Other Cozy Builder Visits
I never planned to build my Cozy in a vacuum and working all alone. I monitored the builders group online for several months before deciding that I shared common interest with them and they cared about each other's growth. When I realized that I really wanted to get to know these people I knew I'd picked the right project. I also visited a couple of builders in my extended area (including Houston, and San Antonio) to convince myself further that this wasn't something I'd be sorry I started later. In this section, I'd like to recognize significant face-to-face interactions with other Cozy builders/flyers, paying some tribute to the help they've provided me, over and above email exchange.
Outline of Builders/Flyers that I've met and who have shown me their Cozy's (Under Construction or Flying)
- Matt Stecher (November 2014)
- Nelson Amen (January 2015)
- Ben Bennett (January 2015)
- John Farr (April 2015)
- Vance Atkinson (MK III flying condition for years) (May 2015)
- Bernie Siu (and Doug Pitzer's MKIV in same hangar) (June 2015)
- Tom Kennedy (the day before he did his first flight while visiting Bernie) (June 2015)
- Mike Satchell (August 2015)
- Doug and Patti Pitzer (October 2016) sharing hangar with Bernie Siu
Visitors to My Project:
Of course the local Cozy builders (Ben Bennett, Nelson Amen, and Les Behrens) have visited a number of times since we have shared the turtleback jig, and Ben and I see each other about once a month to let each other know what we're doing and what we're learning, and loan each other stuff as needed.
My first visit by a builder/flyer was 3/20/16 from Vance Atkinson, who flew down from FTW to inspect progress Ben and I were making. We met him at Austin Executive and he shared lots of insights from his long experience with canards and pointed out specific areas for us to consider. Vance has built a Long EZ and a Cozy III and accumulated thousands of hours in both to compliment his professional flying career. More importantly, Vance developed many improvements the Cozy over the years and has extensive experience test flying these adjustments, and providing building and flying guidance to our community. In my case, we talked about fuel system architecture, electronics and switching, turtleback latching, and cockpit heating. He took a look at my wings/ailerons, winglets, canard, spar, and fuselage. He didn't have any recommended "do this over's" but we did discuss that I've glassed in rear arm rests early, and I could be cutting some of that when it's time to route fuel lines... Of course it was a valuable experience for me and I look forward to having other builders visit if convenient for them.
On 7/16/16 Michael Garmon was visiting Austin from Houston and he and his wife (building partner) and son (who's done layups too) came by to see my project and meet the Austin area Cozy builders. Ben and Les came by too. Michael had just recently finished Ch 21 strakes on his MK IV and I'm just about to start them, so this was perfect timing. Ben was also about to head to OSH, so lots of stories to share. Thanks Mike for stopping by and sending me your notes from Ch 21! I'll try to get down to Michael's place before I get a first hand view of things we talked about. Darn it, I forgot to take a picture with everyone here...
My 1st student group visit occurred on 11/13/16 when the University of Texas at Austin, Student Chapter of American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) arranged to come visit. We talked through the fundamentals of composite construction with foam and glass and I showed samples of various kinds of foam and glass fabrics we use on the Cozy. There were lots of questions on design philosophy, and factors of safety, that reflected their interest in translating what they are learning to what they were seeing. Of course, most wanted to sit in it, as well. They were curious about the engines we use and were impressed with role of the online builders group in supporting the plans as Nat had prepared them. It was great fun hosting them and we'll see if other groups gain interest over time.
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On 3/11/18 John and Teresa Cerney (Cozy Builder from McKinney, TX) visited and we had a great exchange of experiences working in the garage and limited deviations from the plans. He's in the midst of Ch 21 Strakes and we talked about options for handling the outboard ends of each strake and patterning to match the wing LE. Here's a picture of the Cerneys.
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Another great visit on 4/8/18 by the UT Chapter of ASME as shown to the right. We had to keep the garage shut because it was unseasonably cold that morning. But they got to see the UL520is which had just arrived 3 days before... Great questions and discussion as always, but broader now that electrical and engine work was in process.
