Nov 25 2019

Wiring removal

Today I started on removing the wiring from the plane. I wanted to preserved some of the original wiring (starter, ignition, etc).

IMG_0562-2019-11-25-19-57.jpg

A nice looking instrument panel. I wold the entire panel to Spencer for a cozy 3 project he is working on.

IMG_0561-2019-11-25-19-57.jpg

I decided that I wanted to wire the plane differently and with the installation of the Dynon SkyView system, the harnesses will be completely different. I felt it was better to replace everything.

IMG_0609-2019-11-25-19-57.jpg

59700742984__63F612CF-0ABF-4F98-8742-3ABEDFAD1FAD-2019-11-25-19-57.jpg

Nov 24 2019

Successful Move

Today the Cozy was brought home from the airport.

A very dear friend, Roger was instrumental in helping me remove the wings and he bought over his large trailer to transport the plane to my shop.

Tomorrow I’ll begin disassembling the plane’s electrical system which will be a little challenging because I want to preserve some parts of the system such as the ignition and charging systems, while removing most of the rest of the dash and electrical wires and instrumentation.

IMG_0550-2019-11-24-13-58.jpg

IMG_0551-2019-11-24-13-58.jpg

IMG_0554-2019-11-24-13-58-1.jpg

IMG_0560-2019-11-24-13-58-1.jpg

Nov 23 2019

Disassembly of the Cozy 4

I am finally ready to get started. For the last few weeks I have been working on the panel design and wiring schematics.

It is time move the plane home. It took a few hours to prepare for wing removal and transportation. Tomorrow Rodger will be stopping by with his trailer to move it to my workshop. Yay!

.IMG_0531-2018-11-24-11-35.jpg

Nov 22 2019

The Journey has begun

Back in August I purchased a beautiful Cozy 4 from Ed Richards in Tampa. I have know Ed for years, have flown in his plane and have always been impressed with his attention to detail building this bird.

IMG_8433-2018-11-23-10-39.jpg

The plane had all the physical modifications I was interested in, so I decided to buy it instead of completing the Cozy 3 I was working on.

IMG_7249-2018-11-23-10-39.jpg

I know it would take me many years to complete the cozy3 and quite frankly, I am tired of building. It was sold to Spencer in October 2019.

IMG_9758-2018-11-23-10-39.jpg

As much as I am impressed with the Cozy4, the one area I am very particular about is wiring and wiring documentation which incidentally is one area I am very passionate about. Wiring is the KEY to a good flying trouble free plane. After getting further into the ownership of Ed’s plane, I decided I needed to upgrade the wiring and while at it upgrade the panel to fully understand and be able to repair the electrical system and to improve the flight experience.

I enjoy using the Grand Rapids Technology system in my LongEZ,

IMG_7192-2018-11-23-10-39.jpg My current LongEZ, GRT installation.

BUT, the technology is dated and this equipment is a major PITA to install. It is very typical of most avionics wiring.

For the Cozy I decided to go to the what I consider a higher level of design and simplicity and install a Dynon avionics package in the plane which will simplify the installation, reduce the wiring requirement, give me better customer support, and provide improved functionality over the GRT system.

This is the current panel installed in the cozy. Its a mix of older (some very old), equipment which while completely functional and state of the art 20 years ago, is not up to what I want in a plane at this point in time where the technology has vastly improved over the years.

IMG_6474-2018-11-23-10-39.jpg

This is the panel I intend to create for the Cozy, It looks simpler and will have vastly improved functionality over the original equipment in the plane.
http://nickugolini.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/PLT59d4.tmp-2018-11-23-10-39.pdf

Beyond the wiring I will be installing a fire suppression system, fuel injection, a new heat system, and a host of other things.

This will be my LAST plane project. After completing this upgrade I am done working on any more planes. Period.

I’ll be heavily documenting all the work that is done on this plane. Mainly the documentation will help me remember what the hell I have done and help others who follow building their planes. I hope it will be of help to the reader.