Drew
This is the post Al put up on the Yahoo Canard User group.
Before Selling:
In the process of selling my Long-EZ, an unusual circumstance
occurred. A prospective buyer convinced me, in spite of less than
100 hours of flying experience, that he had dreamed of owning a
Long-EZ since he was ten years old. Many hours with a Long-EZ
simulator on a computer gave him confidence. Well, Wilbur and
Orville did not have a CFI available, and they made it. I did not
receive good advice and I made it, but I confess, I had about 1,000
hours more experience than Wilbur and Orville. So, we decided to
give it a try.
He volunteered to send a non-refundable deposit to hold the plane
off the market until he could fly to San Diego.
Before arriving in San Diego, I explained on the phone, the extra
conditions we would require. My son recently purchased a Long-
EZ. His experience transitioning from a Cherokee to the Long-EZ
caused him to suggest using an “Orientation.” I will include this as
an addendum for “2000 Ways to Fly a Canard” and post it on
www.ez.org under Articles.
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The final paragraphs are:
“After completing the testing and orientation steps above, if
you do not feel completely comfortable taking delivery of
and flying the Long-EZ, we offer to deliver it to your home
base with you in the back seat. Your expense will be fuel,
motel, and any other travel expenses, plus one airline ticket
for return to San Diego.
I believe all reasonable attempts have been made to provide
a thorough orientation in this aircraft, and feel my level of
proficiency is sufficient for me to safely fly Long-EZ N____.
______________________________ Date ___________
Buyer
Witness: _____________________
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Observations: The number of hours is less important than the
mental attitude of the buyer. Flying hours experience contributes
to a solid mental attitude and improves reaction when anything
unusual occurs. This is more important than flying skill.
The first red flag: My buyer was very upset because the EZ lost the
left magneto the evening before he arrived. His lack of experience
meant he did not realize how lucky he was.
1) I paid for the new mag.
2) He did not have it fail during the trip back home that would have caused an
unexpected expense, for hotels, meals, a new mag, and labor over a holiday
weekend.
The next red flag: He kept asking everyone how to fly a Long-EZ.
The intro booklet (“2000 Ways To Fly a Canard”), which he said
he had read several times, combines over 175 years of EZ-pilots’
experience for maximum benefit. It did not take me long to
comment, “I hope the last person he talks to gives him good
advice.”
The next red flag: He seemed more interested in getting rides than
learning. A former EZ pilot gave him a ride in a Lancair. I
mentioned it would not help him in the Long-EZ, but his comment,
“It will be an experience flying in a different airplane.”
At one point, he decided that the lack of certain details made him
wary of the experimental aircraft, and he felt he should not buy this
Long-EZ. My reaction was immediate. “If you are not comfortable,
for any reason, do not buy the plane.” After making a few phone
calls, he returned with a new decision, “I will buy the plane.” We
scheduled a flight for the next morning, after which he would start
taxi tests.
After the flight in the morning, he raised another red flag. After
descending from over 6,000 feet to about 4,500 feet, I added power
with a very lean mixture. His comment, “I was very nervous when
the engine ran rough.” The rough engine lasted for as long as it
took me to change the fuel mixture. However, give him credit, he
flew the plane very well in a long climb with right and left turns.
That was a green flag.
He was still going to buy the plane. When we returned to my
house, about five o’clock, I said, “Let’s review the paper work.”
He pulled out his phone, started a conversation, walked out the
door, and disappeared for three hours. That was a little red flag.
When he returned, he said, “I have decided not to buy the plane.”
In a way, that was a relief. There may be exceptions, but several
hundred hours of flying experience seem to be a requirement
before entering the Experimental field. If anything unusual would
have occurred, his response could have been panic and fatal.
Final comment: Unless a person feels comfortable, they should not
get a Long-EZ. This was my first experience under these
conditions, and it was a learning experience. For over 17 years, I
thought those other Long-EZ pilots were a strange breed.
Now, I looked in a mirror!
Al Hodges
El Cajon, CA
