An aircraft for Jesse

Possibly, but IIRC he ran out of gas & that's no reflection on the aircraft.
 
Is it just me, or is that thing missing a wheel?
 
That's perfect for Jesse I think.

Fun to fly, not the usual boring small Cessna/Piper/Etc. Seems like a decent price, too....
 
Capt. Geoffrey Thorpe said:
I hate to say this, but it's you. ;-)

The nose wheel retracts and that is the typical way to park one. I don't recall why.
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It's because the CG is far aft at the engine when the pilot is out of the cockpit. It would have a tendency to tip on its tail if you don't park it nose down. The pilot cranks down the nose gear after entering the cockpit.
 
How is it on grass? Do the wheels kick anything up into the propellor?
 
From what I have heard, the EZ's are horrible on grass - mainly due to the already mentioned nose gear - it's not very durable. And the design of it is not keen on short-field performance. This is all second-hand information, though.
 
Cap'n Jack said:
How is it on grass? Do the wheels kick anything up into the propellor?
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I think, the wheels are pretty far outboard of the prop arc so that shouldn't be the problem. Depending on the cabin load, I might be worried about getting tossed on the tail by a bump on the nose.

The cool thing about the Rutan canard design, besides the performance, is they're un-stallable (stall-spin proof?). The canard provides 40% of the lift and is set at a higher angle of attack. If you hold the stick full aft, the canard stalls first and the lift lost on the nose lowers the nose. :cool:

I had a fantasy to build a Long-EZ in my carefree youth when I first visited Oshkosh. Wouldda been a challenge to do in a Chicago flat. :rolleyes:
 
Cap'n Jack said:
Possibly, but IIRC he ran out of gas & that's no reflection on the aircraft.
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Actually the aircraft had gas in it. BUT the aircraft was modified as to make switching tanks difficult. He lost control while trying to figure it out.
 
Interesting--they do look like cool airplanes--although I really need an airplane that is good at short field and grass. It seems like the ideal airplane for me would be a RV-4.

I really have no idea if I can afford a RV-4..I'm not flying much right now trying to save money so I can get an airplane of some type.
 
CJones said:
From what I have heard, the EZ's are horrible on grass - mainly due to the already mentioned nose gear - it's not very durable. And the design of it is not keen on short-field performance. This is all second-hand information, though.
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I wonder if short field performance on these canard designs could be helped with micro VGs on wing and canard (easy) plus Mackey SQ2 retractable leading edge slats on the wing (easy) and a smaller spin off of the SQ2s on the canard (not as easy, designed from scratch). Done properly, cruise speed should not be reduced.

Then they wouldn't typically be such runway pigs but still enjoy their nice fast cruise speeds.
 
Cap'n Jack said:
Possibly, but IIRC he ran out of gas & that's no reflection on the aircraft.
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He did not run out of gas, but had trouble switching tanks because the builder moved the gas valve from a standard configuration and JS was too short to reach it. In the attempt to reach it and switch tanks, he lost control and rudder rolled the aircraft.
 
BillTIZ said:
He did not run out of gas, but had trouble switching tanks because the builder moved the gas valve from a standard configuration and JS was too short to reach it. In the attempt to reach it and switch tanks, he lost control and rudder rolled the aircraft.
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What a sad story...

http://www.avweb.com/other/ntsb9905.html

The cure ended up worse than the disease. Putting the fuel selector in a bad location just to avoid running fuel lines in the cockpit


Trapper John
 
What's your budget for an RV-4?

http://airprayer.net/cm/?page_id=145

EDIT: Looks like he already sold it: http://airprayer.net/cm/?cat=3

Still would like to know what your budget is, even via PM, so I can keep an ear to the ground--I'm very close to the prolific DFW RV community, being minutes away from Hicks (T67) and Northwest Regional (52F).
 
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NC19143 said:
Actually the aircraft had gas in it. BUT the aircraft was modified as to make switching tanks difficult. He lost control while trying to figure it out.
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I watched him take off from KSMX Santa Maria for the leg to KMRY Monterey. Only after he departed was I told it was John Denver.

Tom is correct, there was plenty of gas but the builder had relocated the fuel selector to an awkward position which involved the pilot reaching over his left shoulder. Why he chose to switch tanks at a low alt and soon after departure was the big problem. (I know why but too bad for him, eh?)

But there is no probllem inherent in the aircraft's design.
 
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TangoWhiskey said:
What's your budget for an RV-4?

http://airprayer.net/cm/?page_id=145

EDIT: Looks like he already sold it: http://airprayer.net/cm/?cat=3

Still would like to know what your budget is, even via PM, so I can keep an ear to the ground--I'm very close to the prolific DFW RV community, being minutes away from Hicks (T67) and Northwest Regional (52F).
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Honestly. I have no idea. They seem like they're generally $40-$50,000 airplanes. Not sure what I can afford, certainly cannot pay that much in cash, no idea how hard a loan is these days on an experimental.....
 
jesse said:
Interesting--they do look like cool airplanes--although I really need an airplane that is good at short field and grass. It seems like the ideal airplane for me would be a RV-4.

