CANARDAV8R

Sorry for the delay, I'm working out of town. I've sold the throttle quad and retract, but still have the strobe kit for sale if anyone's interested. Ed

I've decided to sell my Whelen Strobe kit, Ken Brock Long EZ nose retract and throttle Quadrant. The strobe kit was purchased in March '06 and is still in packages along with the wiring installation kit and instructions. The Ken Brock three lever throttle quadrant and cables were never installed. The plane has not flown yet, so the Ken Brock nose gear retract is in perfect condition, but was removed to install a Jack Wilhelmson electric retract. -Whelen Strobe Kit- This system is popular with Long-EZ, Q2, Q200 builders and others using a lightweight, low amperage generator or alternator. It consists of: Two A 600-PG/PR Wingtip Strobe Lights, One A 413A, HDS -14/28 (Single Flash 20 Joules) remote mounted Power Supply, HD -60 Installation Kit (Lists for $810.00 at Aircraft Spruce) -Ken Brock Nose Gear Retract -Ken Brock Three Lever Throttle Quadrant with cables I will take the best reasonable offers here, before listing on ebay. For pictures or to make offers, please email me at:emoreno1@bellsouth.net or call 337-438-5626. Thanks in advance! Ed Moreno Long EZ Project http://rotary-ez.myairplane.com

Marc and Waiter, thank you for your response. I need to remember KISS, like the mirror suggestion and I will definately change the senders to the capacitive type. I'll also follow Waiter's suggestions on the installations. Thanks again...Ed

I have a bad neck and it's difficult to turnaround to see the site fuel gauges in the back seat of my Long EZ. Has anyone put electric fuel sending units in the strakes and a fuel gauge on the panel? I just purchased two GM fuel sending units with a float arms to send signals to the RWS monitor on the panel. I plan to put the sending units between the site gauge and rear back seat. Does anyone see an issue with this setup? I'm burning unleaded auto fuel in a 13 B rotary. Any comments? Ed

I appreciate your response and will keep it in mind. However I am a little further along than you know. You can go to my web site and follow my progress at http://rotary-ez.myairplane.com. I have all the prefab bells and whistles for the modifications previously listed. To date; I've installed a 195 hp rotary engine built by Bruce at Rotary Resources. It's controlled by Tracy Crook's EC2 engine controller and monitored by his EM-2, as well as driven by his RD-1C re-drive. I have also mounted the IVO Magnum 68", 105 in flight adjustable prop to help push it along. All this will be wired by Bob Whites wiring harness. Jack W. retracts and bearings. Currently building the Roncz Canard with Marty Martindale (the first person to build one, and featured in the CP's) and will be cutting the nose to extend the cg. I hope to have the LEZ in the air before the end of summer. I have one question, where did you get the EFIS lite G4. I've had an order in with BMA for 4 months for the EFIS Lite G4 and have just spoke with Greg the owner of BMA who assured me none have been sent out as of yet. I and others would like to see pictures of your project. There aren't many of us around building Rotary LEZ's.

Thought I would post my web site for anyone interested in what my Rotary Long EZ looked like. It can be seen at: http://rotary-ez.myairplane.com I'll be changing the nose soon to move the battery and weight further forward for proper cg. I've just received all the metal parts from Jack W. and have cut out all the foam with Marty Martindale to build the Roncz canard. Let me know what you think. Canardav8r

