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Kent Ashton

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Everything posted by Kent Ashton

  1. IMO, cooling air that doesn't go through the fins is wasted--it adds cooling drag with no effect. I use intercylinder baffles top and bottom, and wrap the fins between the cylinders so that the air must go through the fins. I also use various bits of sheet metal to seal the depressions in the case between the fins to stop air from escaping there. Some pics in this reply https://www.canardzone.com/forums/topic/18661-kents-long-ez-project/?do=findComment&comment=90258
  2. I typically fly at about 150 KTAS at 7.5-8 gph, usually 12,000 MSL or higher if weather permits. 400-600 miles is quite doable. Consider also that at 100F the airplane needs longish >4000' hard surface runways. It is not a great IMC instrument airplane IMO but OK with an autopilot, I suppose. Mine leaks water in in the rain and I slow down to prevent prop damage to my wood prop. I would not like to fly it in heavy cumulus as you might encounter in the tropics but I would feel that way about any small airplane. If I had to land on a dirt strip or a runway less than 2000', I would consider that dicey. I might not be able to take off again.
  3. There might be other sources but one is https://www.aircraftcovers.com/LEZ (shown below) $1600 for a nose/canopy/engine cover, though. Another option is to take your old cover to an awning/upholstery shop and get it copied or cut it up and make patterns for an awning shop.
  4. You only need builder logs (or pics, or notes) when the aircraft is first inspected by the FAA for an Airworthiness Certificate. You would not need them after that and often, they don't tell you anything substantive. In fact, you don't need aircraft or engine log books either. All you'd need is Bill of Sale, renew the A.C. and get a condition inspection from an A&P or the builder with a repairman's certificate. Also, other little checks of the transponder and ELT.
  5. We discussed this Cozy III a few days ago. https://www.canardzone.com/forums/topic/64692-assistance-with-purchase-of-my-first-canard-cozy-mkiv-near-denver/#comment-120523 The engine is high time but I have overhauled a couple myself, sending parts out to the overhaulers and reassembling it with the help of an A&P the first time and on my own the second time (the A&P was not very careful). I don't know much about the Aeromomentums except they will involve a radiator and new engine mount, probably new cowls so I doubt it will save you much $$ or work. Build log is not needed since it was once licensed. The POH is OK--Nat's first iteration was called "Cozy", later "Cozy Mk IV". If you accept the round-dial instruments, I'd say the engine will be the most work to get it going.
  6. There are many canard builders and owners in France. I have a friend at Vannes. Several canards on the field.
  7. Well, as I said, the Rutan canards cut wing and canard cores from several foam blocks. A wing is three sections joined with micro. Wings and canards are cut lengthwise down the middle and rejoined later with micro. I don't see why you couldn't separate your templates into half or so, and cut cores that way, join them together with micro. Take a look at the Open-Ez builders manual and you'll see what I mean.
  8. I don't know much about the Q200 but it appears a 10" block is spec'd because they want to get two cores out of a block, so maybe you can get by with the 8" blocks from Spruce cutting one core at a time. The Rutan airplanes cut wing forms out of one piece of foam, then cut the form in half to construct shear web and center spars on the back half, then the front half is micro'd back in place. Generally, the foam is just a shape over which to add the fiberglass spars and skins. It may add a little to the strength but if two pieces of foam can be joined with a micro joint, I would think that'd be fine. I'd figure out how to use the foam from Spruce or Wicks. If I had to join two pieces of styrofoam to cut out one shape, I would join them with dabs of pour foam-enough to hold them together for the hotwire, cut the shape, the pull them apart and rejoin them with micro. I'd be just a good as a single contiguous shape (IMO). http://quickheads.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2399&Itemid=790
  9. AircraftSpruce sells the 8" X 16" x ___ blocks for canard builders. I suspect these would do for a Quickie https://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/cmpages/polystyrene.php Maybe Wicks also. You might call OwensCorning as ask where you might find them in Nebraska. They are sometimes used for boat docks or sliced up for insulation. If the weight is 2 lb/cu ft, it is the same stuff. Here is a dealer in (gulp) New Hampshire. It is likely the same weight as we use. I think Burt used boat-dock billets. https://store.eastcoastlumber.net/products/dow-dock-float-billet-10x20x96|102096B.html
  10. I used to own a Cozy III. IMO it is not so much the gross weight--most builds are pretty stout--but the front-seat weight. You are 240. Designer Nat Puffer was, I'm guessing, maybe 175 lbs and his wife Shirley was maybe 110 lbs. It was fine for them, but that's one reason why Nat designed the bigger C-IV. The front-seat weight affects how fast the airplane must go before the canard can lift the nose and rotate the aircraft for takeoff. It also impacts landing speed. I was 225 when I flew mine and I flew once with a similar-weight fellow but takeoff speed was noticeably higher and I didn't want to have an off-airport landing in it. It's like flying a Long-EZ with two people in the front seat. I had the old GU canard which was affected by moisture, too. One time I took off with my Dad on a moist, foggy day and almost ran off the end of a 3200' runway before I could rotate. Scared the heck out of me. I moved my battery around to try to reduce the load in the nose but it cost me some room in back. I never tried to carry a third person in the C-III. I eventually build a Roncz canard for it but I still consider it a marginal airplane for big people.
