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!

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.

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!