Kent Ashton

This EZ today on Barnstormers: RUTAN LONGEZ • $28,000 • FOR SALE BY OWNER • 1986 TT 2550 hrs air frame. Engine 0-290D2- approximately 230 hours since rebuild and 3300TT. Electric nose gear. Electric spoiler. Heavy-duty Cleveland brakes. Sterba prop. Pods. • Contact Jamie Burgess, Owner - located Pinedale, WY USA • Telephone: 307-231-1463 • Posted April 9/2020 • Contact Jamie burgess - WYOMING AERO PHOTO , Owner - located Cora, WY United States • Telephone: 3072311463 • Posted April 8, 2020 N21LR https://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry/NNum_Results.aspx?NNumbertxt=21LR Serial no. 104, one of the early ones. Not sure about that red crush velour. They say if you want to sell a house, paint the inside white or off-white. 🙂

Just reading the report on the Lance Hooley jet EZ accident. http://www.kathrynsreport.com/2020/04/aircraft-structural-failure-hooley-jet_8.html There is not much I can get out of it except there was a dry place noted in the layups and a possible flutter incident earlier. It seems to me he was expecting a lot out of the airplane. I have always been a little nervous flying either an F-4 or a Cozy at high Q, or high dynamic pressure--read of too many bad things happening there. The little I know about Q is that it increases with the square of the velocity. You go twice as fast, your dynamic pressure is 4 times higher. Goodness knows what happens to lift, drag and the other forces on the structure. When the F-4 was new, Operation Sage Burner intended to set a speed record. The F-4 was not very stable and had pitch dampeners to increase pitch stability. During one of those attempts, the dampeners did not work and the airplane got into a pitch oscillation and broke up. https://youtu.be/bQ6IhkxoNz8 In the video, you can see the airplane begin a small pitch oscillation and breakup shortly thereafter. I used to have a picture of the engines flying out of the wreckage. Here is the usual sequence: The F-4 had hydraulic flight controls with little natural feel or air resistance to stick movement. A "bobweight" was installed in the tail and linked to the stick to make the airplane feel normal. When you put positive G on the airplane, that G on the bobweight acted through the linkage to pull the stick forward as would happen in most airplanes. This gave a more natural pitch feel akin to air loads on the horizontal tail but the stick was still sensitive. When even a moderate positive G was put on the aircraft _suddenly_, the bobweight suddenly became heavier and suddenly pulled the stick forward as it was wont to do. If a pilot then over-corrected by making an overly-large forward stick input just as the bobweight was "helping" to apply forward stick, that might put negative G on the airplane. Then the reverse happened: the pilot might correct the negative G with aft stick just as negative G on the bobweight was helping to apply aft stick. A PIO (pilot induced oscillation) was often the result. All this was supposed to be controlled by a bellows which sensed airspeed and dampened pitch inputs but in the Sage Burner crash, the pitch dampener was inop. We were mainly taught never to "snatch" the airplane--i.e., make a sudden stick input, even with the dampeners working, and to hold the stick firmly when maneuvering with one's forearm braced on one's leg. After a while you got used to it However in one case an instructor and student WSO briefed an air combat training sortie with another airplane but the other airplane aborted after takeoff. The IP told the student they would go out to the practice area and he would demonstrate the high speed characteristics of the Phantom. Sometime during that demo, the pilot got into a PIO that put around 9-12 Gs on the airplane. When they returned, the engines were still running but they had broken away from the engine mounts and were retained on the bottom of the engine bay! So that's why I am generally content to putz around in my little homebuit and not explore extreme corners of the envelope. 🙂

I downloaded the Rev 5 drawings last year. They were spot on except some of the checking dimensions on the corners were a bit hard to read. As I recall, this was the thing Jon intended to fix. I printed mine at a Fedex store from a thumbdrive and they were correct. I think I printed from the PDF files.

Here ya go: An idea from my idle mind in these boring days to join two lines into one using Pro-seal or a fuel-resistant sealer. Just clean the ends of the lines and the holes in the block and don't get sealant in the lines themselves. There is no stress on the block and essentially no fluid so I think it would work and be easy to make or to make variations.