  11. Just thinking that if you move the gear leg clamp up the strut, it will increase the leverage of the nose-gear & weight which then transfers into the NG30s. People have had them delaminate from the nose once in a while. Perhaps there is a better way to get more extension by relocation of micro-switches if you have electric gear. Also make sure the nose strut is perfectly vertical when on the gear. If not it will castor in one direction and leave you thinking you have a dragging brake. The nose opening is a big pneumonia hole and the only way I have figured out how to seal it is to build a door or cover on the strut which when retracted, seals against strips built into the nose-gear box. https://www.canardzone.com/forums/topic/18661-kents-long-ez-project/page/23/#comment-72419 Alternatively, you might build a cover that seals against the bottom of the nose
  12. Confused. Did you buy this airplane or are you still negotiating? If you can't hook up with Zeitlin, a generic A&P might tell you something useful about the engine but there are likely a dozen canard builders and owners in Colorado who might tell you more about the airplane. I would join COBA https://canardowners.com/ and look COBA's membership for those around you or contact EAA chapters (see EAA.org). Most owners would be willing to take a look for a hamburger. There are many good youtubes and websites showing how to remove a cylinder and borescope an engine--it is actually pretty easy but there are some cautions about not turning the crank, etc. If you own the airplane you might as well learn how to do it. If not, the owner might not want you taking the engine apart. I wouldn't.
  13. I gather you have not read all the comments on this site about Variezes. Use the search and start reading. You likely don't know enough to form an educated opinion about them or the one you're looking at. I like the canard airplanes and have owned a Long-ez, Cozy III and Cozy IV. It can be a multi-year process to rehabilitate a tired old airplane and engine and you could put more money into it than you would ever get back--and that would be time you would not be building any hours.
  14. A friend of mine had a hard time starting his EZ with battery in the nose. I forgot I had made one of these 4-wire ohmmeter testers so we ended up changing his starter cables out to bigger and heavier cables. It seems to have solved his problem but I suspect taking some measurements with this sensitive ohm tester from the great Bob Nuckolls might have found some high resistance in the circuit. He shows that with pretty ordinary resistances in a starter circuit, a 12.5V battery may only deliver 7.46 V at the starter. http://www.aeroelectric.com/articles/grnding.pdf
  15. Sorry that I can't help. I had a tip-back once. It broke about 1.5" off one blade of a three-blade. I cut the other two blades off as evenly as I could and it got me home. That might be an option. I am a little surprised that a prop for a higher HP engine would not work well enough to get you home. Yeah, it would not be optimum but if it will get you airborne it might work. I have tip-backed twice and almost a few other times. It is something you have to be aware of. I am pretty careful now. Good luck.
  16. The plans engine mount angles in the firewall are a little undersized. The plans call for 1/8" thickness but they can develop cracks around the holes drilled for engine mount bolts. Lot of people have used 1/4" angle or steel angles or double up the 1/8". It involves exposing the mounting bolts for the angles inside the fuselage by uncovering the bolts above the strakes, driving the bolts through the longerons out and installing new angles. Then the main gear mounts are a weak point but might be OK. Hard landings & heavy weight loosen the bolts through the sides of the fuselage into the heavy mount angles. Cowls might need some rework. Not sure. I don't know where most O-235 installs position the battery but with heavier engines you will likely need it in the nose with a run of heavy cables. Maybe the new lithium batteries could be put in back. Personally I think an O-320 is the ideal power for an EZ.
  17. Q-1: You might have to use a little more ballast when flying solo but others have moved the seat an inch or two. I am 5-11 and the only "fit" problem I had was my shoulder hitting the canopy frame. I scalloped-out a place for it, which helped. It depends also on the thickness of seat cushions. I imagine there are other 6-4 flyers--can't name any off hand, though. If you are broad-shouldered, that might be a problem. I have a 6-4 friend, rather stout and broad-shouldered, who just can't fit in my seats Q-2: I woudn't bother with a mockup but I'd find a Cozy owner in Oz and go sit in his airplane. Q-3: Many links at www.cozybuilders.org but here are a few I had bookmarked https://cozy1537.blogspot.com/search/label/Chapter 01 Description and Introduction https://ez.canardaircraft.com/www.ez.org/pages/waynehicks/index.html https://cozyserenity.weebly.com/ And a good Long-EZ builder site. Lots of overlap with a Cozy http://www.aryjglantz.com/p/blog-page.html
  18. I have a welded Dynafocal Type 1 ring I am selling for $200. It came from Spruce. I have made my own engine mount for an EZ, see the early posts in my thread. I was just reading the other day about a chap who cut and positioned his engine mount tubes himself, held them in place with dabs of Bondo, and took the mount to a professional welder to finish. The welder tacked it, then wire-brushed away the Bondo. It is the bends in a DF ring that are a little problematic to DIY. The rest of the tubes are straight and pretty easy to cut and position.
