Kent Ashton

Seen today on Craigslist, Dallas Mid-cities. Ad posted yesterday https://dallas.craigslist.org/mdf/avo/d/fort-worth-for-sale/7507632227.html FB commenter says "Oh if only the plans were only available." They are. On this site. Open-EZ

Sounds squirrelly. Also, I wonder why the log book photo and the headrest data plate says it was built by James/Jim Martin but the FAA registry has it built by one Joel H. Dembinsky? (pic) Flightaware lists Martin as a Trustee. Last flight Nov '21 (pic). I don't get it. The FAA's registry is current, I imagine. At least the seller apparently has good title. Sounds like the current owner was afraid to fly such a super-high performance airplane. 🙂 Here's my guess (Yes, I have a suspicious mind). The only Joel H. Dembinsky I see is a lawyer. He sells it to Martin but tells Martin he has to change the log and data plate to show Martin as the builder so he won't be liable for it. However, the FAA won't let them change the manufacturer. Martin disposes of the aircraft to White. White flies in the back seat and decides "too fast for me". The business about "Seller won't tell anybody the N-number" is so you won't look up the Registry and start asking questions. I should write a crime novel. 😉

I am finding that there are more files/drawings/addendums in the original download site so I will need to reorganize and compress some of them. The Builders Manual above is only half the manual (Chap 11 to end). Chapters 1-10 was a file to big to load for the moment but it is there. See "related documents" "Plan A1" and "Plan A2". I will eventually get it organized and clean up the topic. For now, here is the link to the Builders Manual Chapters 1-10 https://vdoc.pub/documents/burt-rutan-varieze-aircraft-plan-a1-4tr7u4nc6r60 Link to load tests and other information https://vdoc.pub/documents/burt-rutan-varieze-aircraft-plan-c1-6j108tr9iv10 Link to Canard Pushers, I believe https://vdoc.pub/documents/burt-rutan-varieze-aircraft-plan-canard-pusher-1-5gioii53v270 and https://vdoc.pub/documents/burt-rutan-varieze-aircraft-plan-canard-pusher-2-462o1cb0n4m0 Link to some other blueprints https://vdoc.pub/documents/burt-rutan-varieze-aircraft-plan-b123-5m4sc84gq8n0 That vdoc site is sort of quirky.

I don't recognize the prop but it does not look like one from Hertzler or Catto. Yeah, a fixed-pitch prop is usually carved for one or the other--either takeoff/climb or cruise but it could be something in-between. Those tips are very wide. They will be draggy. If they are tapered it will give more RPM. Hertzler (now Persson), Catto, Whirlwind (pic) all build tapered tips these days.

Seen on Craigslist in California "Poor man's F-16", he says. 🙂 $32K https://phoenix.craigslist.org/cph/avo/d/carlsbad-long-ez-rutan-designed/7503853343.html

Today. Must be about a record asking price for a Cozy III. Nice though, low time engine

I was just reviewing the medical record for my brother who had blockages of his coronary arteries, had a coronary bypass , seemed to be doing well, and died 16 months later in his car after leaving his gym. 50 years old. STRESS, my friends. What killed him was stress and it almost got me, too. He managed his own clinic, worked 10-12 hour days, hired all the staff and filed all the insurance (without any computer). He was overweight and divorced; he probably did not eat well but his bypass was successful; he had slimmed down and exercised often. He looked good, seemed healthy, however, he did not reduce his stress and 16 months later he was dead. His cholesterol numbers were OK; HDL was low but otherwise within modern standards. If you are a middle-aged person, perhaps with markers of metabolic syndrome (overweight, hypertensive, high HbA1c, under stress, low HDL), https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/metabolic-syndrome get a Coronary Calcium Scan. It is a cheap ($100-200) CT scan that looks at calcium buildup in the coronary arteries. The calcium comes after repairing arterial damage due to stress, smoking, poor eating, etc. A low score means you will likely never have coronary artery disease. A high score (400+) means you ought to change something. https://www.umms.org/ummc/health-services/imaging/diagnostic/cardiac-calcium-scoring The docs and drug companies do not favor this simple test because it makes no money and it eliminates a host of people who have no likelihood of CAD but it is a good warning for those who do, warning them to change their lifestyle. I wish I could have helped my brother but I did not know then what I know now. PM me if you have questions.