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ASME Students from UT visited the hangar in March of 2020 while I was still in Phase I Testing. It was right at the emergence of COVID and yet everything went really well with the group. When they came again in March 2022 it was a bigger group and as always there were many great questions and wonderful discussion. I pulled the upper cowling so we could talk details on the UL engine. Fun stuff on a beautiful day to be at the airport! And again the Chapter visited in March 2023 and we got a couple of the students up in the air for a quick flight. |
First Flights in Other's Cozy's
My first flights came in May 2018 in Longmont CO while visiting the area for vacation. I'd met Rick Hall, Curt Boyle, and Bill Kastenholz at KLMO and they spent time with me talking and looking at Rick's and Bill's Cozy's. Curt also spent a good bit of time with Rick and I over lunch talking about the canard simulator characteristics he'd built and other best practices he's been using in his Cozy restoration. Rick then got me up for my first flight with him and it was amazing. I really had very little to compare with it, based on my under 100 hrs in a Cessna 152/172! So much faster and so easy to bank and turn. I knew from sitting in cockpits in hangars that the view was going to be exceptional, and it was so beautiful to get in the air and experience it. We flew for about 25 minutes with me getting a little stick time to feel the canard but it felt like a blur. I really appreciated seeing how Rick used the Dynon HDX display, since that's what I'm installing too. Bill gave me a 2nd flight a few days later and we focused on feeling stalls, steeper turns, and talking through some of the same things Rick had shown me, but I'd been too consumed to remember. We did a touch and go and then landed to allow basic landing sight pictures to develop and set the stage for further practice both in the simulator and live when I'm getting close to done on the build. I really appreciate what these super friendly builder/pilots did to both enhance my build and provide a tremendous motivating push to my project and personal development. Rick gave me some stick time again when I visited late Spring 2019 after I'd been flying Cessna's extensively and it was a great new experience working in the pattern with a much faster bird and setting up the lower/flatter/faster approach. Rick did the takeoffs and landings themselves but gave me lots of hand's-on time other than in the close to ground conditions. I also had the mental bandwidth to begin appreciating the Dynon HDX display that we both have.
My first flights came in May 2018 in Longmont CO while visiting the area for vacation. I'd met Rick Hall, Curt Boyle, and Bill Kastenholz at KLMO and they spent time with me talking and looking at Rick's and Bill's Cozy's. Curt also spent a good bit of time with Rick and I over lunch talking about the canard simulator characteristics he'd built and other best practices he's been using in his Cozy restoration. Rick then got me up for my first flight with him and it was amazing. I really had very little to compare with it, based on my under 100 hrs in a Cessna 152/172! So much faster and so easy to bank and turn. I knew from sitting in cockpits in hangars that the view was going to be exceptional, and it was so beautiful to get in the air and experience it. We flew for about 25 minutes with me getting a little stick time to feel the canard but it felt like a blur. I really appreciated seeing how Rick used the Dynon HDX display, since that's what I'm installing too. Bill gave me a 2nd flight a few days later and we focused on feeling stalls, steeper turns, and talking through some of the same things Rick had shown me, but I'd been too consumed to remember. We did a touch and go and then landed to allow basic landing sight pictures to develop and set the stage for further practice both in the simulator and live when I'm getting close to done on the build. I really appreciate what these super friendly builder/pilots did to both enhance my build and provide a tremendous motivating push to my project and personal development. Rick gave me some stick time again when I visited late Spring 2019 after I'd been flying Cessna's extensively and it was a great new experience working in the pattern with a much faster bird and setting up the lower/flatter/faster approach. Rick did the takeoffs and landings themselves but gave me lots of hand's-on time other than in the close to ground conditions. I also had the mental bandwidth to begin appreciating the Dynon HDX display that we both have.
Doug Pitzer and Bernie Siu hosted me for a visit late February 2019 while I was in CA for work and Doug got me up with him for a 30 min flight in his MKIV where he worked with me on overall stable heading and altitude changes, turns, stalls and general feel for the MKIV. Great opportunity and he's a wonderful educator like Bill and and Rick. Weather prevented us getting to a less busy airport to work on takeoffs and landings, but nevertheless it was a great experience. Doug even did some light aerobatics for me to give me a feel for the easy handling in more advanced attitudes. As with my other visits with them, I learned more and they helped me progress my planning even in the late stages of the preparation for first flight. I should note that Bernie had recently gotten his Cozy painted and it looks gorgeous.
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I started flying locally with Brandon Tapp in his Cozy MKIV in the couple of months before my first flight, and he was a great in helping me to transition from the Cessna 172 experience I've built getting current again. Brandon has a great flying manner and a wealth of experience in different aircraft. Of particular utility is flying local and practicing out of my home airport (we was based out of nearby Lakeway.
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