Waiter

EXCELLENT, Don't worry about the plans "Landing brake", its not what your after. I would do exactly what is shown in the photos, and do it with hydraulics. Also, I would have an accumulator that is capable of deploying/retracting the air brakes in one or two seconds. When you need energy now you don't want to wait 10 seconds for the board to retract while the turbine is spooling up. I don't know what the spool up time is for the T58, but this is exactly the reason they are installed. For a turbine installation, you need to be able to get the board in and out fast. Waiter

Jet A; Just to clarify; The "air brake" really isn't an air brake or a speed brake. On many high speed military aircraft, Air brakes or Speed brakes can be deployed at any speed, (These are often deployed automatically when the speed approaches Vne/Mne). They are also deployed on landing to add stability and drag, thus allowing the pilot to keep the T2 RPMs up, so a lengthy turbine spoolup won't be required if the pilot needs power , NOW, i.e. go around. The "Landing Brake" on the EZ can only be deployed at the lower end of the speed envelope. Because the EZs airframe is so clean, a normal approach angle cannot be achieved without "dirting up" the clean airframe, i.e. deploy the "Landing Brake". Because of the brake panels physical size and rigging, the manual plans "Landing Brake" is almost impossible to deploy at speeds greater than 120 - 130 kts. (air loads against the brake panel are very heavy). Many builders (including myself) have replaced the original manual actuator with an electric actuator. The original manual actuator would "whack your arm" as it slammed closed when you exceeded its operational speed limit. (OUCH). HOWEVER, the Electric actuators have the ability to deploy the landing brake, at any speed, even exceeding the design limits of the landing brake. They also stay deployed (no "whacking closed"). USE CAUTION, I seem to recall an incident that the panel was ripped from the airframe. I've added logic in my landing gear controller to automatically retract the landing brake whenever the throttle is placed in the FULL position. I also added logic to retract the landing brake if the landing gear "EMER RETRACT" switch is energized. NOTE: I am retrofitting my EZ to full retracts. So, when the gear is down, there won't be a need to "dirty up" the plane for the approach. I've been considering reducing the physical dimensions of the plans "Landing Brake" panel so I can safely deploy it at any speed, all the way out to 1.2 x Vne (260KIAS). I added an electric actuator to my existing landing brake, so I should have enough power to deploy the panel. I'll keep you posted if I decide to do this. Waiter

TEST PILOTS WELCOME! Hundreds of builders have performed their own first flights. Goto the FAA web site and download AC 90-89A Flight Testing Homebuilt Aircraft. http://www.faa.gov/library/manuals/aircraft/media/ac90-89a.pdf Getting an hour or two, even in the back seat is priceless. Go up to any EZ flyer, tell them your getting ready for your first flight, and I'll bet you'll get a ride. I understand there may be circumstances that a flyer may not be able to "drop everything" and do it right now, but don't let this deter you. I guarentee every EZ pilot at some point had a "first flight". Of course, You know to buy fuel, lunch and whatever else it takes to reimburse expenses for the ride. Some pilots will accept it, some won't. If mine was flying, I'de get you checked out in the front seat within an hour. As an EAA Flight Adviser, I would suggest that you contact one of the EAA Flight Advisor's in your area, and subject yourself to their evaluation. This is a fair and honest "Self Evaluation" of your experience, and comparing it to the expected requirements of the plane you propose to fly. Example, Wing Loading. If all your experience is in a lightly loaded wing (i.e. Cessna 150) then you move to a LongEZ, with a highly loaded wing, you probably need to be exposed to a highly loaded winged aircraft to get a feel on how it performs. The biggest factor in first flights, is to reduce the risks. This is simply done by performing methodical, stepped test procedures. Don't move on to the next step until the previous step has been performed and can be repeated without any surprises. There are two things happening if you follow this procedure; a) You are testing the systems in a methodical, stepped process, b) You are learning how the plane handles, and stepping up the level of difficulty as you progress through the steps. Start out with the baby steps, and progress through. FIRST FLIGHT I've performed 30 or 40 first flights, and approach every first flight in the following manner: 1) low speed taxi 5 - 10 kts - This tests the brakes, steering, ground maneuvering, and general wheel alignment, and how the plane handles at low speeds (in the ramp area) 2) Medium speed taxi (20-30 kts)- This tests the same, but the pilot gets a feel for the higher speeds, start watch brake temperature. 3) High Speed Taxi (40 - 50 kts) - This test the brakes and higher speed handling. ALSO, the controls now start to become a little responsive. Rock the ailerons, move the rudders, carefully apply elevator. I also like to do "jabs" of the each brake individually to see how much response I'll get out of the brakes. Pay attention to brake temperature, get a good feel for how the plane handles this speed. Practice with the throttle to hold the test speed, (Throttle is almost at idle) This will be very important in the next step. 4) Nose Wheel lift off 50 - 60 kts) - This is the most unusual test a new "Test Pilot" will ever perform, because they have never done it before. Bring the plane up to the test speed, start out at 50 kts. When the test speed is achieved, hold that speed, don't go any faster. Now ease back on the stick to see if the canard will start flying. Repeat this procedure, increase the speed by 5 kts and try again. When you finally get the nose to come off, hold that speed. Practice holding the canard in the take off position. When your comfortable with this, hold the nose off and practice with rudder inputs, and aileron inputs. At this point, you may need to make trim spring adjustments. 5) First Flight - do exactly the same as you practiced in step 4, EXCEPT, don't reduce the throttle when you reach your lift off speed. Congratulation, you just did a first flight. Keep the first flight short, I stay within gliding distance of the airport. keep the speed below 100 kts, and just get a feel for the plane at this speed. Come back in and land, de-cowl everything and check every nut bolt and screw before the next flight. Waiter

