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Kent Ashton

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Posts posted by Kent Ashton

  1. 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

    Quote

    LONG EZE 1983 AIRCRAFT • $24,000 OBO• FOR SALE • Long-EZ, 1983, N234SC, AFTT: 818.7, SMOH 875.7, Lycoming engine O235-C1, 115hp, Factory plans built by Dr. RC St Clair, Palmdale CA. Rudder mod, vortex generators, manual gear, assist step, nav/strobes. Icom A200 Com, Apollo GPS, Terra Txpr, PM 501 ICS, No ADS-B. Empty weight 783lbs, Gross weight 1425lbs. Always hangared, paint: 6, needs CI. Located KFWS, $24K OBO. Owner passed away, estate managing sale. Two owners, continuous logbooks. Birth and shakedown trials for Eze and Dr St Clair's actual plane diary included. Contact B. Wheeler email: wheelerbea AT aol DOT com

     

     

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  2. 16 hours ago, Av8rJake said:

    Also what was weird to us is that the guy wouldn't fly it. He refused to fly it himself. Flew in the back seat of it 2x but wouldn't fly it himself. What doesn't he trust about it?

    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.  😉

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  3. 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.

  4. 48 minutes ago, Midengineracer said:

    I thought climb props weren't good for "long distance at high speed". 🤔 😀

    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.

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  5. 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

    Quote

    2001 Longez, empty weight 868 lbs., 274 hrs TTAF, mid time Lycoming 0-235, annual December 2021, always hangered, fly away condition, meets all FAA requirements for flight, 2nd owner, have all log books, manuals and build plans, no damage history, Becker ADS-B in/out, intercom, EFIS (digital engine performance monitoring display), ELT, composite climb prop, designed for long distance flights at high speed and low fuel burn, flies nice, known as the "poor man's F-16"

     

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

    Quote

    2015 COZY-3 • $80,000 • AVAILABLE FOR SALE • 310.3 TTAF&E TSMO, 0320-B2C (160HP), IGN 1Surefly 1Bendix,Carb, Silver Bullitt Prop, Vans Fab, Rain Canard, ZFW (1038), All Garmin, Panel, Auto Pilot, ADSB In/Out, Blue tooth. Elec Nose Lift, Trim, Speed Brake, Big Brakes and Much More! In Condition Inspection (Nov), Flying Always Hangard and Pampered. See it at KSOH 2022 or better yet fly it there yourself. • Contact Greg Garee - DD-3 AVIATION LLC , Owner - located Tulsa, OK 74133 United States Telephone: 9187109380 • Fax: 9183694846 • Posted July 6, 2022

     

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  7. 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.

     

     

  8. 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.

  9. 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

  10. 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. 

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  11. 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

  12. 22 minutes ago, Marc Zeitlin said:

    they don't compromise the integrity of the Trailing Edge in high winds, as the rope over the whole wing/winglet area do. They don't put bending point loads on the wing, as a wingtip tie-down does. They have no extra drag or aerodynamic affect, and are aesthetically invisible.

    And with an airplane that can rock side to side, the closer to the fuselage the tiedown is, the lower the force on the ground attachment will be.

    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. 

  13. 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.

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  14. 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.

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

    Quote
    There are 661 hours SNEW of IFR/VFR on the plane, engine, and prop. I am asking $129,000 OBO. I have included a picture and there are several more on Trade A Plane.

     

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  16. 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

    Quote
    I have put my Cozy up for sale is anyone is tired of building and want to fly this might just be for you.
    Cozy MK IV N656TE
    Superior Air IO 360B1A3     8.5/1 pistons 185 HP
    MT constant speed 3 blade prop
    G3i electronic ignition
    Skyview 10inch touch with 2 axis autopilotsGarmin 340 audio panel
    Garmin 430W
    SL30
    GTX 327
    Garmin G5
    Artex ELT ME406
    GDL 82 ADSB out
    Skyview ADAHRS module ADSB in
    Skyview ADSB-472 traffic & weather
    B & C alternator L60
    Wilhelmson Elec. Nose lift
    Strong Elec. Pitch trim
    Matco brakes
    Baggage Pods
    8 gallons/hr at 160kts
    Full length canvas fuselage cover
    Will sell with a current annual inspection
     
    Thane Ostroth 

     

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  17. 6 hours ago, thseng said:

    The worst thing about it is that you have to hand craft the airplane with simple tools in your garage.  I wonder if there might be a middle ground.  Random example: fully pre-shaped foam fuselage parts that self-fixture together prior to glassing.  

    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.

  18. 34 minutes ago, Ian Ashdown said:

    why couldn’t we have one really well researched, designed and developed Open-Source-EZ project.  Each person involved could contribute their particular skills and experience

    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.

  19. 17 minutes ago, mquinn6 said:

    Interesting trim design.  Wonder if anyone makes nylock wingnuts.... (is that a spring under the wingnut to apply pressure on the washer?)I am having fun sealing tanks now...  Hope to get it on the second shot!

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

  20. 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.  🙂

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