Some considerations: The plans only show one line per strake. That isn't enough. You need one line venting the highest point in the tank in cruise/climb and one line venting the highest point in the tank when parked on the nose (in order to prevent pumping fuel overboard on the ramp on warm day with full fuel). Two lines from one strake can be joined into one line but not until they are well above the highest fuel level in climb or nose-down on the ramp. So the lines from one strake normally run to the top of the turtledeck and then it's your choice. If you run them to the top, then outside the turtledeck, they might vent fuel in a rollover accident but that setup is still pretty common in older EZs. Better IMO to run the vents to the bottom of the airplane. It is not a good idea to connect all four lines into one external vent. A bug could plug the vent system. Personally, I join my two lines from a strake into a fitting at the top inside of the turtle deck and take that single line through the firewall and down the top of firewall to vent that runs down the aft face of the centerspar and bend the external line to about a 45° angle facing forward (pic from my EZ project). I used the blue union fittings so I could remove the line easily and get to the centerspar glass if I ever needed to. Sorry that doesn't quite answer your question about redoing the already-installed lines. My fitting that joins the two lines at the top is a little bulky or I'd post a drawing.

This EZ today on Ebay today. In Indiana, no canard. Item 264686001437 Ya know, if a builder had the choice of a pristine Vans pre-punched kit or this raw-looking EZ, you couldn't blame him for taking the Vans airplane. Still, at $3800, it is a lot of airplane for the money. I see no reason why it couldn't be filled, finished and be just as nice as any other EZ

Here are some photos posted by Terry Schubert elsewhere showing an oil flow check on an EZ. They are interesting to think about; these are just my opinions. In pic 1, pressure is pushing the surface flow away from the NACA. It is said the action of decellerating the flow [inside the cowl] increases pressure which I would seem to resist inflow. I have seen people add wedges (pink) to better-capture the flow. They say the wedges work but perhaps the pressure buildup is aggravated by insufficient exit area from the cowl. Pic 2 is about what you usually see. I believe pic 3 is a Klaus Savier (Lightspeed) preformed NACA inlet. The Savier idea is nice but it will make it harder to work on firewall stuff. Maybe a removable inlet cone would be better. In pic 4, I doubt the inlet cone does much good. NACA tests said the airflow needs about a 7° or less divergent angle to stay organized which is why a NACA inlet has such a long, shallow floor, Here, the air is probably in-flowing at 100+ knots. It is probably not going to turn the corners of the cone. I put a partial inlet cone in my Cozy--pic 5, the aluminum piece above the inlet--I couldn't see much difference. I am no Dr.-Ing Hoerner but one thing I always remember is that air is heavy and it's going 150kts. It wants to keep going in the same direction.

Saw this question on a FB page. It's a common question by people new to experimentals. Anyone can work on a Experimental airplane, even one you did not originally build. You can rebuild a wing, or an engine (even one that is allegedly "certified" but that's another subject). A similar question often heard is "where does it say anyone can work on a hombuilt airplane?". It is fun say "nowhere" and witness their disbelief. Nevertheless, under 14 CFR §43.1(b)(1), we enjoy freedom from regulation over how we maintain, rebuild or alter our aircraft. https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/14/43.1 However, not so fast. We ARE governed by Operating Limitations issued for the particular airplane that levy an annual condition inspection requirement by an A&P or person with a Repairman Certificate for the airplane, as well as say how to put our aircraft back into service after repairs, so it is not exactly true freedom but reasonably close. Point is, the chap above is free to rebuild his wing himself, re-enter the aircraft into Phase I testing, and when the tests are complete, certify himself that the airplane is safe for flight. To me, this is the true reason for owning an Experimental.

You have to apply some imagination: = "sn n CL 2dy, als ths Ltspd, gd prc" = Seen on CraigsList today, also this Lightspeed good price" 🙂 -------------- Ths CZ 2dy on 'bay. Tub + cnrd. Lks gud, dcnt prc. [Sorry, must remove my mask.] This Cozy on Ebay. Tube + canard in Tennessee. Looks good, decent price. Item # 254553810972 should you wish to pursue it.

