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Looking for Canardians in Southern California


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Hi all,

 

I'm not new to canards, I've been a fan for many years. At age 45 I decided I must follow my lifelong dream of flight and now am obsessed with obtaining my own canard.

 

Being 6'2" and 260lbs, not many aircraft "fit" me. I sat in a non flying LEZ and that was it. Now I need to hitch a ride in a flying AC to confirm my suspicion that Rutan's designs are simply the best. I know w/b could be an issue.

 

I live in Chula Vista which is south of San Diego. I am seeking a ride in any canard in the area and would like to get to know fellow canard aviators. Are there any get togethers or fly-ins in So Cal? I could fly my Cessna 140 (slow bird) to your location.

 

I am also looking for a reasonably priced flying LEZ to purchase. My Vans RV6A build project has lost it's appeal compared to canards. Don't have time to build right now with hectic work schedule but may build in the future.

 

Thanks

Mike "Smokey" Napoli N977JT

Ellison TBI, Light Speed electronic ignition, Wright nose lift, Micro Vision 1000 engine monitor, Garmin 250XL GPS/COM, King Mode C transponder, Hertzler Silver Bullet Prop, Roncz Canard, large Rudders and Nav/Aid A/P

KSDM San Diego, CA

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Hi all,

 

I'm not new to canards, I've been a fan for many years. At age 45 I decided I must follow my lifelong dream of flight and now am obsessed with obtaining my own canard.

 

Being 6'2" and 260lbs, not many aircraft "fit" me. I sat in a non flying LEZ and that was it. Now I need to hitch a ride in a flying AC to confirm my suspicion that Rutan's designs are simply the best. I know w/b could be an issue.

 

I live in Chula Vista which is south of San Diego. I am seeking a ride in any canard in the area and would like to get to know fellow canard aviators. Are there any get togethers or fly-ins in So Cal? I could fly my Cessna 140 (slow bird) to your location.

 

I am also looking for a reasonably priced flying LEZ to purchase. My Vans RV6A build project has lost it's appeal compared to canards. Don't have time to build right now with hectic work schedule but may build in the future.

 

Thanks

I might suggest you come to Chino airport on any saturday and you will see many canards the canard guys have breakfast at flo's airport restaurant allmost every saturday at 10 AM. I have hear that there is a wide long eze with an O-290 for sale on the field that was built by a guy 6' 5" and 260 lbs who lost his metical.

Evolultion Eze RG -a two place side by side-200 Knots on 200 HP. A&P / pilot for over 30 years

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It isn't to late to change your direction...Lez 2 be...

And I might add, at 6-2 260# you are one of the largest women I have EVER made the acquaintance...:ROTFLMAO: Oh heck,

Waz I the only...?

 

Har de har...[backing up] Mr Navy Seal right there...Hulk Hogan in disguise....[hands out in front]

Jussss kiddin':D

 

Welcome to the Canardian club! At 47 I realized the same thing as you describe and jumped in...Now every day when I'm doing something else, It'll creep in on my thoughts I've got a plane cooking up in the garage and I get a smile. It'll put some spring in your step.:cool:

Self confessed Wingnut.

Now think about it...wouldn't you rather LIVE your life, rather than watch someone else's, on Reality T.V.?

Get up off that couch!!! =)

 

Progress; Fuselage on all three, with outside and inside nearly complete. 8 inch extended nose. FHC done. Canard finished. ERacer wings done with blended winglets. IO540 starting rebuild. Mounting Spar. Starting strake ribs.

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[....] that was built by a guy 6' 5" and 260 lbs who lost his metical.

cough, did everyone get this ?

 

Without mincing words, if you have a fat ass and a fat guts and you are over 40yrs of age then forget aviation because you won't be a pilot for long.

 

You will live longer flying small planes. Lose some weight, fatty.

 

Steve (230LBs)

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cough, did everyone get this ?

 

Without mincing words, if you have a fat ass and a fat guts and you are over 40yrs of age then forget aviation because you won't be a pilot for long.

