A Bruce Hughes

I am close to finishing replacement of a very heavy upper cowl with a lighter one made professionally. During the painting (white, of course) I also have removed the common "stick-on" numbers and will use orange trim paint (already a trim on the prop) with the N-number. I need to understand the FAA requirements on numbers. I want to slope the number on the winglet to get the letters/numbers large enough. On the left winglet, the N will be low down with the rest slopping at a 45 degree angle upward and backward. I think none will need to go as far back as tbe rudder. Does that violate any FAA regulation ? Thank you for comments. Bruce Hughes

I will not fly IFR but am curious. I have two buddies that are far more experienced (and have their own aircraft). I have an ADS-B, airspeed, altimeter, autopilot (Trio), carbon monoxide sensor, chromometer, compass, cylinder temperature, ELT, exhaust temperature, Fuel gauge, fuel pressure, GPS (Garmin), oil pressure, oil temperature, position lights, radio (ICOM), strobe light, tachometer and volt/ammeter. Of course, I have a proper seat belt, alternator, and batteries. Mostly I have circuit breakers with 19 fuses besides. I have a 9" IPAD. There is a key to allow the starter to function. I have one electronic ignition and one magneto. an onal gyroscope, or slip/skid instrument. I have an electric speed brake and electric nose gear system (Wilhelmson). I do not have an artificial horizon, attitude indicator, directional gyro, manifold pressure indicator, or slip/skid indicator. So what is really required for IFR ? There is not any space in a Longeze to put them either.

Remind me about a week from now; I am trying to switch to a cheaper hangar situation this week and a lot of other things, too. Bruce

OK, Bill, Tom has your email address. I guess he is at home now but he has the funds to be gone on vacation as he is retired, and he has an airplane. I would not be surprised if he is gone to a warmer climate; the temperature around Marysville is about 32 part of today I have not seen him for over a year.

The owner of those parts is Tom Brown; there are almost enough parts to build 2 Longezes. I will call him tomorrow to get an email address. He has a very long list of the parts. I asked him for pictures but have not received any pictures. He is living on an air park east of Marysville, WA.I believe he bought a very nice, certificated aircraft. Bruce

I need help with the weight of mine. At least I just weigh 160. This week I am discarding an old upper cowl and, next year, an old lower cowl. My nose gear just helps with the CG. I still have 4 lbs. lead in the extreme front. Have an O320. Don't have wheel pants. Would like to have a lighter battery but...... Get rid of the 3 blade and 6" extention for a 2 blade and 4" extention? The next project to get rid of a few ounces: The passenger's compartment has a VERY heavy aluminum bar for the upper two seatbelt straps. I need to take that out and make a composite bar? But how many layers? What pattern with the BID? I am using Aeropoxy. The aluminum bar was put in when a CP #? said it was safer to have the 2 upper straps attach closer to the midline of the aircraft. But I can get rid of a few ounces, I think.

Hi Jeff Maybe but I am very poor with modern camera and computer technology. Basically, my sight gauges look exactly like everyone else's so a photo will not help. The original sight gauges were from many years ago; I think the guy's name was Prout. The new gauges were bought from the guy in Texas that has sold them to many people for many years; I just forgot his name. The instructions were very clear, so they are on correctly. Fot the Ugolini gauges, the one I have installed is impossible to photograph; it is buried inside the wstrake. Just look on Mick's website.

I am the 3rd owner. 2nd owner was constructing the strakes. I finished the aircraft. It now has 45 hours. During the testing I discovered that the coating of the wall next to the fuel tank sight gauges was discolored; gasoline was very slowly moving AROUND the edge of the plastic sight gauge. So I emptied the fuel tanks, including pumping the last few ounces out of each tank with the fuel pump, with the line to the Ellison TB disconnected and a long plastic line taking the fuel out of the hangar to a red plastic fuel container. Once the tanks were empty and no residual fuel was anywhere in the aircraft, I ripped off the old sig ht gauges and installed new ones. They do not leak now. As I had the tanks empty, I bought 2 sets of Nick Ugolini's "Canard Fuel Probes. I was very happy to find Nick's instruction set was absolutely excellent. The job went very smoothly on the right tank (the left tank has not been done but it will be). I also was a bit shocked to find that I also had to buy 2 computer units to read the probes and convert the information to drive a gauge. The job was beginning to get expensive. But I now have a gauge on the panel and a switch to change to the left tank. All that is left to do is to put a pint or two of fuel in the right tank (until I can pump some back to the Ellison) and set the zero point. The Longeze can be flow solowith no need to guess at the fuel volume using a mirror. Try Nick's probes if the Princeton computer units are still available. Nick's card lists www.unick3(at)gmail.com and www.nickugolini.com

