Long EZ Build Time and Price from Plans?

[MontanaPilot21]

Hi all, I'm new to the forms but not to aviation. I'm a student pilot with 33 hours and am looking at a Long EZ build. How much does it cost to build one from scratch? And what is the time on it? Lastly what are some good resources on the Long EZ? Also are there any Long EZ, or just pilots in Northwest Montana region?

[macleodm3]

Cost to build one from scratch in 2019 -  $50,000 to $90,000 (Airframe $30k;  Engine $10k to $30k;  Panel $10k to $30k)

Time to Build... 2000 hours to 5000 hours (and anywhere from 2 years to 30 years)

Good Resources....1 The Plans,    2 The Newsletters,    3 Central States Association (Flyins and Newsletters)    4 The Internet (EZ.org, Canard Aviators yahoo email list, Facebook Long-EZ Builders and Pilots group, Squadron III Newsletter (ask for it on the yahoo email list)),    5 EAA

 

Edited November 26, 2018 by macleodm3

[Kent Ashton]

$40,000 to $50,000 and 2 to 4 years but you can buy a used Long-ez for a lot less and make any changes you want

[Joooe6]

Hey, I just found this post. I live in Libby, MT and also have an interest in building a Long Eze someday. Have you started building one? I know of one person in Libby that built one and have been planning on talking with him about it. Would you want to join in if we meet up to get a tour of the airplane? My email is joooe6@gmail.com. 

[Kent Ashton]

20 minutes ago, Joooe6 said:

Would you want to join in if we meet up to get a tour of the airplane? My email is joooe6@gmail.com. 

Here's a tip from an old guy:  MontanaPilot21's post is two years old.  If you click on his name you will see he only made one post in this wonderful forum so he is probably not a regular reader--or he might be dead.  However, if you click on his name you can send him a direct message which he might see and respond to.  🙂

If you are interested in the Long-ez, checkout the "Open-ez" topic in this forum.  Find it with the search box in the upper right corner or under Forums-->Directory or with a google search using the terminology "site:canardzone.com open-ez".   I'm sure there are Long-ez owners in Montana but it's a trick to find them.  We old guys know a few tricks, though.

[A Bruce Hughes]

To find a canard owner/builder/wanta-be:   (1) Join the Canard Owners & Builders Association; they send a directory each Jan. to members; it costs $39 per year; see https://canardowners.com    (2) contact Ed Lovrien at 406-549--5559  He lives in Montana    (3) contact David Orr.   I will have to post the address for him after I send this.   He runs a mailing newsletter that covers the U.S. and a few other countries.   It comes monthly.

A. Bruce Hughes

[A Bruce Hughes]

David Orr is at:   David@CanardFinder.net

[A Bruce Hughes]

O!  My first message was not clear.   The $39 is for a directory AND quarterly newsletters that are in COLOR and 32 pages.   They do have a small problem that I believe they will fix.   My last copy had 26 very good pages and 6 pages were somewhat tattered in the postal machines.   The outer page is pretty stiff and all 4 of the recent copies broke a little on one corner or had an edge torn a little.

[MontanaPilot21]

I still have email notifications set up for this form! Kind of forgot I was apart of it. I was able to message Joooe6, but thanks everyone else, and for the added info Bruce!

[Mark Wiygul]

I want to add a question to this thread because I think it's relevant to newbees.,  For someone thinking about taking up aviation, and training in a Cessna 150 (or something similar) to earn a private pilot license, but who hopes to one day own and fly a Long-EZ, what training steps need to be taken to achieve that goal?

[Kent Ashton]

If you get proficient in a CE-150, you can easily transition to a canard airplane.    Remember, the first builders of these airplanes just got in and flew them.   They are nothing special— just slick airframes that need to be flown a little like a glider in the pattern.    
 

the chap I knew who crashed his Long-ez was also a poor Cessna pilot.   He took 10-15 hours to complete a biennial flight review in a Cessna (he had not flown in many years) and in his EZ, he never grasped that throttle controls speed, pitch controls flight path.    One day he flew into some trees turning final at 100+ knots.   When asked about it later, he said “I kept adding power but [my flight path] never got higher.”

You must be able to recognize a normal flight path to the runway and fly the airplane to that flight path.   Then use throttle and/or your energy state to control speed.   In his case, he was on a low flight path but fast.   He needed to use that excess speed to fly up to the normal flight path picture, or level out until reaching the normal approach picture.  If he had been low and slow, he would still need to fly the airplane up to the normal approach picture but it might take a touch of power, then come back to idle or near idle.    Capisce?   🙂

Edited May 24, 2021 by Kent Ashton

[A Bruce Hughes]

I asked a question like that 22 years ago.   I got several answers; just the common trainers; Cessnas.  Cirrus 20 or 22.

One answer was take some glider training.  The CAP uses gliders very commonly to train those who are 12 to 18 years old.   If you join the CAP you could get "Observor trainng" in a Cessna 170 or similar.

For me, my wife and I have an Ercoupe and a CFI friend.   We fly when possible but this virus problem has used up over a year of my time so I am a rusty pilot again.

I do like the Ercoupe but you probably cannot find one in student training.  

You just have to see what the FBO has.   

[Marc Zeitlin]

5 hours ago, Mark Wiygul said:

I want to add a question to this thread because I think it's relevant to newbees.,  For someone thinking about taking up aviation, and training in a Cessna 150 (or something similar) to earn a private pilot license, but who hopes to one day own and fly a Long-EZ, what training steps need to be taken to achieve that goal?

What Kent says is true - many folks have just "gotten in and flown them" and not crashed or died. And they are just higher L/D airplanes - they're not magic. But there are differences, and if you get training, you're less likely to screw up either the plane or yourself. While I've done transition flights for around 20 people (not training, as I'm NOT a CFI), I do have a CFII near me who flies canard aircraft (and is also an F-16 and F-35 test pilot at Edwards AFB) to whom I recommend folks for <n> hours of transition training - usually 10, as that's what most insurance policies require. So, figure if you're anywhere near a decent pilot after getting your ticket, another 2 - 10 hours will get you safe in a canard.

Everyone I've sent to my CFII has had extremely positive feedback about the utility of the training.

[Robert Bird]

Am interested in finding some plans for the rutan long ez.  My name is Robert bird, my address is in Coolidge, az.My phone is 760-550-1519 

ps, I would really prefer to talk to somebody 

thanks Bob 

 

[zolotiyeruki]

Well, the Rutan Aircraft Factory shut its doors about 35 years ago, so there's no official support, nor can you purchase new sets of plans.  Occasionally, someone will sell an old set of plans.

However, there's another option: the Open-EZ.  It's an aircraft that you can build from plans, is a clone of the Long-EZ, and is free.  You can find the plans over here:

Burt Rutan has himself basically told the homebuilt community "do whatever you like with my old designs," so you're in the clear from an intellectual property point of view.

[Kent Ashton]

The Open-EZ topic needs a good weeding but here’s the link to the plans themselves.

https://www.canardzone.com/files/file/3-open-ez-drawings-revision-5-package/

Roncz canard plans and the builder’s manual are in the topic somewhere

[A Bruce Hughes]

I know a guy, Tom Brown, who has almost all of the parts for TWO Longezes.

He sent me a complete list and I saw the parts; one of them is ALL of the structural parts but I don't have pictures.

I told him that he has to have pictures but it has been raining a lot north of Seattle.   I'll bet he has plans, too.

I will check.