Thanks for the info. I'm not sure what the horsepower will be at the prop. If it is equivalent to a Lycoming 320 or 360 I'll be happy. My focus is dependability and safety. I haven't posted for a while so allow me to bring everyone up to date. I recently purchased a complete Long EZ airframe that has put me years ahead of building. Now all I need to do is paint, add an engine and install a panel. To do this, I've ordered a 13B engine from rotary resources with the aviation modifications. I'm a fair mechanic but after watching the 13B overhaul video I felt it best initially to be completed by a professional. When the TBO is due (2000 to 4000 hrs) I'll do the overhaul at a cost of about $700. Bruce has assured me with the porting and modifications the engine will produce about 180hp on the dyno. http://rotaryresources.com/ It will be mounted to the airframe with a Conversion Concepts engine mount that I've recently ordered. http://conversionconcepts.com/index.html The engine will have all of Tracy Crook's Real World Solution components, i.e. RD-1C redrive with a 2.85:1 gear drive, EC2 engine controller and EM2 engine monitor. http://www.rotaryaviation.com/ I received the IVO Magnum in flight adjustable prop with a 68" diameter blade and a 105 pitch last week. Looks great! http://www.ivoprop.com/ I'm being told with this combination I can expect a great climb and cruse with outstanding fuel performance. Even if it is the same as a Lycoming 320 or 360 I feel better with the rotary three moving parts and $2 gal fuel. I'm not an engineer but from my research this was the best rotary combination I could come up with. The only thing left to do is the cooling and exhaust. To do this I intend to follow George Graham's cooling example and will mount two Flow master Hush Power II mufflers to keep things quiet. I hope I've answered your question, if not visit the links above. Ed

GREAT NEWS!!!! I found the missing templates. Moving forward... Ed

I need assistance. Last night in preperation for the build, I counted the newley aquired template sheets for our Long EZ and discovered we are missing A1, A2, A4, A5, and A12. Can anyone help with providing either old templates or copies of the templates. I'd be glad to pay for your effort. If anyone knows how to solve this issue please email at emoreno1@cox-internet.com. I believe I have enough to build the aircraft with what I have but would feel better if I had all the info before building in Jan. '06. HELP! Ed

David, Radiator connection: George Graham has his three radiators setup the same way you've described without the electric fan. If you private post or email me and give me your physical address I'll be glad to send you the Contact issue #62 newsletter he sent me. He's posting temps from 150 to 180F even with full run ups and long taxis. I've decided to adopt his cooling system. My only concern was he installed it in an E-Racer style aircraft and may have more room in his cowl than a Long EZ. I do plan on installing ram air in the cowling (probably arm pit) to aid in cooling the additional radiators. Oil Cooling: I know oil is helpful in keeping an engine cool by pulling temps away. However, I've read you should mix two stroke oil in your fuel to properly lubricate the ceramic seals in a rotary. Do you have any info on this process? I didn't know that about Bruce and his engines. I'll do more research about overhauling the engine myself. I have a friend that has just overhauled his rotary and said it was the easiest thing to do. Thanks for the info Ed

David, Thanks for the reply. You may be the one to ask about my two stage cooling system I had written on an earlier post. I was wondering why we couldn't use a two stage radiator system. Mount a radiator in the air flow beneath the plane without an electric fan. Mount a second radiator beneath the engine and out of the airflow with an electric fan mounted on it. Both radiators would be smaller but equivalent or larger to the area of one radiator needed to properly cool the engine. They would be hosed together in succession, from the engine to the electric radiator to the airflow radiator and back to the engine. The radiator system should be a closed pressurized system with at least a 16 lbs radiator cap. It will also need an overflow tank mounted on the firewall. A closed system is needed because for every pound of pressure in the radiator system you reduce the boiling point by 10 degrees. This is why modern radiators are so much smaller now and not the size found in my '51 Chevy truck. When taxiing on a runway the electric fan radiator thermal switch would switch on the fan keeping the temp reduced. It may not totally keep the temp at 180F but below boiling. When in the air the second airflow radiator would kick in keeping the temp at 180F and allowing the thermal switch to kick off the electric fan radiator. Keeping the electric fan out of the airflow would eliminate the air dam issue. I currently plan on using George Graham's three radiator setup if I have enough room under the LEZ cowl. This is detailed in Contact newsletter issue #62. He had a rotary race car driver give him a great tip on cooling. He said to ensure the hot water hose is connected to a radiator and not capped off because it will cause the rotary to overheat at high rpms. If this doesn't work I'll be forced to use the two stage system described above. On the gas saving issue: Safety is the biggest factor for my rotary decision. If the rotary is a little higher in fuel consumption than the Lycoming, as you said earlier other benefits will offset the difference. Do you know the recommended TBO for a rotary? I thought about overhauling the engine myself but changed my mind. I have experience in conventional auto mechanics but not with the rotary. I felt something as important as this should be left to the experts and is why I plan on getting Bruce to do it with the aviation mods. Ed

