NWade

Randy - Next time, you may want to post a new topic, rather than reply to a post like this (since your question doesn't deal with parts)... It would get a beter response. I've been in the back of a VariEze (smaller than a Long-EZ), and there are 3 reasons why the back seat has a reputation as being "no fun": 1) The darned planes are so FUN to fly, that folks in the back seat (especially pilot-types) get jealous if they have to ride in back. 2) With both planes, you're kind of cut off physically from the person in front - all you see of them is the back of their head. A lot of spouses and other passengers really prefer to sit next to the pilot for that additional physical contact while in the air (side-by-side seating is definitely more "sociable" for most folks). 3) Some people complain about the visibility. From the front seat, you have a stunning view in almost every direction. From the back, the pilot's head obscures your view directly forward. You still see a lot out the sides, but its not as nice as sitting under a bubble canopy side-by-side. I still love the Long-EZ... Its a plane that flies far and flies fast on a very modest amount of horsepower and fuel. That's what it was designed to do, after all. But for folks looking to just hop around their local area for 1 to 2 hour flights, its not as much of a "family" airplane as the Cozy or a more traditional planform aircraft with side-by-side seating. Oh, you should also be aware that all Canard aircraft tend to have longer takeoff and landing distances than comparably-sized planes (they can't have flaps and don't have a tractor-mounted engine providing prop-blast over the control surfaces). So be sure to examine the runways you hope to use to ensure you pick a plane that works for your area and intended flying style - THAT advice applies to all builders and owners! Take care, --Noel

Anyone have a good estimate as to how many gallons of epoxy go into the typical Long-EZ airframe? Also, anyone have any good estimates on how much cloth gets used in a Long-EZ airframe? I've got my TERF CD buried in boxes right now, so I can't look it up (and assume normal scrap amounts and occassional wastage from re-making a part, of course). Thanks a bunch! Take care, --Noel

Hi All, I haven't been around in a while, but I'm continuing to inch towards building an EZ of some flavor (probably Open-EZ). I'm still hard-pressed to decide between the Sonex (easier and quicker to build, better short/rough field performance) and an EZ (faster in the air, better at long-distance travel, and easier on the pocket-book with costs spread out more). Got the PPL last August, am getting a house or townhome this summer - hopefully construction will commence this fall (in the meantime I'm working with the guys at http://www.hpaircraft.com on composite sailplane development). Anyways, one thing I've always been concerned about are the "specialty items" for the EZ's. How hard is it to get landing-gear bows, nose-struts, or other critical parts that the homebuilder can't make in their garage? Anyone done the research to find out what the #1 hardest-to-find part is? Thanks, take care, --Noel

Thanks, all. Bruce - College is going to happen one way or another. If I stayed in the computer industry, I'd probably go part-time; and I've made that happen pretty well this past year so I know I can do it. I just don't feel "safe" without some more formal education / training in computers to make it a true career (and the Aviation I'm starting from scratch - so a degree would be a must). I may never become a teacher (though my Mom and many of the people in my family are teachers)... But I know from my auto-racing and R/C flying experience that I will LOVE being a CFI! I think the biggest questions now for me are: 1) If I get a B.S. in "Aviation Operations" and I'm not going to be an Airline Pilot - what doors does that open up that a normal "Computer-Science" B.S. doesn't get me? 2) If I go with that degree and I don't become an airline pilot - what kind of money can I make flying, and how long will it take to build up a decent salary? A $500/month loan repayment makes this a serious issue, even though I wish it didn't have to be about the money at all... 3) If I stay in computers, will I be totally burned out in 5 or 10 years like I have been over the last few? With a degree, perhaps I could (finally) get hired up in serious applications-development or something, instead of being stuck doing the same sorts of Web-Programming jobs for years and years. *sigh* Thanks again all for being a good "sounding board" and helping me work through this! Take care, --Noel