Travis, I don'tknow if you have a Longeze or ? I have a Longeze. Years ago a buddy helped move it from home to Olympia Regional and "helped" put the wings and canard on. We failed to notice that the left wing was not held up enough during assembly and the coax was already attached so we broke the connection. DUMB. Months later I got around to testing the radio and it did not work. So the local radio shop "helpd". He showed me an antenna that is mounted underneath aircraft (aluminum surface ) very successfully. For $$$$$ I bought one and installed it. Had to put a ground plane on so the entire area that the pilot's feet, legs and butt sit on are "protected" from RF. The ground plane is exterior (below) the fiberglass. I had to lie on a pad on the concrete and attach it. Then cover it with "West System". The ELT antenna is in the main spar. Then the ADS-B project came along years later. I put that antenna IN THE NOSE far forward of the nav/com antenna. That antenna is very short so it is mainly WITHIN the fiberglass. The ground plane is in the nose space ahead of the right brake pedal. About 5/8" of the antenna hsticks out of a tiny hole (sealed with liquid rubber) in the skin and is about 1" to 2" above the ground. There also is a receive GPS antenna on the top of the "roll-over" structure behind the pilot's head.

Justin, Rutan-type canards are good aircraft. Check with David Orr or Marc Zeitlin. When working on them IN A SHOP, the wings can hang in opposite corners on straps. Or on lumber frames, which take up a lot more room. WHEN everything is close to finishing, take it to the airport on a trailer with your buddies and put the wings on. Then leave it in a hangar or out in the cold. Folding wings would be impossible to design and the airplane would be so heavy that your takeoff speed, landing speed, and cruise speed would be nearly the same. Even things like the comfortable "Astranaut's cushions" are too heavy IMHO to use; I am sorry that I bought them. KEEP IT LIGHT ! I am currently trying to lose just 5 pounds by discarding my original cowling. Before you buy get it checked out by someone that knows what he is doing, particularly the weight and CG.

Hi Yves I was planning to build a MC Cricri before I knew about the canard aircraft; I even know the meaning of the MC but have some trouble spelling Michael's name. Yes, it is small; I saw one at Oshkosh. Suggestion: Do NOT consider making any changes unless a very well known expert approves of the change IF you start making changes, you will never finish it. I DID make small changes to my Longeze and am too old to fly it. 80% finished probably is 50% finished in the TIME necessary to finish. Bruce

Lauren: There is an organization called "Canard Owners and Builders Association". They publish a newsletter quarterly and a membership listing annually. They also have a website: "www.canardowners.com . Currently the membership fee is $39/year for a glossy, colored publication. I suggest that you check into the website and see if there is a "state Representative" for North Carolina or adjacent state. He will be able to give you a lot of help: they know builders in your area that faced the same questions years ago. Probably you can get a ride in a Cozy IV, possibly in a Cozy 3, Velocity, Eracer, Longeze, Varieze, Aerocanard, . There are many things to consider. In my case, I was too old and did not have many hours; I should have bought one of the Cozy 3s that was already flying. BTW IF you are still considering a Cozy and fly it with 2 people or4 and put your 300 pound mother-in-law in the front seat or the back seat, you had better thoroughly understand Cg.

And if the runway is asphalt which will soak up sunlight, giving hot air above the runway which will change the density of the air and increase the amount of runway needed. The density altitude just above the runway may be quite different that that given on ATIS.

