Hangar Flying => For Sale/Wanted => Topic started by: Josh Kenyon on February 06, 2013, 06:01:55 PM
Title: Thoughts on Varieze's for sale
Post by: Josh Kenyon on February 06, 2013, 06:01:55 PM
Hi all,
I'm a USAF pilot with 2700+ KC-10 hours and 1100 T-6 II hours. I've always been intrigued with all of the Rutan designs and have noticed a lot of Varieze's flooding the market on Barnstormers.com and Ebay.com for mid-teen prices. This sounds like a great deal but I'm concerned that most were completed in the early 1980's and might have wing attachment fitting corrosion. I have also never flown one but think that I could handle it pretty easily. I'm stationed in NJ and would like any inputs to a possible inspection and what it takes to transfer ownership.
V/R, Josh
Title: Re: Thoughts on Varieze's for sale
Post by: flyingwaldo on February 08, 2013, 12:52:43 PM
Check your PMs.
Title: Re: Thoughts on Varieze's for sale
Post by: jhicks on March 05, 2013, 06:08:33 PM
Can someone enlighten what to look for in the wing fittings on the varieze's? Will all varieze's go bad at some point? Are they safe?
Jamie
Title: Re: Thoughts on Varieze's for sale
Post by: go ez on March 07, 2013, 04:06:17 AM
Principally corrosion, not just the visible bit but where the glass meets the metal you can usually see signs of it if it is present. Definitely need to take the wings off and examine all the parts. That is not a big deal to do - 20 mins! Fittings should have been kept greased all over. Other main point is the 1/8" thick plates should be parallel and not bind on the wing tongue and fit of the taper pins which should be slightly proud of the surface and again free of corrosion. They can be lightly ground with grinding paste to get them snug. Also check the 4 1/4" through bolts for thread quality (rolled - not cut treads) , corrosion etc. These can be replaced if unsatisfactory. Also look for surface cracking of the glass around the fitting in case there is any sign of poor workmanship causing movement of the spar cap. That pretty rare. In my opinion the wing fitting issue on the VE has been overstated : actual failure (with or without early signs of failure) is very rare / almost non- existant. There are a lot of doomsayers about! I have every confidence in my VE. It is immensely strong and Rutan built in very large factors of safety. And it is an incredibly fast, efficient and benign handling aircraft. And very good value for money when compared to other types. Regards Steve
Title: Re: Thoughts on Varieze's for sale
Post by: ez on March 13, 2013, 12:17:11 PM
I think the corrosion issue is vastly overstated. There has never been a single instance of a fitting failure in flight and only a handful(2 or 3?) found on the ground. I believe that most if not all of those were stored outside. I think a lot of it was "cover your ass" by Rutan. In my opinion Rutan is a brilliant engineer and designer and the fittings are more than strong enough. If you consider how many guys routinely crank and bank their Varieze's at high G's without a single inflight failure I think you will gain a level of confidence.
I also think Varieze's selling for 15K is crazy, I'd take a good Vari over a C172 at 25K any day. They are the buy of the century at 15K.
Title: Re: Thoughts on Varieze's for sale
Post by: niceez on April 12, 2013, 12:16:47 PM
I would definitely get someone who fully understands the type of airframe and engine installtion to inspect it for you... Your life depends upon it. I have now finished inspecting 50 airplanes and only 4 had nothing wrong with them. The things I found in most were left me with, what was this guy thinking... Many secondary owners get A&P's to install things and they do fun stuff like drill holes right through the shear web on the center section spar.. Most builder will gloss over any inspection because it a is a larger task than they first realize and it takes time to study every part of the aircraft.
Title: Re: Thoughts on Varieze's for sale
Post by: rvmanjoe on June 19, 2013, 12:03:15 PM
All the above info is a little late for Josh, the Air Force Pilot but just in time for me a new Varieze owner. Thanks for all the great information. Joe Stevens
Title: Re: Thoughts on Varieze's for sale
Post by: dorr on July 12, 2013, 08:19:02 PM
Joe,
I can usually find you all the local canard guys for better hands on advice and camaraderie - get in touch