Hangar Flying

As I re-read, it did come off a bit confusing; the 300 series hardener pumps from West come in a 3:1 ratio and a 5:1 ratio. The cap on the 3:1 is too small for the Aeropoxy hardener, but the 5:1 cap is the right size. So, I removed the "guts" from them and swapped them, so the 3:1 pump now fits the Aeropoxy hardener can. I did several tests; volumetrically the pumps are accurate, as well as by weight. I manually weighed a batch as well, and had the same blushing results as I did using the pumps, and after the test layups cured, both appeared to have the same qualities. And that is all I've done so far, is test layups. I want to see what system will work best for my conditions. Aeropoxy was recommended to me by an instructor at EAA and on ACS' website. However in light of the issues I had during practice, I won't be using it. So, this is all academic as I opted to go with EZ Poxy.

That being said, what epoxy system has the deep brown color? The EZ Poxy (10A/83B) I have has a straw-yellow color when mixed. Is it the 84B hardener (slow cure) that is deep brown, a new formulation of the EZ Poxy, or a different system altogether?

Thanks for your insight and concern, Bruce, I truly appreciate it. I've been in CSA for three years; a deep well of information, for sure! I got a list from Beagle of local Canardians. Not a lot in MN, and only half-dozen close by (meaning within an two-hours drive), and of them, not sure how many still building. I'll review my CSA roster too. I think I posted this on C-A Yahoo, but I'll repost there too. Thanks again.

I started building model airplanes as a kid. I decided to switch to a real aiplane to save money! 

Matt "Mars" Reed

Wonderful! Thanks for the guidance!

After years of hemming and hawing, reading and researching, I came across a Long project from a friend of a friend; he has built one and is flying it, then started a second with a partner, but the partner backed out. Anyway, I got the project home and did a survey of the project, comparing to the plans and my best judgment on the workmanship. Everything seems in order and decent construction. It appears that the bulkheads and fuselage sides were done using Aeropoxy (guessed because of the red tint), and the floor done with West System (since it appears uncolored). The project is a few years old, so the details from memory are fuzzy. All layups appear to be on the correct schedule.

My only issue that I found is that the F28 bulkhead was not installed prior to cutting the canard shelf. The top longeron and doubler were cut flush with each other. The measurements I took show the cut to be at 6.4" aft of the forward face of F22. A 0.5" thickness F28 would bring the dimension to the correct 5.9". My concern is this, though: the F28 would have to be bonded to the flush faces of the top longeron and doubler; it would not be notched to fit under the top longeron. Would there be any problem with this? I realize that after shaping the top of the fuselage, there is not much of the top longeron left in that notch, and the doubler is where the canard alignment pins fit, so flush bonding F28 as I described should be ok. Or, should I cut back the longeron 10-12", splice in a new section and install F28 per plans? As I see it, F28 is just to contour the nose into the canopy, there is no critical supporting structure relying on F28, correct?

Also, the distance between both longeron ends is about 0.6" wider than what F28 would be. Should I try to draw the longeron ends together while F28 cures in place, or would making F28 wider to fit be acceptable, so long as I translate that increased dimension to the canard for the alignment pins?

(unable to attach pics at this time; will add when able)

Any thoughts on substituting S-glass yarn for the flagged UNI spar cap for a Long EZ? Pro's/con's, etc. I read a thread about substituting kevlar as skins and winglet attaching for a VEZ and got a lot of info there, mostly along the lines of, "don't substitute materials, the designer knew what they were doing." My reason for asking comes from reading the construction manual; the wing spar cap is S-glass yarn, while the canard is the flagged UNI. Second reason, I took a Sport-Air workshop, and for the canard/airfoil section we assembled in class, we used S-glass for the spar cap. Granted, this is a big deviation from the Rutan plans, but I found the S-glass easier to lay than the flagging I tried at home. So, again, my question would be yea or nay? Or, perhaps I already answered my own question...