It appears the Builder's (Manufacturer's) Manual is to big to upload (>59.9 Mb). For now you can download it from the first vdoc site mentioned above but the site is squirrelly to use. Click on this link https://vdoc.pub/author/burt-rutan or click on the first vdoc link mentioned above and select "Author: Burt Rutan" and look for the file "Burt Rutan Varieze Aircraft Plan A1 [PDF]" which is chapters 1-10 and "A2" which is Chapters 11-end.

I ran across copies of the Varieze plans at this website https://vdoc.pub/documents/burt-rutan-varieze-aircraft-plan-d1-4r17i2m7qe10 including templates, builder manual and POH. They appear to be good plans and I'll post them here in a couple of formats. Just to review the status of copied plans, Burt Rutan said many years ago that he did not object to people building from copied plans but he asked that they not call these airplanes a Long-ez or Varieze to protect his liability. Of course Rutan Aircraft Factory closed long ago and there is no formal support for the Varieze but there is plenty of informal support. The Canard Pushers are still available (see http://www.cozybuilders.org/ ) Many of the required parts can be obtained from current parts-sellers for the Cozy and Long-ez. (See "Other Reference Information - Authorized & Non-authorized suppliers" in the same cozybuilders site. With the price of avgas possibly going to $10.gallon or more. A design that can cruise on 4 gph seems quite a good idea again.vez2.rar Varieze_templates.zip A7.tif A6.tif VariEzeDrawings.pdf A4.tif A5.tif A1.tif A2.tif A3.tif A8.tif A9.tif burt-rutan-varieze-aircraft-plan-d1_compress.pdf

No pics with the ad

Here is a pic of Canard Owners and Builders in your area. I did not want to post the names because you have to be a member of COBA https://canardowners.com/ to access them but there is lots of info on that website and the cost to join is reasonable. There are probably more canard owners near you than pictured. You might post an inquiry on canard-aviators@canardzone.groups.io and get a response there. Checkout my "Sales I've seen" topic here in CanardZone. There are good many EZ for sale out west. Yeah, the EZs are fun but will your wife enjoy riding in back (or you in back 🙂 )? Mine would rather ride in the Cozy.

Seen on FB. Builder is contemporary with me. I recall his mention in the Cozy newsletters. Located in Iowa, it appears. https://www.airport-data.com/aircraft/N750CZ.html

Looks repairable to me. The wing damage could be patched. It is a little concerning where the force on the canard might have displaced the canard bulkheads and/or damaged the canard but that can be rebuilt, I expect. People have rebuilt MLG strut ends or replaced whole struts. New paint, probably. Yeah, a big job but no worse than the drone-EZ we have seen earlier. This one will fly again, I would bet

Regarding this damaged EZ above https://www.canardzone.com/forums/topic/21972-sales-ive-seen/?do=findComment&comment=85051 Owner/executor says he is asking $12K. Airplane has been trailered to Roselle, IL

Seen today on FB

I have seen insurance companies accept time in a Cozy with an experienced Cozy owner. They are very similar and the dual controls are helpful. Worth asking the insurance broker. A vanilla CFI might not want to fly in the back of an EZ with no throttles or rudders.

I agree about the rope-over-the wing/winglet but not the last statement. EZ/Cozys on the nose are pretty stable but it would seem that an EZ in a windstorm with winds blowing from the tail-quarter could lift a wing and the lifting force would have 10 or 12 feet of leverage on a ground tie-down at the wing bolt. I doubt the part on the airplane would fail but it might pull out a ground tiedown. I do not find any standard dimensions for airport-installed tie downs but they are often pretty far apart especially if sized for larger aircraft. I would rather have my ropes close over the tiedown point. I use the hole-in-the-spar&winglet-overlaps with a steel insert in the hole and large washers on top.

From the catalog of bad ideas: Saw an EZ heavily damaged when the wind ripped tiedowns out of winglets. It appears there was nothing really holding them in the winglet. Nat's hole through the wing spar & winglet layups works for me. A loop of rope over the winglet is probably OK, too. I do not like the tiedowns which hinge down from a wing attach bolt. It seems to me that wind-under-the-wing could exert a lot of leverage at that point and rip out what was put in the ground. The Facebook sites are always having people ask where to find Long-Ez plans and builder's manuals. Of course, they are all found at this site in the Open-ez topic, free for download. Help them out. I do not patronize FB.