Thanks, BD - I really wish I'd gone back and evaluated this earlier - as ROTC or something like that would have been a good choice I think. Bottom line: 1) I want to be involved with aviation somehow. I love just about everything about flying. I just think that an Airline Captain job would get boring for me in the long-term. 2) I need a middle-class lifestyle (doesn't have to be fancy - just don't want to struggle to pay the bills month-to-month), with a semi-stable career that won't lead to repeated layoffs with long stretches of unemployment. 3) I'm willing to give up almost everything to get both #1 and #2 - I just don't want to get 1/2 way there and find myself stuck or struggling with bills/unemployment. More info & advice is always appreciated! Thanks, --Noel

Hi All, This is only somewhat relevant to EZ's, in terms of my future ownership - but I'd love to hear your comments. (My apologies for the length of this post; but its somewhat complex...) I'm trying to decide what future direction my career and flying should go... I've been in the computer industry for over 10 years now. Unfortunately, I've had the bad luck to be working for the wrong companies at the wrong time - being laid-off or having my employer go bankrupt many times over the last few years. I've been in a good employment situation for the last year or so - but I've very skittish about my future... I'm a total generalist / jack-of-all-trades who does lots of various programming/IT work - but because I don't have a single "expert" skill to hang my hat on, its been tough to progress in my career. And as a college drop-out, my ability to become a senior programmer or move up into management has been limited. All this means that I feel somewhat "stuck" and burned-out in my career (mostly programming dynamic websites). Aviation is my first love - before I dropped out of college (in '95), I was majoring in Aerospace Engineering. Last year I decided to go back to college and major in Aviation Operations, as a way to get back to my first love. I recently started on my Private license - and after only 2 hours in my logbook I'm already making landings unassisted in DA-20's, so I know I can be a pilot if I go that route. I've been going to school full-time while also working full-time - all in preparation for attending a 4-year college with an aviation program. That college has recently raised its rates and I'm looking at 3 years of college that will rack up nearly $50k in loans (on top of working 30 hours a week). I'll come out of the program with my CFI, CFII, and MEI ratings - but that kind of debt scares me, given starting pilot/instructor pay rates. It works out to about $500/month to keep up with the loan payments... (Not to mention trying to afford an EZ someday) Now, I must make it clear that I have no ambitions of flying for the Airlines. I know several pilots that fly for Alaska and United - and all seem somewhat bored with their work. I'd much rather fly corporate jets, maybe do ATC work (although by the time I graduate college, I will be 1 year too old under present regulations), or work in a field involving aviation and computers (maybe avionics, or something along those lines). If I'm not going to fly 737's or big jets for a living - is it worth going through and getting all of my licenses at this expensive school?? I know I will *LOVE* to be a CFI - and I wish I could make a paying career out of that; but it just doesn't seem possible, from everyone I've talked to... I'm just really concerned about being able to keep up with the loans and making a decent living if I go with one of those careers... I don't have a high standard of living (and am willing to sacrifice a lot to fly and/or own a plane) - but I need enough to afford my own apartment, a reliable car, and either some good computer gadgetry or some money for flight-time. I've thought about trying to blend my two skills - but I don't know exactly what my prospects are. For example, King Schools is hiring for a Webmaster right now. Scaled Composites is also hiring aggressively for fabricators - stating that they'll take novices...perhaps I could get my foot in the door there and try to move into some kind of junior engineering or programming role? I would enjoy the hands-on work of fabrication - but getting "stuck" doing that at a low wage for many years would sap my will... My "safe" option is to maybe go back to a normal college, finish my degree in computers, and just keep flying a hobby. At my current salary level, I could probably buy into 1/2 of an EZ before the end of the summer - and I could definitely build my own. The "instant gratification" aspect of this is quite tempting - but I worry about having a true career in computers, both in terms of stability and in terms of burnout/motivation. Concerned, and still praying for an EZ someday, --Noel noel.wade@gmail.com Seattle, WA