Voidhawk9

Thanks for the additional info, Marc.
I agree it is a good habit to make all approaches a glide (where practical) as practice - will certainly work strongly in your favour should the fan get quiet for real.
I've been doing this for most approaches for many years, and like Marc, I probably have 1 in 10 that requires a blip of power due to wind being a bit stronger than expected, distance slightly misjudged, or simply a  failure occurring between the panel and the seatback.

Good write-up Kent, I completely agree.
Pushing the glide just a bit further than it looks like you can make is a recipe for serious disappointment.

I recently flew a type I hadn't flown in a year, and so practiced some glides for my own currency. Happily I nailed them, but admittedly this particular aircraft glides a bit like a Space Shuttle, which I think actually makes it easier in some ways.

I have tried the return-to-runway 'impossible turn' in several different aircraft. It certainly varies a LOT with the characteristics of the aircraft in question, and can require some aggressive maneuvering - which is VERY risky if you are in a stall-able type and not practiced in such flying. And most people are not, and would likely fail to complete the turn safely.

I try to practice some 'emergency' or 'off-nominal' procedure on every flight, if practical, to maintain some currency in them. And a good flight simulator is a suitable place to practice some of the more hazardous maneuvers in safety, it can be educational and enlightening.

I haven't, yet.

Re-airfoiling a canard comes with more considerations and risks than on a more conventional aircraft. Thus I want to be wary about sharing and having people who don't fully understand trying them without recognizing the significance of the mod and performing a thorough test campaign.

But perhaps I can share some performance predictions vs stock sometime.

More important is the increase in projected area ahead of the CG, which will make that number bigger.

My analysis is X-plane based, which while imperfect, I have the experience (20+ years) to have high confidence in it.
Besides which, Marc Zeitlin has reported real-world flight experience showing the same thing.

Improving the aesthetics is certainly a worthwhile thing to do in my opinion, but not at the cost of noticeably worse handling and performance. Indeed, my goals are to improve handling and performance, which includes developing new airfoils more suited to the much higher performance anticipated compared with the original Long-Ez.

I simulated a similar canopy for a Cozy. The additional side area that far forward noticeably reduces yaw stability. FYI.
You could enlarge the winglets to compensate, I suppose, but it all extra weight and wetted area. I have elected to go for a smoothed but stepped nose.

Hi Fred,
Sound you've got a real hot-rod! Have any photos to share? Will be very interested tom hear about the performance once you are flying again!

8 hours ago, hdmx said:

By the way does anyone here have the installation instructions of the infinity retractable landing gear?

https://infinityaerospace.com/product/featured/landing-gear/
The info pack is basically the instruction set in a ring binder.

It says 'FREE' now. If you collect this weekend.

Yes indeed. Listed by a third party who doesn't know.

If done well, it would be a great resource.

I don't expect you'll see a great outpouring of interest before there is something to share. And then it will probably be more from the younger builders - no offense to the more experienced among us!

The nose-gear on these machines always seemed to be a weak-link, particularly for the Cozys. Of course, heavily loading it, especially under braking, will tend to push the geometry where you don't want it to go.

2 hours ago, Ratdog said:

What is a "Task Strake" ?

Prefab part.

Ah, well there you go. I wasn't aware that subsection was a Supporting Member only area.
I do indeed voluntarily put a little towards some sites that provide me with good value.

20 hours ago, court said:

What's the deal over there? You have to pay per month to see the posts?

Definitely no requirement to pay to use HBA. Great forum with loads of knowledgeable users sharing their knowledge and experience, I highly recommend it.

35 minutes ago, zolotiyeruki said:

Someone took Ryszard's forum about canard pricing at Airventure seriously:

Hmmm, not sure about that. Nate's Long-Ez is probably one of the best out there. He's had it 'for sale' for a long time, I'm not sure he minds it not selling. The market may not be ready for these prices while much lower ones (albeit for lesser airplanes) are so widespread.

1 hour ago, DanK said:

I am far from an expert on canard aircraft, but I thought that increasing the lift on the canard was a bad idea because it could allow the main wing to stall before the canard. Is this a common and safe mod?

These are actually vortex generators mounted well-aft on a GU canard. They won't really affect lift, but they do cure the change in lift with moisture / bugs problem with the older canard airfoil.

The Airbus-style canard tips may reduce induced drag slightly.

I'm late to this (quiet) party, but welcome!

Lots of good folks with a lot of experience to share here, as you have already discovered in your other thread.

I hear you. I haven't made any real progress on my build since #4 arrived a few years ago. #2 passed away in Feb, and #5 is due in a couple of months, so things haven't really improved in that department!

I know I'm pretty late to the party, having not been around much lately...

For canards, airfoil selection is pretty critical, as if you get it wrong you can end up with an unstable airplane or one that deep stalls.

Probably best to go with something designed for the specific application if you are wanting to improve performance.

I flew the XP11 one, and the XP12 one looks like it's just a compatibility update.

The model wasn't a great representation in XP11. The sim is fine, but the model is more about looking good than a faithful representation of flight dynamics.

I might ask if I could do an 'official' upgrade to fix it sometime.

I used West a bit pre-airplane for small projects. It exotherms very easily. I have some small solid blocks of the stuff to prove it.

A study of the cured properties of various epoxies also shows that West has lower properties than other 'approved' products. Good enough, and it isn't like I have ever heard of a structural failure of one of these birds due to a low-quality epoxy. And makes it well-suited for filling, as it sands away easier. But given the ready availability of superior options, I went with a tougher resin for structure.

I was fortunate enough to see two canards one day, one nearly done and beautifully constructed and finished, another largely airframe complete and I hope no-one ever tries to fly it.

There sure is a wide range of airplanes out there. That's the nature of building from plans, I suppose.
Mine will take a long time, but I sure am ensuring that I do a good job on every part!

Looks like a steal for someone.

17 hours ago, A Bruce Hughes said:

the guy in Texas

Vance Atkinson, I expect.

Black primer wasn't all that uncommon at one time.

But those strake leading edges... 😦 If that is an indication of the work elsewhere - I'd take the engine and run away too!