Straight and level about 20 degrees. (SEEMS LIKE 90 when your doing it) This will happen at about 55KIAS and depends greatly on CG. (I operate at the aft limit) Sometime at flyins, everyone else does a high speed pass. I find low speed passes equally impressive. I'll do a slow pass and just "hang" there at about 55 - 60 KIAS, gear down, speed brake down. SSSLLLOOOWWW Waiter

I seem to recall the wing and canard were "leveled" with the templates while the longerons were level. However, as you point out, this doesn't necessarly mean that the "Chord" is level, only that the top of the template was level. The "level" templates could have held the wing in any AOA desired. Anyway, to remove AOA from the discussion, I'll try again: I can see what your saying, so let me try it this way: It may be a better visualization anyway: ***************************************************** With the plane sitting on all three gear, its Deck Angle (waterline) would be ZERO, regardless of speed. However, while airborne, (Note: The following Deck Angles are estimated) At 200kias, to maintain level flight , the Deck Angle is about 1.5 degrees At 150kias, to maintain level flight , the Deck Angle is about 2.5 degrees At 100kias, to maintain level flight , the Deck Angle is about 10.0 degrees At 60kias, to maintain level flight , the Deck Angle is about 20.0 degrees As you can see, it requires a positive deck angle in order to produce lift. If I was going to attempt to hold an Deck Angle of ZERO, I would be in a descent, regardless of my speed. Waiter

Deja-Vu: 1) For a particular weight/CG, (for us subsonic folks) the airfoil will always stall at exactly the same AOA, regardless of speed. Speed has nothing to do with a stall, AOA has everything to do with stall. 2) The Canard is supposed to stall at less AOA then the main wing. 3) I think the item you are refering to (from the Infinity Web Site) is trying to get to this point: With the plane sitting on all three, regardless of the airframe speed, there isn't sufficient AOA for the main wing to produce lift. I can see what your saying, so let me try it this way: With the plane sitting on all three gear, its AOA would be ZERO, regardless of speed. (Note: The following AOA are estimated) At 200kias, to maintain level flight , the AOA is about 1.5 degrees At 150kias, to maintain level flight , the AOA is about 2.5 degrees At 100kias, to maintain level flight , the AOA is about 10.0 degrees At 60kias, to maintain level flight , the AOA is about 20.0 degrees As you can see, If I was going to attempt to hold an AOA of ZERO, I would be in a descent, regardless of my speed. \ Waiter