 

You will live longer flying small planes. Lose some weight, fatty.

 

Steve (230LBs)

Wow, Steve,

Thats kind of judgemental. 6'5" 260 lbs is not necessarily HD for that height.

But shouting it from a rooftop to the crowd is sort of bad manners isn't it?

...Chrissi

CG Products

www.CozyGirrrl.com

Cozy Mk-IV RG 13B Turbo

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Without mincing words, if you have a fat ass and a fat guts and you are over 40yrs of age then forget aviation because you won't be a pilot for long.

 

You will live longer flying small planes. Lose some weight, fatty.

Interesting comments, coming from a guy who, on 2/9/2007 wrote (on the other canard web forum):

 

"... So those tempted to offer a nasty cutting remark, beyond the little humorous sarcasm might like to GROW UP, and offer the little bit of kindness that they never got as a child."

 

Pot, Kettle, Black, etc.

 

6' 2" and 260 lb. would hardly be the largest person flying GA aircraft, and would barely match the largest person I've flown with in my COZY.

 

Lynn's comment of hitting up the Chino crowd is a good one. Also check out www.ez.org, and join the canard-aviators mailing list to make more contacts. You just missed a 12 aircraft canard fly-in at Corona a week and a half ago...

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Wow, when did this place get so high school? Whether the comments were made in fun or serious lack of tact and good graces, I think it's a good thing that people ask those questions of W&B, cabin size, etc associated with the aircraft they're considering, and if the first thing we do is criticize, then how many lurkers could be builders could be flyers do we risk alienating? We all know there aren't many FAA standard 160-pounders anymore, so why not just accept that and deal with the issues of how we fit into our aircraft?

Craig K.

Cozy IV #1457

building chapter seven!

http://www.maddyhome.com/canardpages/pages/chasingmars/index.html

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It's ok folks. I'm a cop and have to stay big and strong to help the weak and helpless. Besides you're going to have to step it up Steve to ruffle my feathers.

 

I appreciate the other warm sentiments and look forward to meeting you all out and about.

 

By the way my name is Mike Napoli. See you there or in the air!

Mike "Smokey" Napoli N977JT

Ellison TBI, Light Speed electronic ignition, Wright nose lift, Micro Vision 1000 engine monitor, Garmin 250XL GPS/COM, King Mode C transponder, Hertzler Silver Bullet Prop, Roncz Canard, large Rudders and Nav/Aid A/P

KSDM San Diego, CA

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It's ok folks. I'm a cop and have to stay big and strong to help the weak and helpless. Besides you're going to have to step it up Steve to ruffle my feathers.

 

I appreciate the other warm sentiments and look forward to meeting you all out and about.

 

By the way my name is Mike Napoli. See you there or in the air!

The big long eze at chino was built by two retired cops.

Evolultion Eze RG -a two place side by side-200 Knots on 200 HP. A&P / pilot for over 30 years

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Besides you're going to have to step it up Steve to ruffle my feathers.

Mike, it's good to see those comments bounced off you -- a good quality to have for building airplanes. You'll get lots of "advice" as you move through the process.

 

Welcome, and good luck!

Jon Matcho :busy:
Builder & Canard Zone Admin
Now:  Rebuilding Quickie Tri-Q200 N479E
Next:  Resume building a Cozy Mark IV

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Mike. I gotta say- its like you walked up to the counter and ordered up your Long Eze -regarding that plane in Chino thats available. You're a big guy and I bet if you sit in the wider version those guys built, you would probably go into orbit. Theres not a lot of Longs built like that. As to the price- as said, contact Beagle and you can get a good idea of a flavor of the pricing/marketplace...but as you have alluded, a reasonable price means one thing to most and thats CHEAPer than unreasonable". After that, its all over the board as to what some people call "reasonable". Beagle can tell you whats reasonable, regarding quality, age, condition, and help you out a lot. Longs go from 28-45K it seems...

