Newsletter# 40 / January 1993
Newsletter# 41 / April 1993
Dear Nat,
Have 400 hours on the Cozy now. She continues; to impress all who get a
ride or ever see her fly. I can't really believe I built it!
Thanks,
Ron Kidd
Nats Newsletter# 42 / July 1993
MORE NEWS FROM VANCE
Lynn and I went on an aerial tour of Great Harbor and saw some of the
following: Beautiful, beautiful deep blue water with frothing white foam
spraying 30 ft. high over shore boulders on the windward side of the
island. A large pure white Scandinavan Cruise ship anchored off the
North end of the island with hundreds of sun worshipers on the top deck,
some nude. A wrecked DC 3 in 20 ft. of water in one of the harbor bays.
Two wrecked ships, one of which was a large freighter. Some very fancy
houses and miles and miles of clear water two feet deep. We managed to
see a half a dozen working vessels, and an occasional person on the
deserted beaches. After we landed every place we went the natives sad
'You been up flyin' Mon!" Yessire, a pretty small place, ya shoulda been
there! See ya next time, Vance and Lynn.
3/27/93
Dear Cozy Newsletter
Kathy and I enjoyed flymg N2TM to Punta Pescadero located in Baja
California, Mexico. A beautiful 3,500' paved resort on the East Cape,
38 miles SE of La Paz, 805 miles SE of Brown Field, CA. The clear, warm
water snorkeling was as good as I have seen in the Hawaiian tropical
waters. One early evening we put on a mini airshow for the guests that
had gathered near the pool. While flying low over the Sea of Cortez, we
could see tide pools, miles of sandy beaches, whales and the eastern sky
colors changing from deep violet and purple, to hues of glowing orange
and red. A skyscaped sunset we will never forget. After parking the
cozy back at the airport for another night, we were greeted with smiles,
laughter and cheers from a very excited crowd. It was not easy to say
good-bye the next morning, as we pre-flighted, fueled and, oh yes, don't
forget to apply the 12" high temporary N numbers to the sides of the
plane. Our next landing will be in the good old U.S.A. I wouldn't want
to alarm our friends in Customs with our high-tech, stealth, border
crossing Cozy.
Once airborne, we enjoyed the next 805 miles by zipping over islands and
the coastal water dotted with with sandy beaches rising to colorful
painted desert bluffs. The 3-bladed Performance propellor kept us
whirring along at 238 mph. With the auto-pilot engaged and soft stereo
music playing, it was EZ to remember the big event of 2 years ago to the
day. It was that flawless day, when the Cozy and I left the bonds of
earth for our first flight. Upon completion of that flight, I taxied
next to a Beachcraft Starship that had just completed the Customs
process on arrival from La Paz. Gary, the pilot and his passengers
seemed quite impressed with the Cozy, complete with a photo session and
the usual questions: Did you really build this? It was a great day and
we still keep in contact ..... Meanwhile, still reminiscing at
altitude ..... We laughed while I said, "We can do anything a Starship
can do, while saving $4.6 million." After a normal descent and complying
with instructions from approach control, we were cleared to land back
home at Brown Field. The Customs process seems EZ after your 3rd
flight. I'm always ready to go back.
Imagine, wearing shorts in mid-March while enjoying swimming in clear,
warm ocean waters. To top it all off, try flying your own hand-crafted
airplane to get you there! The Cozy loves to fly! We are just ordinary
people that crave the adventure of doing extraordinary things .... until
next time.
Todd & Kathy
Newsletter# 43 / October 1993
TRAVELS WITH "IAPETUS"
One night Nat called for Chris. I answered. Being very persuasive, he
asked me to write about Sun & Fun, or more specifically, where we go in
our Cozy. So now you're all in for it, and here goes.
I'll start at the beginning. When we got married, Chris started
building the Cozy. Naivete of course is part of the "I do" vows because
you don't really know what that means until you live it out. So it is
with the Cozy. In marriage having learned alot about both, I can now
confidently & joyously say that both are worth the effort. During the
building stage my effort, whilst Chris built, was encouragement. Now I
(and most of my worldly belongings) & Chris as chauffeur fly around.
We take approx. 3 major trips per year. Being out-doorsy types, most of
our recreational interests are in the western states. We live in
Waukesha WI. In the winter we take a quick skiing trip to Taos NM,
where our friends live. We UPS our skis ahead of time. By leaving @ 4
AM, we are able to ski for a half day in the afternoon at Taos Mountain.
That's convenience!
On the way home, we ski m the morning and fly into the night. It's
approximately 7 hours flight time with prevailing westerlies. In the
fall, we fly to Teton National Park, in Jackson Hole WY. We carry a week
of back packing equipment with us (sleeping bags, tent, stove, packs,
food, and clothes). Jackson airport is about 5 miles from the entrance
to the park. We fly in, lay out all our gear on the ramp, pack our back
packs, tie down the bird, & hitchhike to the park. I think we might
look a little like flying gypsies!
This spring, we went to Lakeland FL for Sun & Fun. We enjoyed the
weather, and less regimented style of the fly-in than Oshkosh. Besides
the Cozys, there was a balloon race, a B-1 bomber, and teriffic sea of
planes. Revelie bugled every morning at 6:30 AM. We camped at the
fly-in a few days, then rented a car & went scuba diving into the fresh
water springs in North Central Florida. We even swam with a Manatee.
After driving back to the plane, we flew to Boca Raton to visit friends,
then on to Key West. Key West has a good airport and is a fun place to
fly to.
When we flew from Waukesha to Lakeland, we had a 50 Kt. tailwind.
Flying at 11,500 ft. we cruised at 200-220 knots and arrived in 5 hours
flight time. This outstanding performance was achieved at close to
gross weight!
During the good old summertime we fly to Oshkosh. That's a snap for us.
We live 90 road miles away, and 30 minutes by air (unless you're in the
pattern for an hour).
Because our vacations are centered around kayaking, mountain climbing or
scuba diving, we haul a lot of gear. As some of you have already
witnessed, I have perfected the technique of packing the aircraft. Our
plane is utilized like a work-horse. Still it maintains fast, efficient
and cost-effective transportation with it's elegant and graceful design.
It is sturdy, safe, and a joy to fly in. Flying at 18,000 ft. over the
motmtains is not uncommon for us. Besides the plane itself, the Cozy
people are a wonderful group to be with. They're friendly, and always
willing to give a helpful hand, and share advice. It's an honor to be
part of such a fun, organized and outstanding group.
I have become very spoiled by "Iapetus". The only plane that I can
imagine that might be better than a Cozy is a cargo carrier that burns
10 gal/hr. Then I could really bring all my gear and get to those
remote places. I'm not going to hold my breath.
Cathy Esselstyn
July 23, 1993
Dear Nat & Shirley,
Enclosed is a check for the newsletter. Enjoying the Cozy we purchased.
Formerly N566MG but now N34PC. Will be at Oshkosh this year again.
Finally got my wife to go on an 800 mile cross country (her first ride
in the Cozy). Now when ever the prop is turning, she's standing there
with a suitcase. She won't even consider getting back into the Cessna
310.
Thank you,
Marvin Schuh