bmckinney10

Here's the clip from the manual for the original nose gear control. Simple system, but the pushrod is a bit uncomfortable against your right leg when retracted. The graphic shows the pushrod in the extended position, but shows the gear retracted. In reality, when the gear is retracted, it is sticking out about 12" into the seating area (see picture above).

Me Rough weight was 690. Not many accessories.. Not planning to switch. Builder had no concerns during his flight time and kept the cuffs.

The emblems popped right off with a few seconds of heat gun.

The pushrod was the original design in the plans. The builder had planned to install the worm gear, but decided it was fine. I am 50/50 on the starter. I already have a Skytec for the O-200. I’ll try the hand prop and see.

I attached another picture and you can see that the gap shrinks down to a minimal height ahead of the hinge. In this pic, it is not latched so the entire canopy is riding slightly high, but you can see the pronounced corner. It appears that there was some warping on the front corner at some point. I don't see that In looking at the old pictures from 1980 when it was first built.

I have purchased N40LC, originally built by Lynn Coltharp from Oklahoma. Lynn finished the VE in 1980 and put 569 hours on it over the next 29 years. He flew it out of his airpark home with a 2500' runway. He sold it in November of 2018, and it was resold again earlier in this year (2019). The last owner repainted it and added a nice interior. He decided he would not be able to finish his PPL anytime soon and did not want the VE to sit idle for several years. I started looking for a VE/LE in August and came across N40LC on Barnstormers. I inspected it in October. Everything seemed tight and clean, and the O-200 ran smooth. I bought it and picked it up (by trailer) two weekends ago. Lynn, the original builder, (now 79 yrs old) was the last to fly it and I had a lengthy discussion with him last month, going over his build process and experiences with N40LC. I was able to get all of his build logs, pictures, receipts, and documentation. It appears to have been meticulously built and well maintained. It was well kept during its years of non-flying. It needs some updating and small changes that I have started to work on. I will provide updates along the way as I progress. Here are some of the tasks I will be doing: - Re-balance all control surfaces - Change springs on elev. trim system and rudders - Add a starter - Add a an oil filter adapter (maybe) - Replace most of the wiring - Remove Garmin 250XL - New comm radio - ADS-B out (uAvionix) - New tires/tubes - Swap out pushrod nose gear with wormgear - New canopy seals - New ELT - Rewrap exhaust - New W&B I attached a picture of it when it was new in 1980, and a few recent pictures of it after I acquired it. I had two of my daughters help put the wings back on this past weekend. Note that it has the wing cuffs, not the vortilons, which was the initial suggested wing improvement from the CP's. I appreciate all of the knowledge on this site and the help I have received so far. I am looking forward to being a VariEze owner!

Thanks Marc, great point on the temps. It's cold here in MN right now and I try to keep my hanger heated in the 40's. Will be interesting to see what it is like next summer. Thanks, Brian

Working through some small items on the VariEze. The prior owner repainted the plane and replaced all of the canopy seals. The seal was too thick which prevented full closure and latching of the canopy. I believe the plane sat in a hanger or garage most of this year in the spring/summer heat in a closed, but not latched position. The canopy would have had some stress on the hinge side with the "too-thick" rubber seal. I have removed all the seals and took the attached picture. You can see that the hinge side of the canopy is sitting higher than the latch side by about 1/8" or slightly more. When full latched, there is a sizable gap when viewing from the inside. Maybe close to a 1/4". I have new, more compressible, seals that will work well with a small gap as found on the remainder of the canopy when closed. I am looking for feedback regarding: (a) Can the VE be flown with the canopy lip sticking that that high above the fuselage? (b) Is there a know procedure to warm up the canopy in that area and lay weights on it to relax it back into position? I've read this being done for other warped parts of the plane. I appreciate the help!

Thanks Ron, I was contemplating not putting in the spring shock. I have a brand new, in-the-box worm gear drive system. The previous owner bought it back in the 80's but never installed it. He said the pushrod system worked fine and he put over 500 hours on the Varieze without issue.. My legs are a little wider and the pushrod rests up against my thigh when the gear is retractedso I think I will replace it.

Thanks. I use McMaster on a daily basis for my business. Unbelievable service as you described. I can place an order before 7:00pm, and in some cases have it delivered (std ground service) the next day by 3:00pm for $5 to MN. I will look into Century for the springs.

Thanks for the graphic Kent! The plans call out for the spring/shock to be made of 4130N steel, but this one looks to be made of another metal, or it that just a surface finish? I am guessing that is a unit produced by one of the original parts manufacturers.

I am a new VariEze owner and need/want to replace some parts. I am having difficulty finding sources for some items. If anyone has spares or knows of a good source, I would appreciate the help. Elevator Trim Springs (PTS): These are the 6" springs. (CP24-P9) Nose gear Shock/Spring (LST): I am replacing the original pushrod nose gear control with the worm-drive crank system. I can make one from the plans, but if someone has spares or knows of a source, I'd like to buy. (CP25-P3)

Thanks Kent. I was thinking of something like that as a jack. Just wanted to confirm where the safe lifting points would be. If the wings are off, I would assume staying on the spar-line would be safe if just inside the wing-attach fitting.

Thanks to you both for the quick replies. I am interested having both mains suspended, so Marc's suggestion is what I will go for. Just a followup, are you putting the sawhorse support just OUTBOARD of the wing attach?

Can someone share the preferred method for jacking up a VariEze to get both mains off the ground? Thanks!