There are two methods I use: 1) If I am manually moving the plane, I find it easier (and probably safer) to push the plane back-wards, slowly and gently. I stand in front of the canard, lift it just enough so I'm still supporting some of the weight (not balanced) then push back-wards. (Use caution, its possible to tip over back-wards if the mains come to a sudden stop and your not ready for it.) 2) At the hangar, all the EZ's (we shared with 4 other EZs) had a small 4 wheel furniture dolly under the nose. After I shut down in front of the hangar, I get my dolly and lift the nose, then rest it on the dolly. We painted lines on the floor to act as guides. as long as everyone stayed on their line, all the EZs could be moved around without worry of hangar rash. On one occation that I needed to be towed in from the runway after an emergency landing (valve in cylinder broke). I sat in the plane and held the rope with my hands. Waiter

I knew you were a highly intelligent and a very smart person. :D Waiter

I understand the plane in question is a Cozy IV. When I introduce someone to the the flying characteristics of a LongEZ, This is one of the demonstrations I include in the flight. My LongEZ operates at the aft CG limit. I perform this type of maneuver regularly, i.e slow flight, high angle of attack. My result (with winglets) have always been the typical gentle canard bobbing (stall/unstall), and just a touch of dutch roll, the dutch roll is normally imperceivable and would never depart. Mild aileron and/or rudder inputs would introduce a minor dutch roll, but the aircraft would always return to a stable condition. When I removed the winglets, I flew the same test series several times, I could not tell any difference. IMHO: the only thing I lost by removing the winglets was some tip back protection that the winglets offer. A tip-back (with winglets) will (may) damage the wheel pants. A tip-back without the winglets will most likely damage the wheel pants, prop spinner, and lower cowl (and the prop if its not timed horizontally. NOTE: If you have a significant roll angle, you may hit one winglet before you hit the prop. However, I don't think the winglets will protect against a high AOA during takeoff or landing, If the AOA is high enough to hit the winglets, then you've already destroyed the propeller. REGARDLESS - If this is the case, then you need to review your takeoff and landing procedures, The Canard should NEVER be above the horizon, to do so invites the possibility of a prop strike. Waiter

Lynn; How far along are you in the build. Not wanting to put a damper on your efforts, but: If your a couple years away from the panel, I wouldn't buy anything. Technology changes fast, and that nice neat new EFIS with built in MP3 player will be totally outdated in two years. ALSO, Storage is not good for steam guages, Use caution when purchasing used gages, Figure in the price of an overhaul and your easily at the cost of a new instrument. Waiter

Lynn; Nice looking panel design. Doube check the depth of your radios and instruments, especially near the sides. You may run into clearance issues with canard pitch trim bellcrank on the left side, and canard elevator pushrod and bellcrank on the right side. Waiter

My original panel was packed with steam gages. Real-estate is at a premium. One of the best decisions I made during my retrofit was to get rid of the steam gages and install an EFIS and an EMS (Dynon) By the time you figure up the costs for the individual gages, the EFIS is the least expensive way to go. AND it frees up a lot of that real estate. Consoles Review the plans very carefully before changing consoles, leg holes, etc. I'm not sure I understood correctly, were you planning on making the fuselage wider? The left leg hole is a little wider, because the left console is narrower than the right. You can't make the right console narrower because this will limit the travel of the stick. IF you make the left console wider, this limits hip room. Waiter

There are some "Canard" based Ultralights, However, thats where the similarity ends when comparing an ultralight to these "EZs"; VariEZs, LongEZs, Cozys, AeroCanards, Berkuts, E-Racers, Velocitys, etc. These EZ aircraft are certified and licensed in the "Amateur Built, Experimental" category. Their weight, power, speed, and altitude capabilities places them well beyond the Ultralight, and even the Sport Pilot class of operation. The only EZ canard type that was a "Production Certification" was the "Speed Canard". This aircraft was built in Germany on an assembly line. There weren't very many of these built, perhaps less than 100. There are thousands of EZs currently flying throughout the word. Most of the EZs that I'm aware of are all designed with the sidestick controller. Building times vary, depending on the aircraft and builder experience. My LongEZ took just a over 3,000 hours to build. This is somewhat typical, Plus or Minus a thousand hours. If you would like to get a little better idea of what its like to build and fly a LongEZ, I welcome you to visit my web site at; www.iflyez.com Waiter

