matter

Wow! I appreciate everyones input and have gleened quite a bit of info from it. The 'ping pong ball' explanation was very easy to visualize. Thank you for all the info

I think the foam would have to be pretty resistant to the fluid (depending on the type of fluid), I only assume this because there are fuel tanks and lines running through the structures already. To be honest, I think I may be more concerned about the idea of flying high on a cold day and the hydrolic fluid become to viscous. Would increase pressures needed for control response of bind it up totally. This is just my guess though, Id love to get my hands on one of their aircraft and see how they have it all worked out.

These may seem like pretty basic questions, but here goes. For long distance high altitude flying, whats the most common way to supply pressurized air? Do most people just use bottles or is there a way to run a compressor off the engine (or electrically) to a small tank? I ask this because I see people talking about long duration (say NY to GA) flights. Also, I see there are alot of suggestions for fuel selectors, and fuel management. While I'm years away from selecting an engine (hope the delta hawk becomes more affordable), Im curious as to why there cant be a fuel selector like in general aviation... left, right, both, or off. Whether its fuel injected with return lines or carberated, wouldnt this be the simplest in terms of pilot workload? My experience is limited to high wing, general aviation designs (152's to Caravans). Is the complexity of the cozy/canard fuel system due to the low wing layout? Thanks for letting me pick your brains

One of the factors that should be considered (in my opinion) is where you will do most of your flying. What I mean is that should 90% of your flying be within range of an airport should you have an emergency, I believe fixed gearis a good choice. However if you will be doing alot of flying over water (as I probably will), or away from sufficiently leveled landing sites I feel that retracted gear could significantly reduce your chance of flipping over. In this case its not a speed issue, as a 'keeping your head above water' issue. On a different note, the forum is great and I'm learning alot, keep it up all!

If the AeroCanard is built using the premolded parts, is it still possible to incorporate the strake mod? Also whats the weight limit for people in the front seat in both the Aerocanard and the Long-EZ. I weigh in at just under 240 so Im curious. Thanks

Is there a difference between the wing of the Long EZ as opposed to the Cozy Mark IV? Or is the only real difference in the wider fuselage? Can the wings from one be used on the other? Thanks

I can only relay what was told to me by the folks at RMT themselves. When I inquired about the issue of reliability I was asked "how to you stop your car?". He then explained to me that hydraulics are very dependable, and when a hydraulic system fails its a slow failure such as a leak that makes the system feel spongy. Maintenance appears to be checking for leaks during aircraft inspections (including preflight) and keeping the fluids topped up. Apparently the control stick is attached to cylinders that transfer the movement pressures via fluid through tubing to small actuators linked to the control surfaces. I think one of the reason I find the system so intriguing is due to the fact that I am an A&P mechanic and the apparent simplicity (no cables to go out of tension ect.) makes me wonder why it hasnt been adapted before. As a mechanic, I just fix em, I let the engineers and numbers people tell me if its ok .

I was looking at the Bateluer by RMT aviation and noticed the flight controls are all run through hydraulics. I actually phoned the designer and he told me that it eliminates the need for straight through controls (i.e. cables and push tubes) allowing him more design flexability. It seems like a good idea, has anyone considered adapting something like that to Long EZ or Cozy designs? Id like to start building in the next year or so and would appreciate any input pros or cons on the idea. Thanks