Links of interest to composite aircraft builders and those interested in composites

Cozy Builders Mailing List and the "Unofficial Cozy Builders Web page": This site is far more than just a mailing list, it is a website that acts as a repository of information for canard aircraft builders (and builders of the Cozy Mark IV in particular).

Associations and groups important to canard aircraft builders

Central States Association - CSA is an organization of builders and flyers of Rutan-type aircraft. A valuable newsletter is mailed to members regularly and supported with additional resources and photos online at ez.org.
Experimental Aircraft Association - A national organization for those interested in experimental aircraft.
Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association- The AOPA's main function is to represent the interest of pilots before our lawmakers.

Other sites of interest

Wicks Aircraft Supply
Aircraft Spruce and Specialty Corporation
CG Products - Manufacturer and supplier of custom metal components and assemblies for canard aircraft. Designed and sold by a fellow builder.
CST Sales is an alternate source of MGS epoxy and other composite materials.
Airtech is an an alternate supplier of vacuum bagging materials, peel ply, glass, and other materials.
EZ Noselift - Manufacturer and supplier of electric retractable nose gear.
Wright Aircraft Works - Manufacturer and supplier of electric retractable nose gear.
Featherlite Inc. 1327 South State St., Airport, Ukiah, CA 95482 Phone 707-462-2939 Fx 462-3424 e-mail: fthrlite@pacific.net Larry Lombard. Featherlite Inc. is a manufacturer of landing gear bows and the nose-gear strut. They don't have a website (yet) and credit cards the way they do business. Just give Larry a call and let him know what you need. He takes personal checks by mail. He seems like a real nice guy, owns a couple of aircraft himself, and is real helpful.
MGS Epoxy- Manufacturer of MGS epoxy products. Datasheets and information available here in both German and English
Fiber Glast - supplier of many composite materials, tools, supplies, etc.
Aerospace Composite Products - supplier of composite materials, vacuum pumps, vacuum bagging materials, premade panels, carbon fiber, and other tools and materials.
Infinity Aerospace - Be a rebel, add a retractable gear to your plans-built Cozy Mark IV, just ask other builders for advice.
James Aircraft - Fiberglass cowls, wheel pants, engine plenums, and other experimental aircraft custom parts. James Aircraft also produces an informative video on making fiberglass parts such as cowls, wheelpants, and custom glass components. It is available at Aircraft Spruce or via his website. The video is high on information, low on production budget.
The Arnold Company (AR-5 Videos) - Mike Arnold, a filmaker, designed and built a little 65 HP rotax-powered 231 MPH speedster and produced a series of videos explaining how it was done, how he got the speed, and how the performance was verified for the record. The videos look a little bit on the low-budget side, but the content and the explanations behind how Mike Arnold got the speed out of his low-horsepower aircraft is worth the cost of thse videos.
Aerosport Power -Supplier of engines for experimental aircraft.
Poly Fiber Aircraft Coatings - Supplier of finishing materials and coatings.

Cockpit Electronics, Avionics, Instruments, Engine Monitoring, EFIS

Trio Avionics - Autopilot systems for the homebuilder.
Approach Systems Inc - Glass cockpit instrumentation on your PDA.
Dynon Avionics - Some very nice and very popular EFIS systems. Their Dynon's FlightDEK-D180 is suprisingly well packed with features considering its small size and suitability for use in small home built aircraft.
Grand Rapids Technologies, Inc. Electronic instrument for your experimental aircraft. They make EFIS packages and engine information systems that fit small panels.
MGL Avionics. Electronics Flight Information Systems with color displays for your experimental aircraft / Glass Cockpit EFIS
Vision Microsystems - Engine instrumentation and monitoring systems
Rocky Mountain Instrument - Engine instrumentation and monitoring systems that fit in a limited space instrument panel.
RST Engineering- Antenna kits and other electronics for the homebuilder. This is a one-man-shop, and just like the big corporations, prompt response is hard to come by.
Light Speed Engineering - High performance ignition systems and other experimental aviation products.

Sources of good tips, builder guides, hints, and ideas

How to do the finishing on a composite airplane.
Molding techniques using a foam plug -This is an interesting site showing many composite construction techniques. The project example is something called a hang-buggy. The site offers good photos to illustrate the techniques. Note the drilled worktable - a dust collection system maybe?
General overview of composite construction tools, skills, techniques
General photo tutorial on making a fiberglass fuel tank. - This site shows the construction process of making a 10 gallon fuel tank for a small airplane to custom fit into a back seat space.
Cerritos Community College - Composites Manufacturing Center - a well recognized program for composites engineering and manufacturing training in the Los Angeles / Orange County, CA area. (This link does not work with some browsers- MS IE works ok.)
The AeroElectric Connection - Useful information about the electronics in light aircraft and provider of electronics seminars for the homebuilder. Bob Nuckolls offers books, information, and seminars on how to safely and efficiently wire up the electronics for your homebuilt aircraft.

Forums and discussion groups

Associations and groups important to canard aircraft builders

Other sites of interest

Suppliers and manufacturers

Cockpit Electronics, Avionics, Instruments, Engine Monitoring, EFIS

Sources of good tips, builder guides, hints, and ideas