RaptorAirWorks Posted August 12, 2018 Share Posted August 12, 2018 Hello all! I had received an e-mail from Kent Ashton asking if I would be interested in posting my project here. So I thought I would give it a shot. I will say right up front that this is very different from the Rutan canards your used to. The "Why" is simple...Because. I hired an engineer to help me with the design and have been working on it for a while and it still has some time to go. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RaptorAirWorks Posted August 12, 2018 Author Share Posted August 12, 2018 So first the design. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RaptorAirWorks Posted August 12, 2018 Author Share Posted August 12, 2018 Then making the molds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kent Ashton Posted August 13, 2018 Share Posted August 13, 2018 Excellent, Keith, and you are much further along than your pics show above. I hope you will just keep the FB page as a place-holder and put the rest of your project here where real canard builders are interested in it and can track the progress. ? I am linking to the FB page which has many more pics. https://www.facebook.com/pg/Raptorairworks Do you have an estimate yet what it's going to weigh compared to the Varieze? It looks as if you will have room for a second seat. Possible? Quote -KentCozy IV N13AM-750 hrs, Long-EZ-85 hrs and sold Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlwaysEZ Posted August 13, 2018 Share Posted August 13, 2018 Great looking build! Can't wait to see future posts. Just wanted to ask why you are building from a mold? Do you plan to sell parts or a kit in the future? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon Matcho Posted August 14, 2018 Share Posted August 14, 2018 Another "wow project"! You are building something quite unusual and ambitious, beginning with the tube frame and matched with molds to boot. No small feat at all. 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...
RaptorAirWorks Posted August 14, 2018 Author Share Posted August 14, 2018 3 hours ago, AlwaysEZ said: Great looking build! Can't wait to see future posts. Just wanted to ask why you are building from a mold? Do you plan to sell parts or a kit in the future? When I started I was thinking about kits, but lets see how it flys. I think I am going to build more than one for sure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RaptorAirWorks Posted August 14, 2018 Author Share Posted August 14, 2018 22 hours ago, Kent Ashton said: Excellent, Keith, and you are much further along than your pics show above. I hope you will just keep the FB page as a place-holder and put the rest of your project here where real canard builders are interested in it and can track the progress. ? I am linking to the FB page which has many more pics. https://www.facebook.com/pg/Raptorairworks Do you have an estimate yet what it's going to weigh compared to the Varieze? It looks as if you will have room for a second seat. Possible? Thanks! You let the cat out of the bag too soon Weight with the O290 was going to hit around 690 but with the Honda/Viking it is looking to be about 720. It is a little heavy but I guess all prototypes are? I know where to cut the weight on the next one. But I will say that my seat is 25#, it was an extravagant addition... As far as a second seat... my thoughts are that there is a LE for that so why not resurrect the VE as a single. The pilot seat is 8" aft and the fuel is behind the pilot seat, 18 gallons with room for 30 total. the strakes are empty. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RaptorAirWorks Posted August 14, 2018 Author Share Posted August 14, 2018 Here is the frame completed. The canard mount was changed to a more flexible design to avoid stressing the lift tabs. you could just about complete the plane and run the engine, perhaps even taxi test before putting on the shell. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RaptorAirWorks Posted September 2, 2018 Author Share Posted September 2, 2018 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RaptorAirWorks Posted September 2, 2018 Author Share Posted September 2, 2018 Fuel cell is 7 layers of Kevlar Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RaptorAirWorks Posted September 2, 2018 Author Share Posted September 2, 2018 First attempt at load testing the spar. Didn't go so well, bad spar. (old story) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RaptorAirWorks Posted September 2, 2018 Author Share Posted September 2, 2018 New spar worked as planned. :) You can see the difference between the standard Varieze spar and the one designed for this plane. No anhedral among other things. Wings were a donation for the test. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kent Ashton Posted September 3, 2018 Share Posted September 3, 2018 All Very interesting, Keith. So it looks like you could have a two-seater if you removed the tank. What is your ultimate goal for this aircraft? To just build a one-off? Sell plans? Fly around the world? Quote -KentCozy IV N13AM-750 hrs, Long-EZ-85 hrs and sold Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RaptorAirWorks Posted September 3, 2018 Author Share Posted September 3, 2018 33 minutes ago, Kent Ashton said: All Very interesting, Keith. So it looks like you could have a two-seater if you removed the tank. What is your ultimate goal for this aircraft? To just build a one-off? Sell plans? Fly around the world? Well the frame is only 12" where the GIB's shoulders would be so making it a two seat plane would require major modifications. Right now I see the plane as a concept demonstrator. There are things I want to try out so the modular construction will allow me to try different things. I don't think there is a need for a tandem two seat plane that is just marginally smaller than the LE. In this single seat configuration, 200# lighter than the LE and with 130 fuel injected HP from the most technically advanced engine in experimental aviation, I think it will be a hot rod. The next version could be without strakes or perhaps put the engine in front of the spar an have a single seat E-Racer. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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