Hangar Flying

Your small picture appears to have 2 nose cones with a possible section for attaching between one and the fuselage.  Enlarged, I was less sure if these parts were even part of a Long-eze.

Please give more information about what you think it is and how it is to be used.  I have done a lot of repairs, but no actual building of components.  If it were me, and there is no nose, I would use the plans to build a new one.  Somewhere along the way I might discover why these pieces were/are not installed.

Bill,  I smiled.  Actually when I got to the pictures I had a long belly-laugh -- almost fell out of my chair.  Love your humor.  Admire your ability to entertain us and........... well and show us new, good ideas for canards.

"Great treasures are often buried under a thicket of challenges, designed for you… on purpose."

Bill, you are amazing!  Builder, innovator, teacher, advisor and philosopher.  It was great to meet you at KFLY.  You fly a very impressive VEZ.  You've taken us with you more than once, right here in this forum.  I've loved it all.  When I finally met you, you are just like that in person.

I purchased a LEZ in 1993 from a fellow who had not long to live.  It was not the best I'd seen by a longshot, BUT, the main gear retracted.  I got it from him and flew it for a year, when the engine shelled out  in flight.  I turned for the home airport and came down about 10 miles short.  At about 100' above touchdown, this power line appeared in my front view indicating about 60 KIAS.  Monday a.m. quarterbacks have criticized me for not "ducking under".  I traded what IAS I had left for a 100' or so of level flight before the high rate of descent occurred.  The plane touched down hard.  My retractable main gear and the nose gear failed.

The damages other than that were negligible (scraped belly and top delamination of the wing skins,  lower cowl destroyed).  I was surprised at just how tough the LEZ is.  It had to sit for 7 years while I completed the rebuild of a certificated plane.  I now had 2 planes to rebuild. 

I was able to start on the rebuild in 2002.  Getting the new gear built and in place was morale building.  It could roll around on wheels again.  During the interim, rotary motors came into consideration because of a few pioneers who'd actually installed them in airplanes.  (My shelled out O-320 had, significant tinkering done to it to produce 200 Hp plus.)  The Mazda was advertised as capable of that power or more with supercharging.  To shorten the story, in 2004 I purchased a new RX8 motor and turbo.  I did get it mounted, but the design issues were overwhelming.  I got a 0 SMOH IO-320 and it is now mounted.  All the damages have been repaired and it has the first coat of primer.  I am doing a few improvements such as an oil cooler in front to warm my cold feet after 1:00 hours in flight.

I'm not a builder.  I am a rebuilder.  This is my 4th rebuild.  They take longer than a scratch build in MY opinion.  Projects are worse than a rebuild.  Duplication of parts already in the project happens too much in rebuilds or 2nd, 3rd, & 4th project takeovers.  I think your success in building a wonderful airplane is marvelous inspiration to all who see, listen and read.  The pay-off is exactly what you say in flying it after struggling through the build.

I reject the idea that "the LEZ is killed".  It is part of the evolution of the VEZ of which you possess one of the finest.  There are really quite a few of them and derivatives out there flying.  RV, Glassair, and Lancair are easier to do, but they are "just another plane" and not that unique.

This is a LEZ on the ground since 1994 for repairs and restoration.  The avionics have been on hand since 2010.

1. Original panel, 1984 - 1994
2. Current (no panel)
3. Proposed panel layout w/ Dynon Skyview, Garmin 430W, VP-50, GTX-327 transponder

Ditto to Go EZ.  Bill you are such a good writer.  I forgot that Claudine was in the back seat.  I thought that's where I was.  It felt like I logged about :45 seeing the lake and hill country of Texas.

I've been missing flight in my LEZ for almost 20 years now.  My wife has claustrophobia and will never ride in it, however I've had several six-plus footers there, who happily folded themselves in.  Friends have asked me to put a date on the next flight and I usually say: "early next year".  I'm really hoping that will be true in 2014!  I've repaired the belly and wings from the hard-landing, also rebuilt all 3 gear and new carbon fiber cowlings.  I have a zero since major engine, installed  and have the first coat of primer on.  I have a suite of Dynon avionics in the panel, but not  fastened in or wired to the plane yet.  I'm moving the oil cooler to over my feet so I can fly more than an hour without them turning into blocks of ice.

Thanks for the years of inspiration and encouragement!

Are you still in AZ?  I enjoyed seeing your flight tracks, groundspeeds etc. I hope you will let us see the trip back whenever that is.  Were you successful in avoiding Class B space in LA and SD?

I have been rebuilding a LEZ for 11 years.  I've trailered it 5 times on a flat trailer.  Being concerned about overwidth, the first time I retracted all the gears (it's an RG) and with mattresses under mostly the left side and allowed the right side to be up approximately 34" and the left side tied securely down to the floor of the trailer.  I've since learned that 104" width is permitted in most Western States.  Now, I simply retract the nose gear and snubb it in a very thick foam pad to the front of the trailer.  I strap across the rear of the landing gear and snubb these lines to a forward position, so it will always be held against the foam pad in front.  Both wings and canard are under the plane and between the landing gear on a mattress and also snubbed down with straps.  My trailers have been large enough to carry miscellaneous other stuff in boxes on both sides of the fuselage and behind.