Scott, Thanks for the info. I feel a little better now about some of the projects I've seen. I still plan on building the LEZ from the beginning and will continue to visit your site for inspiration. I received the CSA newsletters last week and have read all four quarterly issues twice. There's a lot of good info about all aspects of canard construction. We're also planning on being added to the CSA list for pilots to call that need help in our area. CSA is a great organization and I'm proud to be a part of it. There's a lot of CP changes I'm trying to ensure the plans are updated with. I hope to make the first order soon. I've also started cutting out templates in preparation of the build. Counting down the days. Ed

Thanks Scott, To save time, I initially looked at purchasing a partially completed Long EZ project, but felt the dark brown color indicated it was left in the sun too long. I've watched Burt and Mikes construction video several times and the epoxy they used was never a dark brown. I've found some projects so dark they almost looked black. Maybe this was a different type of epoxy system. Is there a way to tell if an old Long EZ project has UV damage? I know what UV damage can do to my bay boat fiberglass, is it the same? I do plan to use the MGS 285 epoxy system for the entire project. I hear it has superior adhesion than the old epoxies. On the hp issue. I trust Bruce and know his work at Rotary Resources. They're several COZY and Velocity builders currently installing his rotaries with Tracy Cook re-drives. The only problem I had was the cooling issue that was recently solved by George Graham. I plan on using George's three radiator system to keep things cool. I'm no longer concerned about too much hp because I've found several Long EZ's with V8 engines installed that put out much more hp than the renesis will. I'm currently reviewing the CP's and making changes to the Long EZ plans to ensure accuracy. I hope to make a material purchase as soon as this is finished. Thanks again, Ed

I have a quick question for someone. Why is the epoxy on some partially completed aircraft a dark brown? Is this because it was kept in the sunlight and may have UV damage? Ed

Dale, I appreciate the info and will keep it in mind. My plans are to get Bruce Turintine of "Rotary Resources" to build the engine with aviation mods for about $5700. This eliminates the guess work and assures the engine is built right with the latest modifications. It still saves around 20K from a traditional 360 of equil power. Ed

Just read your reply Dale, From what I understand the Renesis has been completely redesigned from the old 13b including porting modifications. However if I only get a 180 to 200 hp performance it would be fine with me. I'm after the dependability more than the horsepower. I'll try and dig further into the Renesis and 13b comparison. Thanks again. Ed

Scott, I don't have an owners manual from RAF but have ordered one. I've read somewhere about a 5 kt creep. Once airborne increase the speed by 5 kt increments until you reach the manufacturers vne, power max or you notice a flutter. I'll hunt for the info as well. Since we're looking see if you can find the maneuvering speed. Ed

Scott, I understand your point and believe John Slade has a similar cooling system setup on his COZY. I've just received a Contact newsletter issue 62 from GRAHAM (Rotary E-Racer) where he details his 13B rotary cooling setup. He's posting 150F on the ground even during long taxi's and full run ups. A 180 to 190F cooling temp no matter what his engine rpm or aircraft speed in the air. He learned this cooling technique from a Mazda auto racer who reviewed his aircraft cooling system. He's also managing 7 gph at 180 mph with ground speed often over 200 mph. It's enough to give me hope and to proceed with my rotary plans. I'd like to install a Renesis rotary in the LEZ for dependability and a 40% increase in fuel efficiency over the old 13B. The renesis is Mazda's crown jewel. At 240 hp though, I'm afraid it would over power the LEZ and possibly push the aircraft past the safe zone and into a destructive flutter. What would you say is the maximum safe speed of the Long EZ? Do you know the maximum speed ever achieved? I heard Mike Melvil has pushed the envelope a little. Ed