can you post a couple photos of this? Waiter

Several of the electric retract systems are designed to allow you to extend/retract while the pilot is sitting in the seat: http://www.eznoselift.com/ The original manual system will NOT do this. (well, not entirely true, you will be able to do ONE retract) MANUAL SYSTEM With the nose extended, the nose gear weight is transfered through the over-center arm, no weight is supported by the actual gears in the retract assembly. If you attempt to retract the nose with ANY weight on the nose gear, the large gear will fail, the teeth strip out, and the nose will fall to the ground. (CAUTION - On occation, I've seen EZ owners park their planes with the manual nose gear partially retracted, just enough so the plane will not fall backwards. I caution against this. Just the weight of someone leaning on the canard could cause the gears to strip. Always place the manual nose gear fully extended, or fully retracted.) Normal operation would be something like this: 1) Exit the pilots seat, continue to place body weight on the Canard to keep the plane from falling back-wards. 2) While standing behind the canard on the pilots side, Lift the nose up by the canard. 3) Reach in and retract the nose gear completely. 4) Lower the plane onto its nose parking bumper. NOTE - One very important emergency procedure for failed brakes or the need to stop the plane in an emergency: Reach down and start retracting the nose gear. When it comes out of over-center, the gears strip, and the plane drops to its nose skid plate. (You did install a skid plate?) Waiter

OttawaFlyer; BEFORE YOU START BUILDING. Check with your equilivant of the FAA. You need to find out when they want to perform their pre-close inspections, and how to register your plane. The rules in Canada are significantly different than here in the US. Waiter

ME TOO! :scared: During my construction, I found all my measurements were within the plans specifications. Are you located in Canada? Waiter

Al; Very sorry to hear this. Have you explored all other options, i.e. the use of photos in the inspection? WARNING TO ALL BUILDERS - Although "Pre-Close" inspections are no longer required in the United States, They are most likely required in other countries. Check with your local agency. If your a builder in the United States, its a very good idea to have an EAA Technical Counselor perform inspections during various stages of construction. Although not mandatory, pre-close inspections may be required by your insurance carrier. Waiter

Bobmane, What do you need to know? Waiter

Marc, That sounds about right. I had in my mind between 1/8 and 3/16, but as I said, that was a WAG. The photos on my site are from the original construction of my LongEZ. I don't know how this compares to an AeroCanard. Waiter

Thickness! 3/16 inch (WAG). Take a look at the photos on this page, you can see the layups on the upper surface of the wing. http://www.iflyez.com/LongEZ_Construction_Photos_Wing.shtml Waiter

Yes, you are correct, but I'm not sure what you mean regarding "splitting hairs". Does mine have a bump or hump, NO, its blended in with filler. Does my airfoil shape (in this area) match perfectly with the template, NO. Is it still an airfoil, YES. Does this mismatched airfoil change the way the plane flys, I doubt you could measure, even with the finest labratory test equipment the impact this has. I would recommend that you do your best when your hot wiring the wing foam. Its been my experience that the better the job on the hot wire, the less filler material will be used later. and the final shape of the airfoil; will closly match the templates. Perhaps the original airfoil template has already taken this into consideration, I don't know. Personally, I don't know of anyone who has done what your suggesting. Wayne mentioned two people that did it, and then indicated it wasn't worth the effort. There are thousands of EZs flying with this construction technique. I'm not aware of any failures or any incidents that this technique was a factor. Given the above statement, I would recommend not replacing a proven technique, with one that has no historical track record. If your an aeronautical engineer, disregard this entire post and do what you think is right. Waiter

Yes, they do build up the area locally, but the finishing process (sand and fill) takes care of this. When I finished my wings, I used several long sanding boards to get the wing straight and smooth. One of my sanding boards was almost 6 ft long. Waiter

Sorry about that; SOL = $hit out of luck Your luck has run out! Waiter

Sorry about that. After I posted this reply, I read your other post regarding you flying a LongEZ. Then for some reason, I couldn't go back and edit this post! Anyway. I think your SOL in regards to the lower stall speed of a VariEZ. Waiter