| In case you are wondering where the pictures and text are for
Chapters 1 and 2 - there aren't any. Chapters 1 and 2 serve as education - you just
read them. Thus, there's not much to talk about or show. |
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In Chapter 3 you do the practice layups. The first,
simply a flat layup of 4 layers of BID, is designed to teach you how to work with the
materials and see how well you can squeegee. Your squeegee technique is examined by
weighing the layup once cured and trimmed. Mine weighed 10.5 ounces, which is dead
on where it should be (between 10 and 12 ounces) but it has a fair amount of air in
it. Interestingly enough, it would probably weigh less had I worked the air out more
as I would have probably worked out some epoxy while I worked out the air. No big
deal, it's a practice part - if you don't screw it up you never learn anything! |
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The second layup, called a confidence layup, teaches you a
couple more techniques, like microing over foam and working with UNI. The other
thing this layup does is demonstrate the strength of this kind of construction. As
it says in the plans, you can put this layup, once trimmed and cured, over a broom handle
and put all your weight on both ends. Wow! It's incredibly strong! My
confidence layup had a couple bubbles along the long side where the UNI didn't lay down
well in the corner. I think I used too much micro and worked epoxy through the glass
into the micro and loosened it up. |
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The third practice layup is a bookend. No, there are
no bookends in a completed Cozy, but, this is a great practice layup. You glue and
cut foam, carve and sand foam, do corners, compound curves, embed something between layers
of glass, do glass to glass joints and just about every other technique you'll need when
you build the Cozy. The picture I chose is of me in a T-34C when I learned to
fly in the Navy. Again, I think I used too much micro (and it was too thin) but the
bookend still turned out OK. On to the real airplane! |
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That completes Chapter 3,
click here for Chapter 4, Fuselage Bulkheads |
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