Vaireze Purchased

[lyonsdan]

I recently purchased a 1981 Varieze. N81JC. If anyone knows any info on this aircraft please let me know. I looking at getting cruise speeds around 170mph. current reports are 150mph. It has a O-200 with high compression pistons and ted hendrickson 56x70 prop. I've tried to find if putting a prop extension on the aircraft on gives you a better bite on the prop. but haven'y found any signifant data supporting this. it has wheel pants on it but they aren't all that great. i will be putting light speed pants and gear fairings. i'm also designing the front gear doors. i have been told to put a bigger porp on. but i'm worried about ground contact of FOD. i've found a 3 blade 56inch prop. but not sure if it will spin it well. i'm not sure if shortening the canard will give you better cruise but i don't think that has been done either. so anyone that has information or can help please do. i've also looked at electric ignition but that's a costly investment.

[Kent Ashton]

The fun begins . . .! A prop extension usually helps these birds but I'm not sure what Vari owners use (I'm a cozy guy). Klaus Savier put nose gear doors on his Vari but said he couldn't see any difference is speed, however his cooling improved. Are you a subscriber to the Central States Newsletter?It's an excellent canard resource. If you can borrow back issues to read, you'll get so many ideas, your head will spin. Enjoy!

-Kent

Concord, NC

Cozy IV N13AM

[lyonsdan]

noi am notamemberof the central issue. but i have looked into it. currently i plan on putting a front gear door on, klaus wheelpants, klaus landing gear fairings, updating to downdraft cooling, prop extension( if i can see a real difference), maybe a larger prop, and basically cleaning the aircraft up aerodymanically. i have a good idea for the downdraft i have pictures of. looks really nice and clean. i've also thought about electronic ignition but the price is high. the mai goal i amlooking for is cruise speeds of 170mph+. it has a o-200 with high compression pistons. not sure of the actual ratio. that i will find out when i actually dig into the aircraft. i'm also going to get the klaus spinner. thus saving weight and slightly slicker looking. p;us it's just cool. i've done lots of research and have looked at many pictures of similar aircraft and have gotten manyideas so far. the aircraft is basic plans built i believe. so any help would be great. i'd like to hear from people with anyof these mods since they are pretty basic and popular. i'm not looking to have a jet, just want a great plane. what kind of average speeds do people really get in cruise andthe burn rate. i'm new to the canards and i'm not very educated yet.

danny

[borris]

I too am a new owner and hoping to get 170+. What is your weight of the airplane? I've got a dual LSE ignition system that I haven't installed yet. I installed Klauss' LSE on a certified twin (Shhh, don't tell). The improvement was what was published. About 3 percent increase in cruise on 3-4 percent less fuel. Starting is a dream. All the mods you are talking about are limited. You can get a little here and a little there, but at a high cost of money and time. With a healthy o-200 and a decent prop, I would thing 170 would be easy, but I have yet to fly my VE. My empty weight is about 600 lbs.

[WTJohnson]

lyondans,

I think you will be pleased with the speed you get with no changes. Your plane should hit 170 mph with no changes. I think that most ez types that made the nose gear cover change didn't find any speed improvement.

My 1981 Varieze with a C-85 Cont currently hits 165 mph or better with the current Performance prop.

In a hot climate you can't beat updraft cooling. In So.Cal I could idle on the ground forever without overheating ( with good engine baffles ).

If I were you I would not make many changes until I knew how it performed.

Good flying !!....