it will cost about $14,000 to build the airframe. This includes purchasing some pre-fab parts which would be difficult for an unskilled builder to make himself, such as cowlings, canopy, landing gear struts, engine mount, nose-gear retract mechanism, and other parts which require machining or welding. It does not include the cost of an engine, or expensive instruments and avionics.
Q. Are other prefab parts available?
A. Some unapproved custom shops advertise parts for the Cozy, and their own lookalike designs, but we have not inspected nor tested them, and have no way of insuring their quality. As a matter of fact, some custom shops have supplied un-airworthy parts, or just plain bilked builders out of their money. For this reason, we recommend that builders build all of the components themselves, except for those we have approved from our authorized suppliers.
Q. What is the difference between the Cozy and the Velocity.
A. They are two completely different designs and are in two different categories. The Cozy is "Plans Built" or "Custom Built" whereas the Velocity is "Prefab Built". There is a striking difference in cost, far out of proportion to the difference in building time. Moreover, building from plans, you can purchase supplies as you need them over however long it takes to complete the project, rather than having to finance the purchase of everything before you begin. The Velocity weighs about 250 lbs. more than the Cozy, and is about 20 mph slower with the same engine. The Cozy has superior visibility with its full-bubble canopy, rather than just a windshield with a roof overhead. The Cozy is easier to get into and out of, because the entire canopy opens up, giving excellent access to all 4 seats. The Cozy is full dual control, with two sidesticks, whereas the Velocity has only one control stick. The Cozy uses Burt Rutan's construction technology and aerodynamic design, under license. The Cozy is the only design licensed by Burt Rutan. Also, the Cozy has its own newsletter written by the designer, and the designer supplies the builder support.
Q. What engines are approved?
A. The Cozy Mark IV was designed around the 180 hp Lycoming engine. Lycoming engines from 160 hp to 200 hp are suitable. We have recently evaluated the 6-cylinder 200 hp Franklin engine. It is very smooth running and performs well. Unfortunately, the installed weight is about 90 lbs. heavier than the 180 hp Lycoming, so it would require carrying ballast in the nose for average-weight pilots and passengers, or else relocating the battery from the firewall to the nose.
Q. Are automobile engines approved?
A. The hp of automobile engines is quoted at their red-line rpm, which is usually about 6,000 rpm, but their reliability is based upon running at about 2,000 rpm most of the time. To get the necessary horsepower, they would have to be operated near their redline, and would require a speed reduction unit for a reasonable propeller speed. The speed reduction unit plus the water cooling equipment required results in a very complicated, heavy, and bulky installation. Even if the problems could be solved without destroying the esthetics of the design, the resale value of a Cozy with an automobile engine would probably be less than the cost to build, rather than 3 times the cost to build (with an aircraft engine).
Q. Is the Cozy available with a retractable main gear?
A. No. The nose gear is retractable, and the main gear strut is tear-drop shaped, and with wheel pants, there is very little drag with the fixed main gear. A retractable main gear could not possibly be as strong or as light as the fixed gear. It would have to retract somewhere, and the most likely place would be into the strake, which would sacrifice fuel capacity. To go 5 or 10 knots faster, but have to land more often from fuel (letting down from 10,000 ft, spending 1/2 hr on the ground, and climbing back to 10,000 ft.) is simply not cost effective, since a retractable main gear would increase building cost at least $4,000, would increase insurance cost, would increase maintenance cost, and would increase building time. Retractable main gears are subject to failure (to go down) and forgetfulness (forgetting to lower). In the event of an off field landing, a retractable gear attached to the main spar would probably cause more structural damage, including rupturing of the fuel tanks and increased likelihood of fire. We don't recommend it.
Q. What is the Cozy safety record?
A. Because it does not stall, and offers exceptional body protection, the Cozy safety record is better than most homebuilts (and factory builts). We have had two fatal accidents. Both were caused by pilot error, i.e., running into something, like a power line or a tree.
Q. What builder support is provided?
A. We have received very high grades for our builder support. We answer the phone at almost any hour, day or night, including weekends, which is when most building takes place. We answer our mail daily. We put out a newsletter four times a year. We have done this regularly since 1982, without missing a quarter. We have the reputation of having the best and most complete plans and construction manuals of any design on the market, which results in very few builder questions. Additionally, there is a very active group of some 400 plus Cozy builders and flyers accessible on the web on the unofficial Cozy builder's mail list.
Q. How many plans have been sold, and how many Cozys are flying?
A. We sold 800 sets of plans for our original 3-place Cozy, and those plans are now out of print. We estimate that about 60 set of plans were sold for the European version of the Cozy III, the Cozy Classic. To date (May 2000) we have sold almost 900 sets of Cozy Mark IV plans. Over 200 3-place Cozys have been completed and are flying--some with over 1,000 hours. The Cozy Mark IV is our newest design, and about 40 have been completed and are flying, with many more almost complete. It is also important to remember that the Cozy was based on Burt Rutan's very successful Varieze and LongEz designs which each have around 3000 flying. The Cozy Mark IV, therefore, comes from a long legacy of EZ airplanes with a proven record of builder completion and safety.
Q. If you have to park the Cozy on its nose, do you have to lift the nose before you can climb in?
A. An electric nose lift has been designed which is strong enough for one to climb in while the nose is down, and then lift the nose up with the push of a button. It is already installed in several Cozys, and we have installed one ourselves.
Q. Do we have a video?
A. We have been reluctant to offer a video, unless it is very professional. We are investigating whether this can be arranged at a reasonable cost.
Q. How do we get more information?
A. An extensive information kit is available for $10. This contains 2 frameable pictures, sample pages from our construction manual, a summary of composite construction, specifications and a 3-view drawing, a complete flight test report, a number of magazine reprints, history of the design and of our company, a current newsletter, and other things of interest.
Q. Do you accept credit cards?
A. Yes. We accept Visa and Master card, and personal checks (on US banks), money orders, cashiers checks, and travelers checks.