The CozyJet -- Nose In The Air, Tail On Fire
Greg Richter had a Cozy III with a Mazda engine. He had a dream of having his own jet. Robert & Valerie Harris had a shop in Covington, Tennessee that did Rutan Aircraft maintenance, repairs and modifications. Robert wanted to build a jet EZ. Ryszard Zadow, friend of Roberts, Former F-14 jockey and Varizeze owner, stopped in at Roberts shop every chance he could. When all three got together and talked about a Jet.. an idea became an inspiration. Robert told Greg he could hang a jet engine on his airplane and Greg said do it. The result was the world’s first, and only, composite, canard, Rutan inspired jet, and it flew in to OSH in 2005 the crowd went wild!
Ten years later Ryszard had an Idea and needed something to get everyone’s attention. The first thing that came to mind was an airplane that had all the features he needed to draw attention to his idea, what he called, “a people magnet”. By then Greg had sold the CozyJet to Frank Dasmaci in Sacramento. Ryszard paid Frank a visit and told him about his idea and that he needed his jet. Frank saw Ryszards vision and a deal was made. The CozyJet became the “people magnet” Ryszard needed to launch the Rutan Aircraft Flying Experience.
Ryszard contacted the EAA and told them he was bringing the CozyJet back to OSH and he was using it to launch a non-profit aviation museum dedicated to the preservation and promotion of Burt Rutan’s homebuilt designs. All he was hoping for was good parking spot and not get cast off into the back forty at OSH 2015. Unbeknownst to him, when he landed the CozyJet at OSH, EAA volunteers directed him right to the middle of Boeing Square! The whole week the CozyJet did exactly what Robert and Greg built it to do, and what Ryszard needed it to do, the world’s only homebuilt composite canard Rutan inspired JET became a PEOPLE MAGNET! Even Burt Rutan came by and visited with Ryszard. He sold every t-shirt he brought and talked to so many people he lost his voice by Wednesday, and had an EAA radio show the next day and a Forum to give the day after! The Rutan Aircraft Flying Experience was BORN!
After OSH Ryszard took the CozyJet on tour to keep promoting the Rutan Aircraft Flying Experience. He stopped at Kanab for the traditional EZ RACE event. It was the first time a Jet had participated in a RACE event. Then on to Reno for the Reno Air Races. Each evening at the races Ryszard flew rides in the CozyJet and helped promote the RAFE.
Returning from Reno, after refueling the CozyJet at an airport in New Mexico, the CozyJet’s engine seized. Ryszard dead-sticked it back to the airport but due to the high density altitude, weight of the CozyJet and the tailwind on landing.. the left brake caught fire. The damage was contained but the CozyJet, the world’s first successfully flying composite canard Rutan inspired JET needs your help. It’s back at EZ Jets and getting repaired. An engine has been acquired and there’s a spare available. Many upgrades are going into the CozyJet to help prevent the kind of issue it had on landing that day. It was just a “prototype” and didn’t have things that subsequent jets coming out of the EZJets shop will have. Please donate to the restoration of the CozyJet. Use the Donate button on the home page and help get the world’s first homebuilt composite Rutan inspired canard JET back in the air!