....but wow- to pop up with the size you are and have a tailor made/custom sized airplane available is, like, some kind of, "sign" from above.:)

The only downside to buying somebodies plane is the new owner can't repair and work on it. But Lynn in Chino is a 30 year experienced A+P and can probably be retained as he owns a beautiful one off canard he built himself.

 

Oh, One other thing..If Bill Oertel [in Chino too.]can name his plane 'Stiletto'- I figure a Cop like you should name his something like Beretta. After all it is kinda like you're strapping on the plane, with that fighter plane F-16 fit!

Self confessed Wingnut.

Now think about it...wouldn't you rather LIVE your life, rather than watch someone else's, on Reality T.V.?

Get up off that couch!!! =)

 

Progress; Fuselage on all three, with outside and inside nearly complete. 8 inch extended nose. FHC done. Canard finished. ERacer wings done with blended winglets. IO540 starting rebuild. Mounting Spar. Starting strake ribs.

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The only downside to buying somebodies plane is the new owner can't repair and work on it.

Let's go through this once again.

 

ANYONE can work on an experimental amateur built aircraft. Anyone. You, some bum off the street; your friends, your grandmother, aliens in Area 51 - pick one (or many). You can do any and all maintenance, repairs, modifications, updates, ANYTHING, at any time, for any reason.

 

The ONLY thing you can't do, as J. Random Airplane Worker, to an experimental amateur built aircraft is sign off the yearly Condition Inspection (not Conditional, and not Annual). For that, you either need to be an A&P (and do NOT need an IA), or you need to be the possessor of the Repairman's Certificate for that particular aircraft (NOT the aircraft "type"). That's it.

 

The ONLY restriction that buying an experimental amateur built aircraft has is that you can't sign off the CI.

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ANYONE can work on an experimental amateur built aircraft. Anyone. You, some bum off the street; your friends, your grandmother, aliens in Area 51

Marc;

 

You been peeking in my hangar when I do my PI??? :D

 

Waiter

F16 performance on a Piper Cub budget

LongEZ, 160hp, MT CS Prop, Downdraft cooling, Full retract

visit: www.iflyez.com

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Thanks Marc. Obviously I didn't know that. I'm not sure where- but I think I got that from the past bantering about the many reasons, regarding just WHY it was so all fired up better to build your own plane...and go through the 5-10 year birthing process.

Self confessed Wingnut.

Now think about it...wouldn't you rather LIVE your life, rather than watch someone else's, on Reality T.V.?

Get up off that couch!!! =)

 

Progress; Fuselage on all three, with outside and inside nearly complete. 8 inch extended nose. FHC done. Canard finished. ERacer wings done with blended winglets. IO540 starting rebuild. Mounting Spar. Starting strake ribs.

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Does anybody have contact info for the "wide" long ez in Chino?

 

Otherwise I'll look up Beagle. Probably a good idea anyway.

 

Do you all have a recommendation for the pre-purchase inspection? I was a Navy jet engine mechanic in another lifetime but don't yet know the specifics for composite canards. Who's your go to guy/girl /AP/EZ expert at Chino?

 

Thanks

 

Longin for the EZ Life

Mike "Smokey" Napoli N977JT

Ellison TBI, Light Speed electronic ignition, Wright nose lift, Micro Vision 1000 engine monitor, Garmin 250XL GPS/COM, King Mode C transponder, Hertzler Silver Bullet Prop, Roncz Canard, large Rudders and Nav/Aid A/P

KSDM San Diego, CA

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[...]But shouting it from a rooftop to the crowd is sort of bad manners isn't it?

Since you ask, in my culture such a remark is taken the way it was intended and results a large guffaw from the crowd, and this is a multi-cultural, international forum - not your-culture-only. In NZ, friends rib each other all the time, and it is bad form to inadvertently accuse them of meaning harm by it. fatty :cool:

 

However, I am informed that since I am not a builder I have little or no credibility so I will withdraw. ciao.

 

S

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Since you ask, in my culture such a remark is taken the way it was intended and results a large guffaw from the crowd, and this is a multi-cultural, international forum - not your-culture-only.