I really have no idea if I can afford a RV-4..I'm not flying much right now trying to save money so I can get an airplane of some type.
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We had a VariEZ operating out of here (OKH) and he used about 1000' of runway with 2 aboard and full fuel.

his EZ used 4 gallons per hour cruising at 1800 RPM doing 180 MPH. at 10,000'

The aircraft has a landing gear made like a long bow, from laminate wood which does not like rough surface fields, It bounces but it's hell for strong, but if the grass is smooth no problems.
 
jesse said:
Honestly. I have no idea. They seem like they're generally $40-$50,000 airplanes. Not sure what I can afford, certainly cannot pay that much in cash, no idea how hard a loan is these days on an experimental.....
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I still say you should be looking at Thorpe T-18s. I think you could get a decent one with minimal avionics for less than $25k.

http://tinyurl.com/5j76lt

http://tinyurl.com/6yj3l5

 
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TangoWhiskey said:
-I'm very close to the prolific DFW RV community, being minutes away from Hicks (T67) and Northwest Regional (52F).
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What Jesse needs is an affordable RV3, one that needs a little TLC and hasn't hit the market yet. One that needs the spar mods and a few other tweeks and a GOOD home. If he could get into one of those for under $20k, way under perhaps, and fly it away that would rock. Someone out there has one but just isn't ready to part with it yet. When they are ready Jesse would be the man for it.

No wait, not him, ME.
 
wby0nder said:
What Jesse needs is an affordable RV3, one that needs a little TLC and hasn't hit the market yet. One that needs the spar mods and a few other tweeks and a GOOD home. If he could get into one of those for under $20k, way under perhaps, and fly it away that would rock. Someone out there has one but just isn't ready to part with it yet. When they are ready Jesse would be the man for it.

No wait, not him, ME.
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hey you've already got like 5 aircraft! save a few for the rest of us.
 
Diana said:
Dang, that guy was an incredible pilot. Amazing what he could do.
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You should have seen it when he stole an F-16 to go in and save his dad.

Oh, wait...you meant the stunt pilot...
 
Hey Matt, you should start an airplane adoption agency. Finding homes for abandoned aircraft :-)
 
(Actually relevant, indirectly, to the OP) Wasn't there also a factor with the Denver crash involving repaint of control surfaces? I seem to recall hearing that the rudders or something did not check out properly in terms of weight and balance after the aircraft was painted (or repainted).

The relevance? No matter how excellent the design, if you're buying a finished homebuilt, take nothing for granted. Maybe that's no more true than with used production aircraft, but...


Richard said:
I watched him take off from KSMX Santa Maria for the leg to KMRY Monterey. Only after he departed was I told it was John Denver.

Tom is correct, there was plenty of gas but the builder had relocated the fuel selector to an awkward position which involved the pilot reaching over his left shoulder. Why he chose to switch tanks at a low alt and soon after departure was the big problem. (I know why but too bad for him, eh?)

But there is no probllem inherent in the aircraft's design.
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I was fortunate to meet him at the airshow in Dayton, OH a couple of years before Top Gun.

He was being driven down the show line to wave at the crowd and I had positioned myself at the far end where there weren't any spectators nearby. The driver wanted to turn back around to show center but he spotted me waving and told her to pull up to where I was standing. I got his signature on a cartoon of him in the Bob Steven's book "If You Read Me, Rock The Tower" . He was very gracious about it all, much to the chagrin of the driver.



Diana said:
Dang, that guy was an incredible pilot. Amazing what he could do.
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Horsepower solves all. If it doesn't take off fast enough, just add more power. ;)

I've seen Long-EZs for sale with 320s, and I think a few with 360s in them. That would probably take off a lot faster than an O-200.
 
Well, not exactly. It is an issue of the CG w/o the pilot onboard, but the nose wheel is extended while the pilot is standing next to the fuselage holding it, not after he climbs in.

Just an example of the designer's ability to extract the most performance from a minimum of material.

As builders starting putting larger and larger engines on Rutan canards the resulting CG and structure issues gave birth to the follow-on designs like the Cozy and Velocity which still benefit from the two lifting surface concept.

mikea said:
It's because the CG is far aft at the engine when the pilot is out of the cockpit. It would have a tendency to tip on its tail if you don't park it nose down. The pilot cranks down the nose gear after entering the cockpit.
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Ted DuPuis said:
Horsepower solves all. If it doesn't take off fast enough, just add more power. ;)

I've seen Long-EZs for sale with 320s, and I think a few with 360s in them. That would probably take off a lot faster than an O-200.
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Probably?!?!?!?

There is no replacement for displacement!!!
 
EdFred said:
Probably?!?!?!?

There is no replacement for displacement!!!
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Sarcasm is just one of the many services that I offer. :smilewinkgrin:
 
vontresc said:
Hey Matt, you should start an airplane adoption agency. Finding homes for abandoned aircraft :-)
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I've been considering such a scheme for old sailplanes to put them into the hands of new glider pilots. Previous owner donates to our Non Profit, we make them flight ready and new owner maintains. When they are ready to move on they give it back for placement with a new owner. Lots of old sailplanes sitting around unused especially homebuilts. I guess you and Tony are my prototype owners and I'm damn proud of the flying you guys are doing with those old ships.

Matt
 
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