  19. If you do a google image search for Varieze, I see very few that appear to have lengthened noses. There is probably a good reason. 🙂 Usually the nose is lengthened to accommodate a battery but if you are concerned about total weight, a battery, copper cables solenoids and starters are going to add a significant weight. Maybe a modern lithium battery can be used, mounted on the centerspar. However, I hand-propped an O-320 for a while. It was doable and would probably be easier with an O-235. The guys using smaller engines can start them with a one-handed flip. Looks pretty easy. Here's how I lenthened the nose of a Long-EZ. https://www.canardzone.com/forums/topic/18661-kents-long-ez-project/?do=findComment&comment=69739 Below is a Long-EZ nose drawing with the pivot positioned lower and more forward. https://www.canardzone.com/forums/topic/18661-kents-long-ez-project/?do=findComment&comment=82196 I would look on the COBA website and ask questions on the Rutan Long-EZ and Varieze Public Group (Facebook). I wouldn't use a (heavy) electric noselift on a Vari. I would commit to hand-propping with an electronic ignition and manual primer mounted at the back of the engine.
  20. Hard to say but maybe dropping the nose was enough to initiate a shimmy then hard braking aggravated it. I have felt it once or twice. I tightened the friction and that helped. Castoring nose gear systems do strange things. A story I might have told before: F-4s flew for years and blowing a tire would often result in running off the runway. We just assumed it was drag from the blown tire pulling the airplane. Then a smart young Captain investigating one in the New Orleans Guard determined that the real reason was that a blown tire lowered the wing enough on that side to cause the F-4's castoring nosewheel to steer the airplane to that side--like trying to push a shopping cart on it's side. Drag from a blown tire was not substantial. The flight manual said with a blown main tire to engage hydraulic nose gear steering but did not explain why. The New Orleans pilot had engaged the nosewheel steering but momentarily released it to lower the hook and pull the drag chute. Each time, the skid marks showed that the airplane had made a hard jink towards the blown tire.
  21. Saw this video of some dramatic nose wheel shimmy. H/T Russ Meyerriecks & Scott McLean. Russ says his NW geometry is correct, i.e. the NW pivot shaft is tilted aft (top aft) when loaded, and other landings did not result in shimmy so it is puzzling. I presume his NW friction was good. It could be that heavy braking after the shimmy began made it worse. I think I would try to take weight off the NW to regain the geometry. Pic is for a tailwheel but the geometry is the same. BTW, I learned how to extract videos from FB using this site https://fdown.net/index.php 386946784_338748275363911_7748972533500186815_n.mp4
  22. Consider that the takeoff roll for canards is longer than for tractor-engine airplanes and low HP is going to make it longer. Then about half the time you will be flying in a headwind so you want to fly somewhat faster but a low-HP engine will not allow that. Also, with a higher HP engine, you can always reduce power in cruise to extend your range. As I recall, had an O-320 in my Cozy III that usually used about 6.5 GPH but one time I really pulled it back with tailwind to get max range and I remember it was only about 4.5 GPH. Finally, there are times when you want to climb to get above some clouds or terrain and higher HP will help. If you're really interested in efficiency, work on drag reduction. Hertzler did a great job on that.
  23. I know nothing but I see the A75 is rated at 75 hp and an O-200 is 100 hp--1/3 more hp. Gary Hertzler has done a lot with his (O-200?) engine. He'd be the one to copy if I was building a Vari
  24. The landing run will be very short. 🙂 Depending on what is built into the nose, like an aluminum or phenolic plate, the damage could be light, ranging from just abraiding the plate to grinding off a 12" patch of the fuselage. A story: One day, preparing to land with my Dad in my former Cozy III (which is a heavy front-seat load compared to an EZ), we arrived at a strange airport between mountains, wind was blowing like heck. On downwind, I "lowered" the manual nose gear. On base at idle the gear warning horn came on. I had experienced problems with that warning system since it was also a canopy warning and sometimes activated if a microswitch was bent. Well, I heard the warning but I knew the canopy was locked and I knew I had just lowered the landing gear so I figured it was that pesky switch. However, surprise!, the nose gear was up! The grinding is unforgettable but it doesn't last long. I was able to extend the manual nose gear and taxi it off the runway. A friendly DAR/boatbulder had some materials in his hangar so I got a patch on it and flew home the next day. What happened was that a tower controller at the last airport had asked about the Cozy as I was taking off. We had a conversation and I forgot to retract the nosegear. It had a very thin strut so the extra drag was not noticeable and I was preoccupied with the weather enroute. Since then I use a very loud warning horn, green gear-down LEDs in front of me and my pax, and a viewing hole so I can see the nosewheel. I usually glance to see that the electric nose gear is beginning to extend. I don't have any manual backup for the electric gear but I have wired it as I suggested.
  25. The motor is a Thomson electrak PPA-DC motor. You might get a part from a Thomson dealer. Frankly, I don’t think you would ever need the manual extension if you have any power to the unit. A straight wire off the battery through a resettable circuit breaker. With no power at all, just land with it up.
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