A Bruce Hughes

Marc: Thank you for giving the correct information. 105 resin with 209 hardener. I have Aeropoxy on hand and it works very well so I will continue using it. At least everyone should now be using structural material.

West epoxy is available in the local boat supply. THERE ARE TWO VERSIONS OF WEST EPOXY so don't mistake statements that someone thinks "West" is structural; The 105 epoxy IS NOT. Also there is a slow hardener and a fast hardener so you have to use the correct hardener for finishing depending on the temperature. Fast hardener gives a vicious exotherm and will melt your cup. Luckily practical all of the airframe was finished when I bought the project so I had little structural work to do. I used Aeropoxy but two times I had to arrange a way to keep the area of work at the right temperature (once when I had only shade to work in, once when I was in a hanger that was only 3-5 degrees more than the outside temp so I built a 8'x8'x8' box of styrofoam) BE CAREFUL of the temperature that you will have for 24 hours.

Hi Whoeveryouare Yes, the Longeze and other canards (and my Ercoupe) do not stall and spin. If you don't give them enough fuel, they lose altitude of course. I suggest that you get a ride in one. I have no idea where Brandyn, CA might be but there must be some canard pilots/owners close by. Is you join the Central States Association you will get a directory (Jan. 2020 issue). There were 138 issues of a the newsletter last October when the long time editor passed the newsletter preparation to others. It was $35 per year which is the value of the directory alone and you get 4 newsletters besides. Some of the back issues should be available from Terry Schubert at "JSchuber@juno.com" I have not seen any of the new ones because I am away from home. Anyway some CA guy should read this and tell you who is closest to you. I believe the CA state rep is David Orr (he was last Oct). Call him at 949-939-1479.

You may have a different problem; temperature. Michigan has what average temperature over 24 hours during your building period? My project was mostly built in S. CA; but I move the project to Maui where I live. I just had to do things that did not require a lot of epoxy. Much of the final work was done on Maui; it was about ready to fly including painting. Then I got into a divorce and lost 2 years; married again; moved the "finished" airplane to Washington state. Wife had a hangar. Open at one end. Built a workroom small enough to heat electrically. Forced to make some changes. Always had 72 degree work space because I used Aeropoxy. Got it to OLM. Got 2 buddies to fly it. It is now a legal airplane. Thought I would make more changes to remove crappy engine cowling to get rid of some weight. BUT I HAVE TO DO THAT AT 72 degrees. Had to build a large box with several (10 I think) sheets of styofoam with 1"x2" wood supports around the rear of the airplane. You can see a couple of pictures in last Dec. CSA newsletter. Do you have temperature control over 24 hours? That is pretty essential. Bruce

To 172 pilot: Be VERY careful buying a canard. Some are great, some not so great. The Varieze MAY have a problem with the wing attachment. Please ask some owners (I am NOT one of those). The attachment may be (1) fine (2) reparable but nobody TMK has published a repair method (3) not reparable. Kent sent you methods to find Varieze owners; FIND THEM. I know a guy that retired and found that his Vartieze is type 3. Bruce Hughes

Jon, I will not be at my hangar until late in July. Contact me later today; I am busy not. Thanks.

I probably do, if I search under and behind the cabinets in the hangar. You will have to wait unless you find the stuff except the hinges from someone else; I am not near my hangar and will not be there for another month or so. The coronavirus is too common in Washington state and I am on Maui. We have not had a new case in a couple of weeks or so. If I go back to WA, my stepson will be around the house everyday after work; I am elderly and don't need a virus infection.

There were 2 pictures and some information on a Longeze in Jefferson County, Washington. However there seems to be no way to get more information. I certainly am not looking for a Longeze; I have one already. That one looks much better than mine. But I really would like more information like "why did he not advertise in some reasonable place like on Barnstormers, with David Orr, or in the Central States newsletter ?" The Craigslist info was gone very quickly. Bruce

Thank you VERY much Kent. I have been frustrated, too, as I see [REDACTED BY MODERATOR]. Anyway, that is not about airplanes so does not belong here. A. B. Hughes, Ph. D. Microbiology