Scott, Thanks for the info. I'll look into how the Duckt has his cooling set up, it may be something that I'll want to duplicate. I'd love to have a Velocity with a Renesis mounted. Hopefully when I'm finished with the LEZ one of my sons will want it and I'll build a Velocity for the rest of the family. The cooling issue that concerns me is the long taxi's that pass little air over the radiator. I thought about mounting an electric fan but was told it could cause an air dam at 150 to 200 mph. Let me ask you guys about the two stage cooling and get your input. I was wondering why we couldn't use a two stage radiator system. Mount a radiator in the air flow beneath the plane without an electric fan. Mount a second radiator beneath the engine and out of the airflow with an electric fan mounted on it. Both radiators would be smaller but equivalent or larger to the area of one radiator needed to properly cool the engine. They would be hosed together in succession, from the engine to the electric radiator to the airflow radiator and back to the engine. The radiator system should be a closed pressurized system with at least a 16 lbs radiator cap. It will also need an overflow tank mounted on the firewall. A closed system is needed because for every pound of pressure in the radiator system you reduce the boiling point by 10 degrees. This is why modern radiators are so much smaller now and not the size found in my '51 Chevy truck. When taxiing on a runway the electric fan radiator thermal switch would switch on the fan keeping the temp reduced. It may not totally keep the temp at 180F but below boiling. When in the air the second airflow radiator would kick in keeping the temp at 180F and allowing the thermal switch to kick off the electric fan radiator. Keeping the electric fan out of the airflow would eliminate the air dam issue. Please let me know what you think. Ed

Scott, Thanks for the help. I've not committed to an engine yet but will keep your advise in mind. I like the 320 and feel it's a good engine but I'll be flying over mountainous and wooded terrain through two states on a regular basis for work. Picking the correct engine is critical. I have a background in mechanics and understand the ROTARY's reliability and performance, I currently feel it's safer than the 320. The only concern I have is the canard cooling system. I haven't been able to find anyone that is currently running a rotary in a LEZ. The the reason may be the LEZ has a smaller cowling and would limit the radiator configuration needed to properly cool the engine. I have a friend that submitted a two stage radiator system to Paul Lamar that may work in the LEZ. If this fails, I'll definitely install a 320. The subject then changes to how to eliminate known stoppages of the 320 and what is the best engine modifications. If I were building a Velocity or COZY with larger cowlings the RENISIS 240 hp ROTARY would be the only way to go. Check out John Slades COZY http://www.canardaviation.com/cozy/chap23.htm as an example. If you're building a short field aircraft you may want to keep up with the developments by Tracy Cook' RV rotary http://www.rotaryaviation.com/. I want to build a "Perfect Long EZ" (or close to perfect as I can get) through the use of modern materials, equipment, techniques and engine. I visit your site regularly and feel you are doing an outstanding job with your LEZ and plan to incorporate many of your options. I value your opinion and hope you continue to write. Thanks for taking the time. Ed

