COBA CanardCast – Details, episodes & analysis

Lochie Ferrier is a young test pilot who lives in Oakland, CA with his lady friend Cassidy, an accomplished pilot in her own right, as well as their Canard type-rated Labrador, Kane. His Cozy Mark IV N656TE built by Dr. Thane Ostroth is based at Hayward Municipal KHWD.

Born in Armidale, Australia, Lochie moved to Canberra (Kan-brugh) Australia when he was 12, and then later to the United States in 2014 to attend college at the prestigious Massachusetts Institute of Technology where he earned an Aerospace Engineering Degree. He received his undergraduate in 2019 and is presently working towards his Masters in the area of flight testing.

Lochie’s flown prototypes for the electric aircraft company Beta based in Burlington, Vermont including their electric design “Alia” for over 100 hours. He is presently working at Magpie Aviation in Hayward, CA.

Although Lochie is new to the Canard Community and only recently began operating a Cozy Mark IV, his reach for the sky began in his youth where he learned to fly gliders back in Canberra.

Long EZ builder and canard driver Ken Miller chats about his experiences with host David Williford. Ken is an A&P with an I/A and has extensive experience with Canard aircraft. Ken was born in Glenwood Springs, Colorado in May of 1951 but considers himself a Texan having moved to Hartley, Texas in the Panhandle with his family when he was just a baby.

Ken is a middle kid with two older brothers and one younger sister. The oldest brother earned his pilot’s license. Ken worked at his fathers tractor dealership in Hartley, and overhauled irrigation well engines in their spare time.

In his senior year at Hartley High, Ken was the starting center in basketball, made all district and ranked very high in scoring and rebounds aided by his 6’ 5” frame. Ken went on to Texas Tech College in Lubbock until the summer of 1972 when he struck out for Dallas.

There he shared a home in the Dallas suburb of Arlington with his older brother where he started flight lessons at Arlington Municipal Airport (KGKY). He flew both Cessna 150’s and 172’s and soloed with just six hours of total flight time. In 1980, with a fresh pilot license in hand, Ken started searching for his own airplane and was inspired by a friend who had just completed a Vari Eze. It was then he was bitten by the canard bug quickly partnering with an engineering friend to complete Long Eze plans #35 in just three years; FIRST fight on July 5th, 1984.

Ken flew that Long EZ for 5 years before moving to Florida with his fiancé, Diane. Diane and Ken met at Addison airport where she was taking flight lessons.

Once in Florida, Ken and Diane built their own Long EZ (N6KD), incorporating many enhancements. They flew N6KD all over the US., landing in most of the 48 states and with many wonderful flying adventures. Let’s listen to a few!

Gary Hertzler currently lives in Mesa Arizona but grew up in St. Louis, Missouri, and attended college at the General Motors Institute of Technology earning his Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering degree in 1966. Following graduation he had a short stint with McDonnell-Douglas doing design work on the F4 Phantom. While at McDonnell-Douglas he obtained his private pilot’s license. In 1967 the Vietnam war was raging on in Southeast Asia. The U.S. military draft was in effect. Gary was facing the draft or join the US Air Force. He served 4 years in the Air Force as a project officer at Kirtland AFB, in Albuquerque, NM. While in the Air Force he joined the base aero club and obtained his instrument and commercial ratings. 

Gary started work for Garrett AiReseach jet engine company immediately following his discharge in 1971. He hired on as a designer in the engine valve group, but quickly moved up to the TFE731 turbofan jet engine project. From there he was promoted to Project Design Manager for two different engine projects, the military TFE1042 jet engine and the CFE738 commercial engine. Gary finished his career as Master Design Manager for the 907 jet engine with the company known then as Honeywell in the year 2000. 

Back in 1976 after being shown an article in Popular Mechanics on the Burt Rutan VariEze his interest in building his own airplane was renewed. (He had previously started a Mustang II project that he ultimately sold.)  Following completion of his VariEze in 1980 efficiency became his obsession. This included achieving two non-refueled distance worlds records as well as several wins at the CAFÉ 400 competition. Gary is the present holder of the CAFÉ Challenge award. His record is 169.3 mph achieving 48 Miles Per Gallon while hauling a 400 lb. payload flown in his VariEze, November 99 Victor Echo.

Following retirement in 2000, Gary started his own business manufacturing propellers for homebuilt airplanes and has produced nearly 600 propellers primarily for canard aircraft. Besides building and flying his own airplane for the last 41 years he has accumulated over 48 hundred flight hours and has even restored a 1917 Buick touring car and a 1929 Buick coupe. 

Good day and thank you for listening to the first episode of Season Two! My name is David Williford.

Our first guest can only be described as a seasoned command pilot. Ken Swain has more than 30,000 hours flying everything from the biggest C5 Galaxy to the smallest Rutan VariEze. Ken lives in rural North Central Illinois an hour and a half from Chicago, where he supports his second career as a Captain for United operating out of Chicago O'Hare.

Ken’s aviation career started with Air Force ROTC at Texas Tech in the Fall of 1970. He graduated with a mechanical engineering degree with honors. At the time, the US military was operating under a draft, and his draft number was 30, so it was either go to college or go to Vietnam! The recruiter tested Ken where he scored with top marks and discovered he had the aptitude to be a pilot. His first flying was completed in a Cherokee 140 at a private pilot program in the Texas Panhandle compliments of the military. Ken recalls training at Reese Air Force Base in the Texas panhandle as mostly a battle with the wind.

Ken and his wife of 48 years, Nancy have raised twin daughters and for a time he was able to boast the only 4 place VariEze on the planet.

Ken served in Desert Storm flying C5’s globally. Other military transport aircraft experience includes the C141 he was assigned out of pilot training.