OK Jeff I remembered a bit more on the back seat. I did the work many years ago so I hope I get this right. The passenger's floor is curved in all directions so get a rough idea by cutting a few pieces of cardboard. Later you make some fiberglass. I did not want everything attached permanently so I put down some grey duct tape in a U shape (which I removed later). I made clickbonds from Cozy Girrrl's metal but I modify them so the base is not round. If the base is round, they can come loose; I told them that but they did not listen. The base also has to be roughed up. When finished, I had a support structure attached to the bottom of the passenger's space and an actual seat in 2 parts hinged in the back. That way, I have a little storage space below the seat and can get to the "hell hole" in the back. Be very careful what you make permanent in a Longeze; you will later have to get behind or under a lot of parts. 1st The front piece will be a rectangular foam piece about 6" high, 1/2" or 3/4" thick and as wide as needed. It is styrofoam glassed on each side with 2 layers of BID (peelply anywhere that pieces will later be attached to each other, to allow the next 2 pieces to attach ). The two side pieces are roughly triangular but curved on the two sides that will touch the bottom of the passenger's space. The top of the side pieces will be curved as well, because the actual seat will be curved to fit your butt. 2nd: Put down 3 pieces of wet BID in a U shape on top of the grey tape and peelply them. Let set. 3rd: Remove the peelply. Put the 3 pieces of foam ( wet with epoxy) down on the pieces done above and support the 3 to give a U shaped structure (the actual seat will sit on tope of those 3 pieces later Let set. 4th: You probably will have to fill some spots with wet micro, then put BID wet with epoxy on both corners, AND between the bottom 3 fiberglass strips and the 3 glassed foam pieces. Due to gravity, you may have to push those BID pieces into place with small pieces of wood which are covered with duct tape. Let set. This may have to be done, one corner at a time so 2 or more days is required. You need BID both inside and outside of each corner. 5th I pulled everything loose from the grey tape. drilled 4 holes for 3/8" holes, put clickbonds on the 4 holes and put everything back in place. When the clickbonds are set, you can take everything out by removing 4 nuts, washers, and lock washers, if needed. 6th Make a flat fiberglass seat and a flat fiberglass back for the supports. Those pieces need a slight curve both side to side and front to back. I made mine by putting a plastic sheet and tape on some cardboard which is curved by putting supports underneath. I think I used 3 layers of 8 oz BID. The seat and the back have to be wider that the support structure, of course. OK, you have a support for the actual seat. I made 2 pieces of fiberglass that have hinges on the back. The hinges are attached to the bottom of the passenger's space in the back with click bonds. The most difficult part is getting the hinges in the right place and putting nuts on them. I cannot describe how; you just have to look and work them into position before the click bonds are set. Bruce

Kent, when my wife first sat in the Longeze, her shoulders would NOT allow her to sit in the back seat. That shoulder problem was not fat but bone, muscle, and joints. She sat in the front and said "I will never fly this airplane", although she is a pilot. My shoulder just fit in the back if I turn a little or sit lower. It is not ideal for me. Now we are much older. I have gained maybe 4 pounds to 166 so maybe neither of us will fly it. I would prefer having a passenger that can see out well enough to land it, just in case. It will not be my wife.

Jeff, I knew someone would ask that. I don't have pictures and have not seen it since November. I am on Maui (IN MY house) and the aircraft is at OLM closer to my wife's house. We have NO new cases of coronavirus and I am elderly so I am not going back to OLM for a while. I may just confuse you. 1st: 3 pilots have flown it; each is a little different in height. My 1st test pilot is too tall for a seat but I have to get my feet somewhere behind him; so there is a small fiberglass shield on each side to keep me from pushing on the cushion. Then there is a flat fiberglass surface from the floor to the top of the back cushion. I am shorter; if I fly it, that surface has to be held in place on each side by an aluminum bar. The other buddy also uses the bar. See how confusing that is? You have to design and do your own or wait until I am back at OLM. I am the only passenger that has used the back but it is too complicated. I rode in the 1st test pilot's Longeze from Tennessee to Washington with a makeshift plywood back and rather flimsy cushion. I don't want to do that again. Bruce