Even though I am new to this forum I have studied the Long EZ for the past two years and understand what everyone is saying about making it better. Swinn - I'm contemplating several power options. I would like a 320 but feel it is outdated. Too many moving parts. The 235, I feel even though light would be underpowered, I'm 6'1", 245. Besides I hear they have problems with the crankshaft. I've had an on and off mood about the Rotary because they're hard to keep cool. I may have found an answer to the cooling problem with a two stage radiator system. I'm awaiting a reply from Paul Lamar who is currently evaluating it. The most important factors about the Rotary is there are only three moving parts and the high power to weight ratio. A 13B rotary normally will produce about 160 hp but will put out as much as 200 hp with a little tweaking. The weight (including the re drive) is a little more than what a 320 would weigh. The new Renesis rotary (improved 13B) found in the RX8 sports car will put out 240 hp with normal aspiration and has a 40% increase in fuel economy over the old 13B. I would like to see around 140 to 160 hp in the Long EZ. On the retracts, I've seen several retract options for the Long EZ but there's one that stands out. It was built exactly like the Velocity retract system but for a Long EZ and was around 4500.00. The reason I liked this was it didn't attach to the SPAR which eliminates landing loads to a critical part. I found it last year and have searched recently but can't find it. They may have been discontinued. If anyone finds it please let me know. On the rollover structure: I did read the newsletter put out by RAF, and like what they have designed, but I feel a steel structure would be simpler and as safe as the RAF design. There's a good example here http://www.ez.org/feature/F0411-1/F0411-1.htm with Wayne Blackner's beautiful Long EZ. He has many options I would like to attempt. Radioflyer - Nick has a great website and I have read much of his material and the COZY GIRRLS site as well. I like their building techniques and will follow much of their examples, including the Low Vac method of vacuum bagging. I understand how this technique can save as much as 20% of the epoxy weight of an aircraft. I know weight is the key to an outstanding aircraft performance. I intend to build as light as possible. On building wider - Because of my size I'm a big advocate of widening and stretching the Long EZ that many have already done. I have a friend that is currently building his long EZ 4" wider at the pilot's seat and 2" wider at the passenger's seat. He's also stretching it 6" longer between the two seats. I like this idea and am seriously considering doing the same. LIMO EZ - As usual, you hit the nail on the head. Do you know if or when the Stagger EZ will put out a set of plans? I like the design as well; it incorporates much of what we are trying to design here. I would like to start with the Long EZ to develop proficiency and when the time is right sell it to one of my sons and build either a Stagger EZ or Velocity. These comments are what I'm looking for and I'll have everyone to thank for what I hope will make the Perfect LONG EZ. Thanks again. Ed

Thanks for the advise Jon. I'll make sure to read the MSDS and wear appropriate PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) when I work with it. I just want superior adhesion. I've been reading the plans and can't wait to get started in Jan. I need to review the CSA newsletters and CP's to ensure I'm up to date. Ed

Sorry Jon, The epoxy I plan to use is the MGS 285 system as you mentioned above. I understand Terry Lamb used it to build his beautiful Long EZ. Thanks, Ed

Jon and Scott, Thank you for the info gentlemen, I value your advise. I've made changes in my building plans. I will: Eliminate fuel tank sump bumps under the strakes Install dual fuel tank vents (to prevent 'burping' when tanks are full) Install a rear seat mounted sump tank Jeffco epoxy inside of fuel tanks like Lancair Install internal antennas including GPS Install an electric speedbrake actuator Install a Wilhelmson electric nosegear with 90 MPH sensor Extend the nose (Dave Lind style) Install downdraft cooling Install a stand up front mounted brake master cylinders Install a larger canopy Jon, I've sent off my CSA membership last week, joined the Canard Aviators email list and I will purchase the tools you have mentioned. I also intend to use the GMS 200 epoxy system to hold things together. Thanks again, Ed

I've just collected the required documents to build a LONG EZ and will begin building in Jan. '06. I would like to get input from builders that could save me time, money, and most importantly, increase the safety factor. This is an attempt to try and narrow down the process if possible without reading every thread about every subject. I know this will draw a lot of attention and controversy, but if you were starting over in '06 and were building the PERFECT LONG EZ, what would you do differently? First things first - materials. I know Wicks has a Long EZ building material list and can furnish tried and true materials, but is this the best material for the job? Are there new foam materials, adhesives and fiberglass to use that will out perform this? I understand the plans' building order should not be followed. One builder said to build the canopy before the strakes because it's difficult to work around the strakes. He also said you should keep the winglets off until the wings are about finished because they could get damaged flipping the main wing to work on each side. I like the vacuum bag process, when should this be used? Should carbon fiber material be used on the canard and elevator to reduce the possibility of flutter and increase VNE? It's info like this that I am interested in. I would value any input. Thanks, Ed