Ken retired 20 years having served 10 years Active Duty and 10 years in the reserves, completing his career in the reserves in May of 1994.

He currently owns both a VariEze N4ZZ and a Defiant N16FW and he discusses his latest trip into Rough River in his Defiant with Izzy Briggs at the Rough River airport!

Russ is a very active and motivated Cozy Mark IV Builder. Based at Kilo Hotel Serria Victor near Huntsville, Alabama, he and his wife Kristy share their home with their two dogs in the shadow of the famous US Army Redstone Arsenal and US Space Camp for the past nine years. 

Russ’s early career accomplishments include connections to America’s space program where he participated in both the ThOR Project In Huntsville where Russ helped design technology to map lightning strikes from orbiting satellites and the Reduced Gravity Program at the Johnson Spaceflight Center in Houston where he flew in a KC-135 to complete a study of human reaction learning curves in microgravity.

Russ is building a Cozy MkIV that is now in the contouring phase. He has hopes of starting flight testing this summer.

Among their top goals, Russ and Kristy hope to benefit from the Cozy’s long range and high efficiency with a trip to the Bahamas from Huntsville International-Carl T Jones Field. 

UPDATE: Russ has completed his Cozy IV and is now flying!

Marc (with a C) was born on the East Coast and now lives in California, not far the birthplace of the Rutan Canard revolution in Tehachapi. Marc operates his hand-built Cozy Mark four, November Eight Three Mike Zulu called Precious Time from a hanger he shares with the legendary Mike Melvill….. Marc shares his home with his beautiful wife and accomplished artist Deanie Zeitlin.  

Marc’s interest in aerospace stretches back to the second golden age of aviation in the early 1980’s. Among his early accomplishments include building a Q2 and graduating from MIT with a Masters in Aeronautical Engineering.  Marc Zeitlin is a recognized expert the canard community and puts his deep and long experience to use in support of our canard community by hosting a free internet support site called “the Unofficial Cozy Builders Web Site” and, additionally, the COZY aircraft builder mailing list for the benefit of the Cozy and greater canard aircraft community.

Marc has worked on a statistically significant portion of the Rutan Canard fleet through his business Burnside Aerospace, keeping our cherished aircraft safer through countless condition inspections. He’s given first canard flight incentive rides to dozens of active builders in Precious Time. 

Marc also enjoys inventing ways to escape yard work.

Mike Beasley is a retired Air Force aircraft maintenance officer.  In 2006, after 20 years of service, he traded his uniform for a shirt & tie is currently a civil service acquisitions program manager at Robins Air Force Base in Warner Robins, GA.   He started his Long EZ project in 2001 while he was stationed in Germany and has since moved the project three times.  He is almost finished with avionics and wiring and is hoping to start flight testing in the next few months.   In October 2019, he took over the Central States Association newsletter from Terry Schubert, who filled this role for 35 years. 

We hope you enjoy CanardCast brought to you by the Canard Owners and Builders Association (COBA). If you have feedback on format, stories or other suggestions, please let us know at the COBA website -->  Contact Us page.

** UPDATE: Since this episode was recorded, Mike completed his Long-EZ aircraft, N835MS. Built from Nov 2001 until Aug 2020, the build took nearly 19 years. First flight was conducted by Dave Adams on 8 Aug 2020 and second flight was on 9 Aug 2020.  This was the third flight of N835MS and was 30 minutes in duration, reaching 6,000 feet. Takeoff, cruise, and landing were uneventful. You can see the first flight here on 

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DiJdlmL6EUI 

Long time Canard owner Damon Meyer tells us a little about his aviation story in this episode of the Canard Owners and Builders CanardCast. Today, Damon Meyer talks with us about his recent decision to transition from a long career in Information Technology to fly commercial jets. We also learn a little about his very efficient Cozy Mark III N22AZ also nicknamed Cloudz. Finally, Damon shares some details about his World Record flight from Coast to Coast in his Cozy and future plans.

We hope you enjoy CanardCast brought to you by the Canard Owners and Builders Association (COBA). If you have feedback on format, stories or other suggestions, please let us know at the COBA website -->  Contact Us page.

Welcome to our very first CanardCast! This episode features the former Central States editor of 30 years and owner of N9TS, the C.1.A world altitude record holding aircraft that he built. 

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We hope you enjoy CanardCast brought to you by the Canard Owners and Builders Association (COBA). If you have feedback on format, stories or other suggestions, please let us know at the COBA website -->  Contact Us page.

ABOUT THE PHOTO: Terry said, "That was shot at New Philadelphia, OH (KPHD).  Lead is Terry Lamp in his Long-EZ N977JT, which he sold to Marco.  I'm wing man in Long-EZ N9TS.  It was a fun day."

Today we have a special interview. We were able to record some conversations immediately following a pilot’s debriefing immediately following his first flight in a Cozy at Mojave Air and Spaceport. We will also get to listen in to his report home to his wife after is successful solo.

Antonio Becerra is a Director and Cinematographer from Oregon. Antonio fell in love with photography as a 12-year-old who learned the art of developing photos from his father. He later earned a Master’s Degree in Interdisciplinary Studies in the areas of Photography, Film Studies, and Education from Oregon State. This former adjunct professor of photography at Oregon State University follows his passion for visual storytelling all over the country and his work appears in countless publications including The New York Times and Time Magazine.

An accomplished director and cinematographer, Antonio has created dozens of TV commercials in 9 states, and photographed the ad campaigns for 15 current members of Congress. His company is Alteza Films. https://www.altezafilms.com/

Today Antonio enjoys capturing aerial images and traveling to work sites in his Cozy IV N48AD formerly known as N287R. Antonio is new to Canards and Aviation with 100 hours and is currently pursuing his instrument rating.

Antonio speaks English, Spanish and Portuguese, and currently resides in Corvallis Oregon.