flybuddy

Did you buyit?? If you did, how do you like it? I fly a classic FG. The good side: * speed * range * comfort * responsive * cool factor * cg range * roomy back seats The down side: * no luggage space * high landing speeds * original (matco) brakes marginal * long takeoff rolls * ride can tend to be slightly bumpier due to light weights and where you sit on the cg arm Overall I'm glad I sold my Mooney and went with the Velocity. Does the 180 SUV have a constant speed prop?? 180 can be a bit anemic for a Velocity.

Here's one of my Velocity

New to the forum and own an older style Velocity (Standard FG with the clamshell door). First off--speed, most everyone that's been said was true, some are dirt slow and others move along quite nicely. Building variations (straightness), weight and extraneous drag all fit into the equation. Same is true for most canards. I owned a Varieze many years back that I bought as a wreck and re-did, my neighbor has a similar Varieze (O-200)--it's about 30 knots slower and is lucky to see 130K. The plane simply isn't straight--there's a piece of wood used to hold one rudder out several degrees to get the plane to fly straight. The Velo I currently own was the last one built by Danny Maher (original designer of Velo)-excellent glass work and weighed in at 1234 lb empty. It will cruise all day at 185 mph and top speed is over 215 mph. (It does have a cruise prop which I'm swapping out for a Catto to get better takeoff perf). The factory did dabble with the 173 wing in an attempt to get RV9 type performance--although they land slower and have improved takeoff perf, they are significantly slower and that needs to be considered Clamshell--it takes getting used to. Mine has a combo pitot tube/step that makes it fairly easy for ingress/egress. I don't find it any more difficult to get in than neighbors Mustang IIs, T-18s, various taildraggers, etc. You'll find that clamshell type Velos command anywhere from 10 to 15K less than gullwings. You can always try to convert later on if you absolutely can't live with the clamshell but, more than likely, you'll get used to it and find that's it no big deal. My neighbor hops in and out and he's 85 next month.