Canard or Mooney

Comments from a Velocity owner and aeronautical engineer who also
didn't have time to build, so bought instead. Additional comment is
that my Dad has a Mooney 201 that I've flown quite a bit so I think
I'm fairly well placed to at least comment on your question.

For me, there were a few big drivers for the Velocity.
1) Stall characteristics - I can pull the throttle, slow to stall
speed, roll into a 45 degree bank and pull the stick to my stomach and
nothing happens. I know this isn't an issue for "good" pilots, but
the records are littered with stall/spins. I'm human and make
mistakes. Whether rational or not, the stall/spin is one of my
biggest fears.
2) Maintenance / avionics - with a homebuilt, I can do everything
myself outside of the "annual". This has helped with the nuisance
issues, but I still use the local A&P for a lot of work.
Additionally, I have access to cutting edge development that is too
expensive or simply not available to certified aircraft. Example is
my Trutrak 2 axis autopilot / ADI. I absolutely love it and my Dad
can't put it in his Mooney without a LOT of effort if at all.
3) Factory support / aircraft complexity - factory support may not be
as good as Mooney, but in the experimental world the ability to get
factory check out and factory annual is a big deal. Also note that
the Velocity can perform extremely well as a VERY simple airplane. My
plane is fixed prop, fixed gear and keeps us with a 201. My plane is
more basic from a maintenance perspective than a Cessna 172 and was it
a simple transition from that plane.
4) Useful load - I can put myself, my wife, both kids, the dog and a
weekends worth of luggage into it and still easily cover 300-400
miles.

Jeff

On Mon, 12 May 2008 17:46:51 -0400, Linton Yarbrough wrote:

> On Mon, 05 May 2008 03:26:33 -0400, Gezellig wrote:
>
>>>> To make matters worser, I can't build one so I have to take someone
>>>> else's work. :( but the numbers of successful Cozys is a testament to
>>>> the design. plus, you get to install a rotary-Wankel; this is good?
>>
>>> I dunno. For an assortment of reasons, I have not been hanging around the
>>> local airport for the past couple of years. But the one builder that I knew
>>> who actually started flying a Wankel powered Cozy MkIV finally gave up and
>>> switched to a Lycoming O-360. From what I have heard, he was unsuccessful at
>>> cooling the Wankel; but the Lycoming is running without problems.
>>
>>> The only recommendations that I can make are to look/ask on
>>> rec.aviation.homebuilt and also on the canard forum. (I have forgoten what
>>> the canard forum is really called and/or where it is located, but someone on
>>> R.A.H will be sure to know.)
>>
>>> Peter
>>
>> Lint, my ex-brother-in-law has a Cozy IV and it is a super flight. He
>> bought his already built and has never had a problem except with the
>> front nose gear. The faster LD speeds! I think the Cozys are for those
>> who want to build, the Mooneys for those who don't care to.
>
> Gazelle, this may be the answer. Even with a Lycoming, I see Jeff's
> point about the annual; I am left confused in this, can I expect to get
> an annual on a Cozy/Velocity type canard without having to do anything
> myself?

Find another Cozy/Velocity owner and pay them?