JD I know a few canard guys in the Olympia airport area so I can introduce you to them; I think they will have some useful comments. I do not claim to be any kind of aviation expert. I was a passenger with one of them coming back from Tennessee where he bought his Longeze. I also know a retired pilot that has all of the structural parts for a Longeze; you could build your own if you want to take SEVERAL years doing that. I will not publish names on is website so you can call me at 808-633-4234. Call at a decent hour as that is a Maui telephone; we are 2 hours from Pacific time. Then I can give you my email address.

I have a gauge on the panel that gives me an accurate reading (probably down to a gallon or two) on the right tank. By mid summer I will have a reading for the tank left tank, too. Nick Ogolini designed it and has VERY good instructions on how to do it. It was a bit expensive but I am happy that I did it. Nick has a blog with other ideas in it; I assume they are good ideas. BTW years ago, one of my sight gauges had a VERY slow leak but enough that I smelled it. It was NOT a crack in the plastic but it was wicking through the space between the fiberglass and the hard clear plastic. So I took ALL of the fuel out of both tanks and fixed both of them; I am certain that they don't leak now. Bruce Hughes

In case you do not know about Joe: He is the most experienced builder and most knowledgeable pilot that I know. He had a major engineering position at Boeing and I did not know that he retired. That project must be the best that a new builder can find or do themselves.

If you plan to cut the tank open study the plans very carefully first. You will have three areas on each tank to consider. It is not an easy job and you may create more leaks. You also may leave small bits of foam or other material; you cannot vacuum those out due to the internal baffles and they may later plug a fuel line. Get help from an experienced builder.

I know a guy, Tom Brown, who has almost all of the parts for TWO Longezes. He sent me a complete list and I saw the parts; one of them is ALL of the structural parts but I don't have pictures. I told him that he has to have pictures but it has been raining a lot north of Seattle. I'll bet he has plans, too. I will check.

Almost anyone could take a better picture of the instrument panel. In the picture of the entire airplane, not the excess stuff: carts, etc. 😟

The covid epidemic kept me away from work for 20 months. Now I have to update everything: (1) Annual - I should be able to do that but have to get a Repairman's certificate for the Longeze; I don't know how to apply so I may have my A & P for the Ercoupe do it for the Longeze one more time. (2) Transponder - Olympia Avionics will have that on their list Monday morning (3) ELT batteries (4) what am I missing ?

I have a list of parts that a friend wants to sell. He has an almost complete Longeze and many parts for a 2nd Longeze which includes 2 engines. I don't know just how to post the list. I don't have pictures but have seen the parts; I think the nearly complete one could be finished quickly. One engine is a Lycoming O-235, the other is a modified Subaru. I told him to make pictures. Located about 80-100 miles north of Seattle.

That company must be in the east or central time zone due to the posting time. There is NOBODY building a varieze on the big island of Hawaii as far as I know. They will be VERY lucky if they sell that one. I was on Maui for the last 20 months but not now) and I did not know of a single canard airplane in the entire state. There were six to my knowledge since 1995.

Hi Kent Thank you very much. I can get the right thickness 4130. But why not use aluminum ? I think that would be lighter. Is there some real advantage to 4130 ? I also have a sheet of an alloy of Titanium but no idea of the, type of alloy, the strength (it is thin), and no tools to work Ti. I kinda need a plan but I guess that is obvious.

Thank you VERY much for that mail, Kent. I also have wheel pants that are an inside and an outside. I just have never had the time to work with them. I already have the pair of nuts that go into the axles; got those from Van's 2 or 3 years ago. I have a friend with a good machine shop and have some very heavy 4130. It seems too heavy so I may have to order a lighter piece. I know where to get any thickness and will measure my piece today. Just need correct plans and time.

We flew the Longeze for 45 hours, then started improving it; the biggest improvement would be wheel pants but I don't like the only plans that I have been able to find; I think the metal sheet for parts is much too heavy and I am not good at cutting heavy steel. But I do want the attachment to be strong enough. I already have the actual round covers for the wheels and the attachment part to hold it to the wheel axle; I just need parts to hold the pants to the gear legs. Does anyone sell parts ? Please help.