And since this is a mult-cultural, international forum, you should not base your remarks on YOUR cultures typical results however you think it was intended.

Regards,

Jason T Heath

MarkIV #1418

heathjasont@yahoo.com

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Steve,

I'd not have any problem calling anyone in any culture on a comment that seemed innapropriate, it is better judgement to err on the side of being polite.

We all goof around on these forums and although we should all keep to matters of a technical nature I think the personal stuff creeps in anyways. Nobody brought up the subject of your credibility, you are the only one who can bring it into question.

A non-builder status does not preclude your participation or invalidate your opinion, its whether or not the opinion expressed is specifically valid to the subject at hand.

For example: I worked with a lot of fiberglass long before we began this project, I knew about it in the fields where I used it. You would think I could speak about it with authority. Not a single bit of that knowledge was of any value whatsoever to this project, if anything my preconceptions were a hinderance.

I wish that Randi and I had the benefit of a few years of reading, listening and observing the community and feeding the obcession by gathering information rather than just blindly diving in on the build. I am sure some of this is 20/20 hindsight and some of this "wisdom" is from the actual build process but we now see the wisdom in patience and self restraint.

There is much to be learned before you stir that first cup of epoxy.

...so pat yourself on the back.

CG Products

www.CozyGirrrl.com

Cozy Mk-IV RG 13B Turbo

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Does anybody have contact info for the "wide" long ez in Chino?

 

Otherwise I'll look up Beagle. Probably a good idea anyway.

 

Do you all have a recommendation for the pre-purchase inspection? I was a Navy jet engine mechanic in another lifetime but don't yet know the specifics for composite canards. Who's your go to guy/girl /AP/EZ expert at Chino?

 

Thanks

 

Longin for the EZ Life

contact David Orr ( Beagle ) he should have the imfo on that bird. he can also give you A&P imfo for Bill Ortel

Evolultion Eze RG -a two place side by side-200 Knots on 200 HP. A&P / pilot for over 30 years

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  • 3 weeks later...

Good news folks!

 

I am purchasing a beautiful LEZ (N977JT) this weekend!

 

I have to fly to Ohio to pick it up and fly it back to San Diego.

 

No more LEZ2B for me. I'm going to switch to my flyin name "Smokey".

 

Anybody have any advice on the trip back. I'll be trying to make a straight route from Columbus to Southern California (weather permitting) . How about a good place to spend the night about 600 miles west from Columbus? (and maybe south)

 

By the way I used "The Canard Finder" and it was a great experience. Beagle's experience and support really made the process a snap.

 

Thanks and good to be aboard the canard flight.

Mike "Smokey" Napoli N977JT

Ellison TBI, Light Speed electronic ignition, Wright nose lift, Micro Vision 1000 engine monitor, Garmin 250XL GPS/COM, King Mode C transponder, Hertzler Silver Bullet Prop, Roncz Canard, large Rudders and Nav/Aid A/P

KSDM San Diego, CA

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Post some pics of you picking up your new bird! Congrats..

...see we told you Beagle was THE MAN!

Join AOPA and use their flight planner on their website. Its a great resource for such a cross country trip.

Pics Pics Pics!

Self confessed Wingnut.

Now think about it...wouldn't you rather LIVE your life, rather than watch someone else's, on Reality T.V.?

Get up off that couch!!! =)

 

Progress; Fuselage on all three, with outside and inside nearly complete. 8 inch extended nose. FHC done. Canard finished. ERacer wings done with blended winglets. IO540 starting rebuild. Mounting Spar. Starting strake ribs.

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I am purchasing a beautiful LEZ (N977JT) this weekend!

Congratulations!!! I do believe I've seen the one in your avatar at Rough River.

 

No more LEZ2B for me. I'm going to switch to my flyin name "Smokey".

I can do that for you if you like -- no sense creating a new account. Up to you... just let me know.

Jon Matcho :busy:
Builder & Canard Zone Admin
Now:  Rebuilding Quickie Tri-Q200 N479E
Next:  Resume building a Cozy Mark IV

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