"Soar, eat ether, see what has never been seen; depart, be lost, but climb." - Edna St. Vincent Millay
This site has moved! From now on, I won't be updating these pages. If you want to see my current progress, check out my new blog at Grey Lady.
Side Note: If you are looking for the public domain propeller design program originally discussed on the FlyRotary list, click here to download it.
I am building a Cozy MKIV aircraft. This plane is a 4-seater Rutan-derived canard pusher capable of over 200kts with a modified canard to eliminate stall possibilities. Plans are available for $500, and construction is composite (fiberglass+epoxy over foam cores). This type of construction is very flexible, and requires minimal tooling. Total airframe costs should run approximately $18,000, and I expect to spend approximately $20,000 on the engine and initial avionics stack, for a combined total of approximately $38,000.
I have also typed up my thoughts leading up to the decision to build an airplane, and my selection of the Cozy, if you are curious.
Are you a new builder? In addition to the chapter details below, I have also typed up a set of tips.
| Build Log | ||||||
| Chapter | Description | Status | Est. Time | Act. Time | Est. Cost | Act. Cost |
| 0 | Getting Started... All Over Again | 90.0 hrs | 88.5 hrs | $ 11280.00 | $ 18362.42 | |
| 1 | Introduction | 46.0 hrs | 47.0 hrs | $ 520.00 | $ 524.50 | |
| 2 | Bill of Materials | 0.0 hrs | 0.0 hrs | $ 0.00 | $ 0.00 | |
| 3 | Education | 15.0 hrs | 15.2 hrs | $ 149.00 | $ 119.91 | |
| 4 | Fuselage Bulkheads | 26.0 hrs | 44.8 hrs | $ 500.00 | $ 1769.77 | |
| 5 | Fuselage Sides | 30.0 hrs | 34.5 hrs | $ 263.20 | $ 53.16 | |
| 6 | Fuselage Assembly | 56.0 hrs | 80.2 hrs | $ 189.50 | $ 5.75 | |
| 7 | Fuselage Exterior | 79.0 hrs | 62.8 hrs | $ 183.85 | $ 79.00 | |
| 8 | Head Rest and Seat Belts | 8.0 hrs | 14.5 hrs | $ 518.70 | $ 1864.46 | |
| 9 | Main Gear and Landing Brake | 0.0 hrs | 0.0 hrs | $ 1453.30 | $ 3121.67 | |
| 10 | Canard | 0.0 hrs | 0.0 hrs | $ 0.00 | $ 1917.00 | |
| 11 | Elevators | 0.0 hrs | 0.0 hrs | $ 69.25 | $ 3800.00 | |
| 12 | Canard Installation | 0.5 hrs | 0.0 hrs | $ 2.05 | $ 0.00 | |
| 13 | Nose, Nose Gear, and Brakes | 85.0 hrs | 120.5 hrs | $ 1137.35 | $ 2164.00 | |
| 14 | Center Section Spar | 8.0 hrs | 18.0 hrs | $ 388.60 | $ 1400.00 | |
| 15 | Firewall | 0.0 hrs | 0.0 hrs | $ 157.75 | $ 0.00 | |
| 16 | Control System | 0.0 hrs | 0.0 hrs | $ 381.80 | $ 360.00 | |
| 17 | Trim System | 0.0 hrs | 0.0 hrs | $ 65.20 | $ 0.00 | |
| 18 | Canopy and Turtleback | 20.0 hrs | 30.2 hrs | $ 494.55 | $ 120.00 | |
| 19 | Wings, Ailerons, and Wing Attach | 4.0 hrs | 108.2 hrs | $ 1305.40 | $ 6147.22 | |
| 20 | Winglets and Rudders | 0.0 hrs | 0.0 hrs | $ 130.15 | $ 0.00 | |
| 21 | Strakes, Fuel, and Baggage | 0.0 hrs | 0.0 hrs | $ 856.85 | $ 0.00 | |
| 22 | Electrical | 121.2 hrs | 24.8 hrs | $ 12510.00 | $ 0.00 | |
| 23 | Engine Installation | 0.0 hrs | 0.0 hrs | $ 9100.00 | $ 0.00 | |
| 24 | Covers and Fairings | 0.0 hrs | 0.0 hrs | $ 136.20 | $ 0.00 | |
| 25 | Finishing | 0.0 hrs | 0.0 hrs | $ 682.30 | $ 0.00 | |
| 26 | Upholstery | 0.0 hrs | 0.0 hrs | $ 0.00 | $ 0.00 | |
| 27 | Other Tasks | 0.0 hrs | 11.5 hrs | $ 0.00 | $ 0.00 | |
| Totals: | 588.8 hrs | 700.7 hrs | $ 42475.00 | $ 41808.86 | ||
I also have been planning some modifications to the core plans. One of the most critical will be the installation of a rotary engine in place of the traditional Lycoming.
This site is entirely database-driven and will allow me to track my progress as
well as time spent and costs for each step. As a result, I can do things like the following:
| Start of Build: | 2004-01-19 |
| Last Step Completed: | 2008-07-20 |
| Days Worked: | 1643 |
| Build Hours: | 593.50 |
| Avg. Hours/Day: | 2.77 |
| Days left to 2500 hours: | 688.28 |
| Est. Completion: | 11-25-2010 |
The table above is a bit misleading because it neglects the learning curve, a slow start, and putting the project on hold for nearly a year. My current hope is that I can complete the core of the aircraft by middle to the end of 2006, spend the winter addressing things like the electrical system and engine installation, then get flying in 2007.