LONGEZ 2001 • $43,000 • AVAILABLE FOR SALE • LongEZ2001 505TT LY320 new prop grmn eqp lghtsp ign elec spdbrke nsgr autplt bgpds intrcm whl pnts • Contact Irvine Smith, Owner - located Glade Park, CO United States • Telephone: 352 363 7236 • 352 727 0400 • Posted March 23, 2020 sn n CL 2dy, als ths Ltspd, gd prc 🙂 CD IGNITION • $750 • AVAILABLE FOR SALE • Light Speed Engineering:PlasmaII Electronic Ignition,Complete set-up. Replace 1 mag.863-698 8491 • Contact Craig Muth, - located Mulberry, FL United States • Telephone: 863-698-8491 • Posted March 24, 2020

Seen on FB today. N2617Z https://registry.faa.gov/AircraftInquiry/NNum_Results.aspx?NNumbertxt=2617Z No price, O-320

This EZ today on B-stormers: LONG EZ WITH O-320 • $13,995 • FOR SALE • 75% complete Fuse is on wheels, canopy is glassed and cut out but not finished on the inside. Wings are 80% complete, need tip sails mounted (supplied) and finished on the inner side next to fuse. All the major parts are built. Ronz canard built by Dennis Ollman. Lots of parts go with it, electric pitch trim, nose gear actuator and speed brake. Cozy Girls controls, engine mount, nav lights and power supply etc. Pre made strakes with baffles, Carbon cowl, upper and lower from a Berkut. 1 complete original set of plans. $15,000 with a 500 hour 0-320 out of a Cardinal • Contact Alfred Jones, Owner - located Marthasville, MO United States • Telephone: 3144986982 • Posted March 15, 2020 Not sure of his price. Is it $13,995 or $15,000-with-engine? A not-unreasonable price either way but I suspect the virus is going to make a lot of stuff a lot cheaper.

Coronavirus: I posting to this thread because it gets a lot of hits. Chris Martinson has a PhD and post-doc work in neurotoxicology. He has done a daily youtube on the C-virus but this one is particularly good because it discusses the importance of keeping your virus intake (inoculum) as low as possible in order to give your body time to recognize the virus and build antibodies. Apparently, we are all going to be infected eventually but you don't want a huge inoculum of the virus to start with. If you don't want to watch the whole thing jump in at 14+23. Good luck pals--see you on the other side. 🙂

Bruce, this was an ad I clipped from a FB page. I doubt seller Glover reads this site. If anyone is interested i suppose they’ll have to google him

This EZ seen on FB today. What? you don't have all the airport identifiers memorized? KCNO = Chino, CA. Couldn't find a Long-ez owned by Glover in the Registry.

In the pics I've seen, the bolts through the aluminum angles begin to elongate the holes in the angles, then the angles start to crack. Never seen bolt failure or elongation of the holes in the engine mount tubes but I don't work on other people's airplanes--just look at pics. 🙂 I think it would be hard to convert the plans mount angles to Cozy style firewall mounts. The Cozy has extra layups inside the firewall and outside overlapping the outside of the fuselage. A few pics of the bottom inside here http://forum.canardaviation.com/showpost.php?p=70747&postcount=64 I think the plans EZ mounts are OK, just need to be beefed up. As far a repairs go, I haven't worked on those plans mounts but I would think I'd get in there with a die-grinder and grind away the bad stuff and lay up new angles and glass. I know that has been done a few times.

Today: Cozy iv bathtub, wings & canard, $3,000. Seen at FB Homebuilt Aircraft Exchange posted by FB-er Jerry Nash, in Camano Island, Washington state. Good deal but bring your mask, gloves and bleach sprayer. 🙂

Saw an article about this chap (video) who is pushing a program to train pilots against synthetic aircraft for the military using a Berkut. Interesting. It seems the synthetic airplane is projected in the Berkut pilot's helmet and they fight it out in the air. I wonder who is "flying" the synthetic airplane? The Air Force is 2000 pilots short and having a hard time training enough people fast enough. I don't know why they just can't use simulators which are fantastic these days. In about 1977 I went through an air combat program run by Vought in Dallas. Vought had set up two spheres with a cockpit in each; the opposite aircraft was projected inside the sphere of the other. They could set us up line abreast or head-on and we would go at it. There was not much else to it except a crude ground projection and the opposing aircraft. You would maneuver for a gun or heat-seeker kill. An instructor could sit in a chair beside your cockpit and reverse the last 10 seconds of a fight and show you where you went wrong. Even that was great training (and fun) for basic close-in air combat.

Saw a fellow on FB asking where to buy one of the old Brock gas caps (pic 1). Actually, the one he has can be cleaned up, o-rings replaced, and be as good as new. It was a nice light, inexpensive cap and replacing them is a chore. However, they can be made (pic 2). I did not hollow-out the inside like the Brock cap but it was not too hard to turn down a piece of flat aluminum. Grind a small bit to make the o-ring groove.

