A Varieze with a 75hp Cont. might not be the fastest ez out there, but the engine is not a bad engine and the plane will fly. I have not flown one w/ a 75hp but did fly one w/ an 85hp. It did not perform just like mine w/ an 0-200. I used a little more runway and with two adults, you had to use about minimal fuel the owner told me, and he used a lot more runway (this could just been his plane, but his engine had compressions in the lower to mid 70’s). With the 0-200, I weigh 180lbs and my buddy who flew with me now and then weighed 200lbs and with half fuel, we used a little more runway than when I was empty at full fuel. The weight of a 75 is around 170lbs while the weight of an O-200 is around 190lbs. RAF had a suggested empty weight around 500 pounds, but probably 600 with that engine would be a good weight to shoot for with a basic VFR. I came across one a few months ago that the builder decided to “add” an extra layer of fiberglass to the whole aircraft and then sand that layer partially off to get a smooth surface. This had to add weight, plus I am not a big fan of someone stiffening up parts that are made to bend a flex a certain degree, plus it adds weight.
Gross for that engine is 950, but as the builder, you can set the limit to what you want. I am no engineer, Rutan was; but a margin of safety is added into ever plane’s gross.
As far as letting a plane sit around; that can create lots of problems. I have done inspections on airplanes that were flown 10hrs a year for the last few years and find corrosion on wheel bearings and races from sitting too long in one spot, you can have buildup of corrosion on the cylinder walls which cause pitting and low cylinder readings, and so on. Another area for possible corrosion (there is a mandatory inspection of this year) is the wing attach fitting. Fortunately I have never come across this, but it can happen. I usually find more problems on airplanes that sit around than ones that fly 100hrs a year.
Good Luck,
Brett
