Bugstrider

If shipping wasn't insanity pricy, to CA, USA.  I would be interested in the varieze travel pods.

I need to do the exact same thing on both levels…..

Gettin the ol C-150 heavy ready for annual and up for sale. Gotta figure a way to pay for this canard addiction.......😉

I forgot to mention that I am looking into adding TE fences to improve the slow speed handling characteristics of the VE.  I still have the original leading edge cuffs as well.

any size/design pointers would be appreciated.  I will be utilizing 1mm carbon fiber for those.  Looking into the best height and length design for those.  Looked at a LE that flew into KPVF that had them and they were as tall as my iphone8.  I was planning on a much lower profile sine the airflow over the wing and ailerons is much lower.

Cheers

Good afternoon everyone,

kinda dropped off the face of the canard scene due to "life n work". Been attempting to wrap up other commitments so I can get to the fast mover (23RR- now that is finally became official with the FAA). Many, many things to do before first flight......

One thing I want to do is clean up the interior. Looking for suggestions on seat padding. I was planning on a thin layer of the foam used in sail planes, however I would be starting from scratch on the fabric, material and plans for the upholstery. Anyone have an old set of rough sketches they would be willing to share?

I am also considering looking into mounting a landing light in the speed brake like L. Johnson has done in speedy. Just not sure if it's too difficult in a retro project.  I need to reach out to him and ask.

Hope everyone is well,

Trevor

Will be looking into changing out poly fuel lines with more fire resistant aluminum.

Anyone have any pointers on doing this the right way?

Was wondering for those that have installed a compact starter on a VariEze, does the oil separator interfere with the installation?

Took the engine cowling to survey the warp core.

Final piece of the puzzle head home.😃

got a few looks while on the road...

On 3/12/2021 at 8:35 PM, bmckinney10 said:

Marc has a wealth of knowledge.  My son and I visited him last summer in Tehachapi.  He was a great help for me to understand some of the key things on my VariEze before I got it back in the air.  A fun fact is that he shares a hangar with Mike Melvill.  We got to spend 30 minutes talking with Mike about many of his test flight experiences at Scaled Composites.

That is awesome!!

14 hours ago, slk23 said:

I made my own from pieces of polyurethane foam (aka "memory" or "Confor" foam). Two layers if I remember correctly: firm on the bottom and a softer one on top. The foam cuts very cleanly with a band saw. I sewed the covers myself but next time I'll probably have a pro do it.

 

Thank you for that info.  Did you get the foam at the local fabric shop, Hobby Lobby or an online source?  I will do a search for online sources and thicknesses.

Cheers

Trevor

Found this on Marc’s YouTube Channel.  It is worth watching  and very informative.

Trevor

Does anyone have any suggestions to obtaining some seat cushions for the Var-Eze?  I see OregonAero sells just the cushion uncovered pads, but did not know if they were worth the cost of $380 per seat.  Upholstery for the cushions would be an additional expense.

Any used seat cushions for sale out there?

Cheers

Trevor

Tucked away in a buddies hangar.

Vintage Twin Beach came bombing in as an added bonus.  Only had time to get a vid of the pass between hangars.

Thanks guys!!
 

Wife is at home resting after hip surgery so I decided to make another run for the other wing and PVC support structure.  Allows the wings and canard to stack while supported..

one can never have enough pool noodles, carpet remnants, and old comforters. Lol 

VariEze decal arrived, this is the end product.

Here is the LongEZ decal I ordered for a good friend last year.

My fists of ham can be used as a scale.

We closed the deal on a VariEze and now the adventure begins!  Obtained it from the original builder’s family who want to see it get back into the air.  I am limited on space in our county rental hangar and will be selling our 67 C-150 to make room for our new fast mover.  I am very humbled and grateful by the opportunity that the builder’s family has provided me regarding this VariEze. 

N23RR has several updates such as LongEZ gear, new-er avionics (new when updated in 09), electronic ignition on one, mechanical mag on the other, overhauled prop with dynamic balance, B&C lightweight alternator, low time O-200 just to mention a few.

on the to-do list: CI, ADSB and Navigation lights, seat cushions  and a possible Lithium battery update as well.  Oh yeah, insurance and some additional flight training.

In the process of moving it from its old home to its new home.  Not too bad since it is only about 45 miles away.  Got to use our hitch extension that allows support from end to end on the wing and canard.  Keeping it slow on back roads due to possible excessive lateral wind load on the vertical.

Thanks to all of you that I have talked to via email, IM and phone.  More are coming.....😉

Cheers

Trevor

Thank you very much for the info.

you mentioned using material to replace what was removed.  Are you removing just a small amount to allow the angle to sit flush since it would be a retro-fit instead of a building install?

On 3/26/2019 at 7:19 AM, Kent Ashton said:

A rollover seen on FB (pics 1,2).  Credit Bob Hutter.  It is fun to see how people do these things.  The 3rd pic is what I built for my Long-ez.  I found that making the longeron angles in four pieces allowed it to warp a bit when welding--better and stouter to have continuous angles at the sides, I think.  If I was building one again, I would put some strips of Fiberfrax on the longerons to protect the glass before tacking it up.  Also plan a recess for the angles before glassing the wood longerons.

I like these better than the composite rollovers I see.  You can weld mounts for a GPS or GoPro and they make a good grab-bar for getting out of the back seat.

Kent,

I see this is an older post, but I was wondering if you know of folks retro fitting a rollover structure in older flying models?
 

your structure looks nice.

cheers

Trevor

Hey everyone,

I reached out to a seller on eBay who I have purchased decals from in the past.  I provided some info on the Vari, and asked them if they could create a window decal for me.  They got back to me in less than a day and this is what they now offer if anyone else is interested.  $5.50 on eBay, and I have no affiliation or interest in the business.  
 

Cheers

On 12/30/2020 at 6:37 PM, Marc Zeitlin said:

I've done it on two VE's. The hardest part is drilling a hole from the wingtip to the end of the aileron cove for the wiring without drilling through the top or bottom skins. Other than that, it's just running some wires and creating hard points in the wingtip for the LED lights to mount on to. 1/2 - 1 day's work, maybe.

Landing Lights on VE's are more problematic, as there just really aren't many places to put them. A fold down one, like on the Long-EZ, could be done, or something like this:

https://www.aircraftspruce.com/pages/el/landinglights_aveo/aveo_11-18453.php

on the bottom of the fuselage, next to the nose gear wheel well.

What nav light design have you installed on the Varieze, and have any particular designs more prone to causing any type of wing tip flutter or vibration due to the added weight at the tip of the wing?  As far as the possible landing light solution, what lens angle would best represent the optimal range for the Vari?  Per the company data sheet, there is quite a bit of an output difference between the lens angles of 3 degrees and 30.

I’ve seen several nav light options on the AS web page including some not meeting the FAA’s night requirements.

Thank you!

I will email you this weekend, great news to share...

Cheers

Hi Brian,

what is to length of your canard? I know, I know, awkward for one dude to ask another dude a length question......lol!

I recently read in an issue of CP, cutting them down from the plans length of 150” down to 142” due to a CG issue.  I am looking at a local Vari and in looking at the most recent W&B, it’s a little portly at 738 pounds.  I am still trying to understand the W&B tables in the manual.

I have a set of Dragonfly plans, Serial #2 according to the paperwork I have.  The plane was never built.

Cheers