Kent and all I bought a project many years ago and now have a FAA recognized airplane. The most obvious fault of Burt's original design is that the Longeze is not wide enough. You cannot fix that. The 2nd most obvious fault is the need to get a reasonable Cg without several pounds of lead in the front. For MY Longeze I got rid of the huge alternator, nuts, washers, bolt, bracket and fanbelt by replacing it with a smaller alternator which fits on the point where one magneto previously attached to the case. My Longeze uses a little power for the Plasma II E., the radio and little else so a smaller alternator is fine. Unfortunately, after I bought it, I found that there is not enough space between the engine and the firewall. So i had to cut out much of the firewall and replace it with a stainless steel and plywood structure which is as strong as before and safer due to the SS. That takes a lot of work time but is a very big help in the Cg. The Cg also will be better by making the nose longer and putting the battery as far forward as possible. I also put in an electric nose gear system by Wilhelmson which helps the Cg and means that I will never (again) have a landing with the nose gear up; at least I don't see any way it could happen. The 3rd most obvious fault is the absolutely dreadful passenger seating space. I have suffered through several rides in that space. I put a small 2-part structure with small hinges that you might call a seat on the bottom surface of the space. It makes a fairly comfortable seat by supporting the upper legs and the back. An excellent cushion sits on the leg, butt, and back support. I had no plans, I just did it. Very light weight. Took many tries to get it right. A little storage space is under the upper legs. I cut 2 small holes in the lower part of the bulkhead behind the pilot and put him on another "seat" so my feet have a little room. I used the words "him" and me because I tried the system with my test pilot with me as passenger. The FAA does not allow passengers during flight testing so I am not saying just when I sat in that seat. But I have about 40 hours as a passenger. The 4th obvious fault is that the passenger cannot get into the aircraft unless the nose is pretty far off the ground. Once I had the Wilhelmson nose gear working (it took close to forever to get it to work and he saved my butt on that). Anyway the nose is raised "enough" and the passenger climbs in. Then the pilot climbs in, the nose is run up and the engine is started; no problem. You CANNOT do that with the RAF nose gear system; my test pilot liked the Longeze so much that he bought his own. He tried the same "nose off the ground" procedure and stripped several teeth off the RAF designated part. The Cozy Girrrls carry a stronger replacement part but it is expensive. The 5th obvious fault is the need, now, to have a ADS-B installed. That was not Burt's fault. I put mine in and it works. Part is under the nose and sticks out 5/8" in the air. Part is on top of the "roll-over" structure. Part is on the wall (right, forward of the stick). Neat. Read the Central States newsletter including older copies; there is a lot in information in there.

Can you send a better picture? Due to the coronavirus, I have little to do except read what has been discussed.

Upali, you REALLY have to get an expert to inspect the airplane. There are ways to creaat problems when building. I am not at home so cannot send any solid information on the closest to WV. At the very least, contact Marc Zeitlin. He can do it for a price. He looked at my Longeze when I thouogh I was about ready to call it finished and found 83 problems. Some of those 83 were just not having the FAA required paperwork on board and some were just areas that needed sanding and painting. But a few were actually problems. That Cozy you are considering may have 183 problems. DON'T just assume that it is OK if it looks nice. Paint can hide a lot of mistakes. BTW IF you are considering a Cozy III or a Cozy IV BE DAMN SURE THAT YOU UNDERSTAND WHAT THE CG IS AND WHAT CG MEANS. IF you weigh 200 pounds and put a 200 pound buddy in the front or back seat, the CG will be WAY OFF one way or the other. THAT will KILL both of you. In Longezes and Variezes, the CG can be set fairly well IF you have "Automobile Racer" scales and KNOW how to use them. I did my CG checking INSIDE a hangar with the door closed and 2 buddies helping. AND I rechecked it several times over a five year period of building. If you are a light man and fly it solo,you probably will have a very big job getting the CG right on a Cozy III. Getting a Longeze CG right is much easier. You MUST understand what CG means.

IF I were 30 years younger, I would check on the Varieze in Odessa TX; that price is amazing. It certainly is a very dry climate; in 1956, my wife hung our washed clothes out a few miles west of Odessa. Bruce Hughes

I definitely am not a prospective buyer but I wonder: Which E.I. ? Which alternator ? Which ADS-B ? Which engine? Total empty weight ? And most important : What is the FAA identifer ? Or is it Canadian ? Stolen in Mexico ? Imported ? Come On guy You have fee space to cover those.

