Squish Posted July 8, 2015 Share Posted July 8, 2015 Hi all, I'm new at this so please be pateint with me. I aquired a VEZ not to long ago and to my dismay I found corrosion in 2 of the spar plates. I was wondering would it be easier to fab aluminium wings instead of going through a 1980 built VEZ? Could use some (a lot) of help. Thanks Squish Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AVI Posted July 9, 2015 Share Posted July 9, 2015 Aluminum wings? Wow. Are you willing to take on the task of designing a new airplane from scratch? New spar? New winglets? New spar attach? New controls? Maybe new fuselage? Basically, a new airplane? That's what you'd be in for, I believe. Sure, it's possible .... BTW, aluminum spars have been known to corrode as well. Your best bet might be to seek advice on replacing the spar plates. Mark Z offers excellent, professional advice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Squish Posted July 9, 2015 Author Share Posted July 9, 2015 Thanks for the advice. I don't think I'll go that route of designing an aluminium wing. I'm just a bit shy at glass work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon Matcho Posted July 16, 2015 Share Posted July 16, 2015 Thanks for the advice. I don't think I'll go that route of designing an aluminium wing. I'm just a bit shy at glass work. Once you get over the hump you'll look back and wonder why you were so shy. You can buy a composites practice kit from Wicks or Aircraft Spruce, attend a composites workshop from EAA, or best yet, find someone and participate a bit in their building sessions. Quote Jon Matcho Builder & Canard Zone Admin Now: Rebuilding Quickie Tri-Q200 N479E Next: Resume building a Cozy Mark IV Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Squish Posted July 18, 2015 Author Share Posted July 18, 2015 Jon, Thanks that's a great suggestion. I've talked to a fiberglass shop and he said he would be happy to show me how to glass and would like to help with the project. How lucky! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kent Ashton Posted July 18, 2015 Share Posted July 18, 2015 You might get with the EAA Chapter in Spokane and find out who is building or has built a Rutan design. http://www.eaa79.org It would be good to get some instruction from Rutan builders than a generic fiberglass shop and they will lead you to more information. Rutan's moldless construction is simple but rather specialized for his aircraft. Your chief problem seems to be whether the wing fitting corrosion is repairable. You need to figure that out pretty quick because if it isn't, a lot of your Vari project will need to be tossed. I would recommend calling Marc Zeitlin for a start here http://www.cozybuilders.org He is very experienced and can tell you what can be done practically. He is at Oshkosh this week, though. Another chap that would know is Burrall Sanders, here http://www.freeflightcomposites.com A few phone calls will tell you a lot, I think. 1 Quote -KentCozy IV N13AM-750 hrs, Long-EZ-85 hrs and sold Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Squish Posted July 20, 2015 Author Share Posted July 20, 2015 Kent, Thanks for your info. I did contact my EAA group. Come to find out there is someone on the field that built a Long EZ. I also have had some communication with Mark Z. and, gave me Valerie's number who's with EZJets. Valerie has given me loads of information. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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