Jump to content

Snoopy

Members
  • Posts

    16
  • Joined

  • Last visited

Everything posted by Snoopy

  1. Bruce is no longer with us and I don't know much more than he told me he had to make those changes so it would "fly the same as a standard Long Eze". I don't know what happened to the plane.... maybe someone who knew him will be able to tell us more.... I will post some pictures when I find them...
  2. Your design looks very nice. For what it's worth, Bruce Tift built a LongEze several years ago with the fuselage and canopy shaped like a high performance sailplane... rounded bottom like your design. I have some pictures of it around here somewhere. It looked beautiful, but he had to increase the angle of attack of the wing and go to a bigger engine to get it to fly decent because of the loss of lift with the rounded belly. At least that is what he told me when I saw the plane at Watsonville. Maybe someone on this forum knows more about that.... I have considered adding fences or chines to the belly of my VariEze similar to the bottom of a hydroplane, to keep the air from spilling up the sides of the fuselage, allowing me to reduce the landing speed or fly a flatter approach....? Don't know if it would work....just something I have been thinking about....
  3. Snoopy

    Wing Fittings

    Stainless against stainless will gaul without a liberal coating of anti-seize compound if that is what you were thinking....not a good situation. If I wanted to build a varieze from scratch I would look into using the Long-eze style wing mounting, or just build a Long.... I have spent a lot of time in a Varieze and love the performance per horsepower, but the Long-eze is more practical for a lot of reasons.....
  4. Snoopy

    Varieze History

    Looking at the pictures on ebay, you have a lot of work ahead of you if you have already made the trade. If not I think I would pass...looking at the pics of the cockpit and rear seat, it appears to be pretty beat up and not the best quality construction to begin with. As Dan said, it is very likely that the wing mounts are badly corroded if it has been sitting outside a long time and filled with water. It may be repairable, but how much time and money do you want to invest.... That's my two cents.
  5. I bought a really nice VariEZ (less instruments) several years ago for $17,000, and am in the process of updating the cockpit and several other mods. I have gone to Oshkosh twice in a VariEZ and a lot of local flying. The VariEZ is a great airplane, but it does have its limitations. Takeoff roll is longer than a LongEZ, the cockpit is somewhat smaller, less storage, etc. Due to its smaller size and high performance wing the VariEZ can generally fly faster than the LongEZ with a smaller engine and less fuel burn. My friends plane would go 220mph with a modified O-200. However, with two 180lb guys, 20lb of baggage each, and full fuel we would not attempt a takeoff in high density altitude conditions. I highly recommend that you get someone with composite construction experience to look at the airframe you are considering purchasing. I believe Norm James lives somewhere you...he is a VariEz builder with a lot of experience. Looking at the pictures it seems that this plane has had a hard life and the some of the workmanship seems a bit sloppy. I would also suggest that you spend some time looking at different VariEz and LongEZ and talking to as many builders as possible before you make any decisions.... Best wishes in your quest... Jim
  6. Snoopy

    Ve Efis ?

    There are so many choices in avionics now...the biggest limitation is our budget. The new multifunction displays can do so much that you can just add a few backup instruments and have room to spare. I spent a lot of time on my cockpit layout ... one thing that was very helpfull was printing actual size pictures of the various avionics and gluing them to some thin card stock. This allowed me to move things around until I had the best layout. You can also use software like panel planner. You might check out this thread: http://www.canardzone.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1127 which shows several panel layouts (including mine) and may give you some ideas. If I was starting from scratch (and had the funds) I might use three of the BMA EFIS Sport units...one as PFD, one for Map, and one for engine monitoring....maybe even one for the GIB. The Aspen avionics displays look like a good choice as would be a Garmin G1000.
  7. Has anyone looked into transparent LCD's.....?
  8. Well, since I have a Vari-eze that I am remodeling and have flown in the back of one quite a bit, I may be able to offer some insight.... While the VariEze is smaller than the LongEze (less space for baggage) they are generally faster, unless the LongEze has an IO-360 or something similar. The LongEze wing and extra horsepower will give you a shorter take-off run and better climb rate. Also most of the Long Eze drivers are able to fly at higher altitudes than we can. If money was no object, I would look for a Berkut.....but I have already spent more on my panel than I originally paid for the plane..... All that being said, I think you will have a lot of fun with the VariEze ! It is certainly as close as I will get to flying an F18 ! Happy flying ! Jim
  9. Thanks....I agree, I don't really see the need when you have two independent BMA EFIS systems.....Put that money toward the EFIS for the GIB....
  10. That looks really nice ! Where did you find a 2 1/4 Attitude Indicator that doesn't cost $5,000 ?
  11. Thanks....yes, everything goes together with screws. I will post some more pictures so you can see how it goes together. There are two 1/2" carbon and honeycomb shelves or trays that go side to side and are bolted to a carbon flange which is epoxied to the fuselage sides, and all the aluminum pieces that hold the avionics are fastened to them. Since the plans panel is structural, I wanted to make it as strong as possible. The lower tray is also fastened to a piece attatched to the wheel well, and to the carbon piece in the center.If I was starting from scratch, I would change some things, as there is a lot of new equipment available now....but I will stick with what I have or this project will never be finished....
  12. Here's what I'm working on......
  13. Looks like someone's home made landing gear....it is not Berkut/E-Racer style nor is it like the Infinity gear.........
  14. Does anyone have any experience with the Blue Mountain EFIS/Lite ? It seems like a nice unit with ADI, HSI, and moving map screens with a built in GPS.
  15. I have a Varieze that I am working on, and have considerable time in the back seat of a friends ez. I am 5'8" and 180 and Joe is about the same height and maybe 170. On our trips to Oshkosh we were able to take about 20 lbs. each in baggage. Leaving Northern California at the crack of dawn, fueling in Ogden Utah, and stopping mid afternoon in Sidney Nebraska which is 4000 + feet elevation, so with density altitude we would not be safe taking off with full fuel in those conditions. The varieze has a much different wing than the long eze so uses a lot of runway to get off the ground....2000 feet in normal conditions at 2500 msl. Joe's plane has a Klaus Savier engine and will go almost 220 mph but still has limitations for takeoff. It sounds like you guys are larger than Joe and I so a Long Eze would probably be a better plane for you. I don't think someone much bigger than I am would be comfortable in the back of a varieze. If you did decide to go for a Long Eze, I would suggest one with an O-360 for decent performance. I hope this helps...... Jim
  16. You might contact this gentleman: Robert Baals NASA Langley Research Center MS 464 Hampton, Va. 23681-0001 Some years ago he sent me some information and plans for a 7 X 10 inch wind tunnel. It is small enough to fit on a table and fairly simple to build, though some of the parts necessary for taking measurements would require some machine work. I hope this is of some help. Jim
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information