Lots of good ideas and discussion seen in the latest edition (July) of Canard Owners and Builders news. https://canardowners.com/ [subscription required] There was a novel idea for a nose lift and a good discussion of corrosion in Vari wing-attach fittings and lift tabs. Saw this EZ advertised. I doubt it will sell very fast at that price.

Here is what the seller posted today. Will be interested to see if he gets that for it. (I will boost my airplane $30K!)

Seen on the Cozy list today. No price. Pic grabbed from the web. email drthane at yahoo dot com Appears to be in Venice, FL https://flightaware.com/resources/registration/N656TE

It seems to me that the folks who have tried molded parts did it because they anticipated starting a business and filling a demand but the businesses didn't develop and the demand is low. It is not like making custom parts for thousands of motorcycles. Really, the hand-work is fun and the sanding is not that bad. There is a learning curve but I have stripped/refinished one airplane and built two others. Here is a post with pics https://www.canardzone.com/forums/topic/18661-kents-long-ez-project/?do=findComment&comment=68608 1. Fill as you go along. Don't waste epoxy 2. Use West and West Microlight filler--easier sanding 3. Mix thick and put on heavy the first time. Use a heated dry-wall knife to smooth it down. 4. Stop standing as soon as you see cloth. 5. Identify high and low spots by rubbing with an aluminum bar 6. If there are more than just a few high/low spots, do a complete refill. Spot-filling doesn't work well due to hardness differences in your filler-mixes and the teeter-toter effect of the sanding spline or high spots. 7. When you are happy with the final sanding, spray a guide coat of black sandable primer and sand it all off to expose those last final defects.

Who will bell that cat? Airplanes developed by a group do not usually pan out. Interests change, distance is a problem, getting individuals to do things is problematic. You see that our friend Royal was one of many who planned to digitize the plans but has disappeared for two years. Molds have already been developed. Search for "A-solution" (or Berkut). If you want to build and Open-EZ just start ordering materials and build one. Along the way you will see lots of builder ideas you might incorporate to customize it for yourself. A fancy molded airplane will triple the build time and get you to your destination only slightly faster. Just do it.

Yes, a spring. It takes more friction to hold the elevator down, heavily loaded, slow speed. I thought your tanks were already closed up.

I have changed my pitch trim a half-dozen times. I tore out the Cozy's electric motor idea shown earlier in this topic. It complicated removing the canard and I was always putting my hand on the trim switch aft of the throttles and running the trim to the extreme, where it would jam. Search back and you will see my installation in the EZ which worked the same but was easier to install and disconnect. I am happy with the piano-spring Davenport spring but the EZ's spring installation was easier to install on the torque tube. This geometry (pic) is about right for my short Cozy springs. I only have to move the trim lever about 3/4" to trim for two people or solo. It could easily be used with the regular fiberglass Davenport spring. Cozys are not sensitive to pitch trim. I will often set it once and not move it again for that flight. I have lost 30 lbs on my LCHF diet and figured I should re-check my ballast and stall characteristics. With 40 lbs of lead shot just ahead of the rudder pedals, it will fly level at 55 KIAS and show a canard stall at about 50-52 KIAS (uncalibrated). I think this is a little closer to a wing-stall condition than before but there is good warning from the pitch forces and nose-high attitude. Probably fine to fly around at 55-60 if one is smooth with the controls. My former approach speed was 70-75 KIAS solo-dual. I think I can reduce that to 65-70 solo-dual. At KRUQ yesterday, solo, with light winds on R/W 2, (pic) I could turn off at taxiway G with medium braking which I often sailed past before. That's 2109 feet. That's about as short a landing as I can expect and I need to thicken my cushion to see better over the nose to do that. A lot depends on having clear approaches. It is tricky to duck over trees, especially when you can't see the tree tops. 🙂 BTW, are you aware that terminology-wise, this runway is not "Zero Two". It is just runway "Two". I hear "02" a lot but there is no "0" with the number. I always think "rookie" when I hear someone call it 02. 🙂