Jules I am surprised that few experts answered your email. Correct elevator and aileron shape and balancing is essential for safety. The ailerons are a hard part of building. You need to study the directions for hot-wiring, get a friend to help, make accurate wood forms to guide the hot wire, get a buddy or 2 to help, and try to make them. Plan to make more than 2 just to get some practice. I made several and lost count. The steel weight on the forward side of the aileron in Burt's plans is just too light; a lot of people went to a slightly larger diameter steel rod or other metal instead of steel. Ultimately the ailerons MUST balance correctly according to the RAF plans, AFTER the painting. Balancing incorrectly will create a dangerous aircraft. I followed the directions in painting, including cleaning with the specified solvent; the directions are for car painting but the ailerons are NOT metal so the solvent will go through pinholes, dissolving the styrofoam. Then you have to start over with more styrofoam, aluminum tube and rivets. I made pair of ailerons, then found that the aluminum tubing was slightly in the wrong place so I started over. Expect to spend a couple of months and use up some material. Be sure that the airflow will reach the forward surface of the ailerons on the lower side of the ailerons correctly as that has a strong aerodynamic effect. The clearance from aileron to the wing MUST be correct. Ailerons and elevators done incorrectly can kill you. Bruce

I once met a pilot/owner/builder who bought a canard and was building another. I should have done the same thing but was just focused on finishing someone's project. That might have saved my marriage, too. If you are ready to build a Cozy from plans, you might buy this Varieze and fly it for years while you work on the Cozy. That is a great way to go if you have enough money. Bruce

Well, I have to apologize (again). I had not heard of Richard Schubert. He certainly gave a good email discussion on drag. I have had to apologize a few times before due to my dumb comments. So, anyway, we have TWO very knowledgeable Schuberts.

David, TERRY Schubert's name is Terry Schubert. His publication of 136 issues of the CSA newsletter did more to help us than any one person besides B. Rutan. He had to manage to write, print, and mail close to 1000 copies 4 times a year at an incredibly low price. So let's get the name right.

David: Marc and several others are expert; I am not. I have a NACA duct which is close to identical to those that I have seen on a lot of other Longezes. That means that it odes NOT have such a curved shape as your picture. I have 45 hours on it and I have NEVER had a temperature problem, either for the oil or the cylinders. I have not even smoothed out the airflow inside the engine space so there is a lot of turbulence on both sides; I just have not had the time to get that last bit of smoothing done. I do need to balance the temps a bit #4 is the hot one and most people have that problem, I think. #3 is next, #2 is cool and #1 is the coolest. The oil cooler does restrict the air flow a little close to #3 cylinder. It sits on the lower cowl and is bolted to it. It does hang from a small aluminum bracket floxed to the back of the main spar. Air flows in the NACA duct, makes a right and climbing turn, goes through the cooler and exits on the underside of the lower cowl. I think most builders do it that way. You will not succeed trying to put a ball in front of the NACA duct. I have heard of people trying to use the armpit or downdraft for many years. Most of them had a lot of trouble, I think. My neighbor DID have such a FLIR ball but he was using the original RAF "P-51" type scoop (he flew for the army in an experimental project that almost nobody has heard about. Bruce

David I am the LAST person that should give suggestions on glass work. I am throwing my lower cowl away. Anyway way can you put on some better pictures, NOT just one and NOT taken at an angle, please.

You said " existing breakers for the radio, elt, Can you confirm that? You cannot legally (by the FAA) run an ELT except as it was EXACTLY like the original design. My ELT has 8 batteries. Those must be from the same manufacturer and the same model of battery. Was your ELT designed to work on your battery by a breaker ?

I think you will find that the wires running from the panel to your headset will be a big PIA. I suggest that you get a catalog from B & C and look through it. I have a starter solenoid from them as well as fuses that light up if they are "blown". Also a master solenoid from them. When I first tried to start the engine, the voltage dropped too low to start it and that was with all 4 cylinders primed; I switched to B & C solenoids and took the master out of the path to the starter (Yes, I have a mechanical way to cut off the current if the starter solenoid hangs). Now the engine starts very quickly even when very cold. I have almost everything that they sell. I consider their equipment very superior to what you can get at Aircraft Spruce or Wicks. Bruce Hughes