This beef-up (pic) is pretty common and seems to be adequate for bigger engines. http://www.longezpush.com/chapter-1423-engine-mount/ Similar mounts here http://www.aryjglantz.com/2017/05/center-section-spar-install.html I have seen steel angles substituted for the aluminum or two 1/4" 2024 angles used. Also mounts made from 1" X 1/8" wall steel tube. A solid piece of steel is welded into the square tube and drilled for an engine mount bolt. Those are probably overkill. The only failures I can recall are overload-cracking of the plans aluminum angles where the 1/4"(?) mount bolts go through the angles. The angles can be removed and replaced.

This Aerocanard today: N341AC https://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry/NNum_Results.aspx?NNumbertxt=341AC Was flying; word is that the buyer started refurbishing but has to sell. "Marc Zeitlin fuselage windows"! That ought to add thousands! 🙂 (Wait! I thought those were "Klaus" windows?) AEROCANARD SERIAL #1 • $39,500 • FOR SALE • Original AeroCanard Serial #1. Move forces sale. Aircraft is disassembled for transport and the original panel/old wiring is out. Original instruments included. Air-frame complete with all fairings & manuals/plans. Front oil cooler. Includes new EZ-Noselift, speed brake, Power Panel (and backup). REBUILT LIO-360 YELLOW TAGGED! Cato prop. Only needs new panel, gear installed. Includes 3-blade Cato prop & prop extension. Features Marc Zeitlin fuselage windows. Must clear out of hangar ASAP. • Contact Sid Lloyd - KESTREL AVIATION SERVICES, Owner - located Cottonwood, AZ United States • Telephone: 928 239-4101 • Posted March 10, 2020 pic 2 in its former livery

I see that a chap on FB is trying to diagnose cooling with a wireless manometer (pic 1, $118). He got a differential of 3.86" (pic 2) which is 30% less than the Lycoming-recommended 5.5" for an O-320 so it's no wonder the engine runs hot. The chart (pic 3) looks official but I don't know what it comes from. I would not have used the small piccolo tubes that came with the kit (pic 4). I would have used longer ones (pic 5) and mounted them just above and below the cylinders--seems more accurate that way, and I would have plumbed the manometer to the cold side of the firewall or cold side of the baffles. He says he has only 1" from the top of his cylinders to the cowl. Visualize: air is blowing out of the fins (at what velocity--100 knots?). One inch later it impacts the cowl and has to make a 90° turn. What direction does the air go? Aft, off to the side, towards the engine centerline? Who knows. My guess is that the small space is creating back pressure and not allowing the cylinders to evenly pass air through the fins. Sharp turns, turbulence and nearby surfaces create cooling drag. Here is my gripe with Facebook: Most of the pics below are in the chap's thread but you would never find them with a search and they do not show up unless you click on every "view 8 more replies". It is a dog-ass way to display and archive good information and a shame the canard community is divided among 4-5 FB sites. 😞 tags: cooling manometer pressure differential piccolo tubes

This EZ project today, B-stormers: LONG EZE UNFINISHED PROJECT • FOR SALE BY BUILDER • Structural sections built by an A&P. No engine/instruments. text to phone only. KFXE • Contact gary hall - NONE, Owner - located N. Lauderdale, FL United States • Telephone: 954-979-9494 • 9494 • 979 • Posted March 7, 2020 BTW, if you are ever trying to sell such model, it is a "Long-EZ", not Long eze. It makes a difference if someone is searching Craigslist. Craig searches for only what you type. However, Google will help you out if use the search "site:craigslist.org longeze". Google will return "no results for Longeze, searching instead for Long ez" I searched CL for an EZ in the Lauderdale area, came up zero. Yeah, and try searching Google for "Cozy" without some airplane terms. You will get nightgowns, slippers, cottages, etc. What a stupid name for an airplane. 😞

Other induction-leak finding ideas: Spray carb cleaner or propane from an unlit torch around the joints but, of course, the engine has to be running. Idle will increase.

A chap on FB asked about how to do an induction leak check. I saw this interesting video on how to do one in conjunction with a compression check. Essentially, you are pressurizing the cylinder and cracking open the intake valve which burps the pressure into the intake, checking for a leak with soapy water. https://youtu.be/CfG4QGv-r64 Be careful with that prop. I visually position the prop to TDC using marks on the flywheel and hold on for dear life as my wife slowly opens the compression gauge. Usually there is no tendency for the prop to turn and I can wiggle it a bit around TDC to get the highest reading.