Hangar Flying

  ....  I got two coats on each wing with a quart each.  ....

Can you clarify please? One quart of color was enough to do two coats on both wings?

Rick

Rough River (et al) will be beneficial, you'll get to pick plenty of brains. The majority tandem pilots, but this is slowly changing to quad. I'll probably be there this year, one of the few that arrives on two wheels, camping, and toting a stash of sauerkraut.

Plans on EZ.org is fairly simple (IMO). Even though RAF bowed out of selling them, that doesn't imply they're now public domain.

With perseverance you will find the plans (M drawings) you need, and I'll assume you know the instructions are on the TERF CD, or so I've heard. Plans + Terf CD + sweat and lots epoxy dribbles = completed plane.

A list of Canard drivers can be had by joining the CSA. The list is pretty robust I hear, but doesn't include me... I've another year before I'm in the left/front seat

Rick

A little tidbit.
I've flown back seat in a local VeriEze a couple of times. Seven gallons in each wing tank, the header tank is 80% full, and perhaps 320lbs of Pilot/PAX, no baggage. Any more weight and it's over gross he says. 14 gallons will get you a fair distance down the road though. When the pilot flies to OSH with his wife, they have to mail their clothes, tent, bags, ... Note his craft may be a bit heavy, and it has an O-230 pushing it.

... Stop up if you ever fly into Minneapolis.

Will do, maybe next year when I get my tub in the air? I've some family near KFCM, two birds one stone.

Rick

I live about 5 miles from Crystal Airport. I was going to call Thunder Bird Aviation.

Just show at their door, reservations not required

There are places I can't go right? People will not call security on the guy wandering around the field?

Many places you can't walk/drive to. Taxiways and runways are but two. The apron (gas pump and tie-down area) will raise a huge flag if it's obvious you aren't a pilot/passenger. This is generally quite obvious Tip: treat any/all planes like a Pit Bull. Treat the concrete/asphalt areas like a kennel of Pit Bulls. Do not approach, do not touch, unless the owner is there. And then touch only if the owner says its OK to do so.

Most airports, the ones close to larger cities anyway, are fenced in. The only entrance is through a key-code gate to the hanger area(s), or by entering the FBO on foot. Longmont (KLMO) is fenced (a high security 3' chain link) with three gates (usually wide open during daylight hours), or you can get in by walking into the FBO and then onto the apron.

I would like to fly into Oshkosh this year...

So would I, pick me up on your way

Rick

... Age is not a problem I learnt to fly at 67 ...

Sweet I just turned 58, have yet to do my check ride Thanks for the mondo dose of good mojo

What is the best way to learn to fly?
How hard is it to transition between aircraft.

Take lessons

A CFI (certified flight instructor) should be able to offer training in any certificated aircraft, even your own. If they will is another story, most will though. The exception is training in an experimental aircraft. When you start training, you (or your instructor) will pick a plane. 172, 150, PA-28, ... And for the remainder of your training you will be flying the same model. It may be a different plane, maybe, but will be the same model. You can switch from a PA-28 to a Skyhawk, but additional 'familiarization' hours will be required. Piper handles differently than a Cessna, and a 152 is different than a 172.

Transition is generally painless, elevators still elevate, throttle still produces power. Differences may include location of the controls, stall/landing speeds, how the controls behave (eg: power vs manual steering, hi-cube V8 vs Yugo, etc.). Performance characteristics are listed in the POH (pilot owners manual, all planes have them), so is the operation of the controls. It's best a person gets a little stick time with an instructor (CFI or your pilot pal Ralph) before flying a new-to-you plane.

You may be able to save some bux by owning your own training plane, but ownership presents it's own problems as you've noted (hanger rental, if you decide one is needed). Of note is insurance (big $ for a new pilot), annual maintenance, and you'll still have the $30-?? bux your instructor(s) charge per hour for their time. And if you need to take a break from your flight training for skool, jay-oh-bee, family, ... the monthly/yearly costs for your 'trainer' keep adding up and need to be paid.

Head down to the FBO at your airport, grab a chair and watch the planes. When you get bored of that, head inside and talk to someone. Bring up the weather, mention flight school, how many instructors... Next day pick a different airport. Might run across a flight school that offers rentals at a discount if you buy blocks of time. Might even run across a canard owner with time to ratchet-jaw. Tip: look for two fins in a hanger

Sorry if I'm patronizing.

Rick

Here's my thoughts, take them for what they're worth 

1) Plans build vs kit built. I can't tell you how many times people ask/infer my Cozy is a kit build. They're dumbfounded that I'm building a 200 MPH plane off a set of sketches that were sketched pre AutoCAD. A tub of epoxy, blocks of foam, and rolls of fiberglass. Nothing is pre-punched or pre-formed.

2) Cozy is the only plans built canard you can actually buy now. RAF bowed out of the plans business for various and sundry reasons. Aerocad may still offer plans, and I think Velocity offers a hybrid plans/kit as well as a kit.

3) Liability. Kit built, metal anyway, has everything more/less pre-made. Simple matter of inserting tab A into slot B, and squishing a rivet. And a good/bad rivet job can be checked with a gauge. Compare this to a plans built canard: "make it look like the picture". Tons of variables in the latter, and hard for the designer to prove it wasn't made just like the picture. We live in a litigious society.

4) Support. Lots of forums and mailing lists out there for Canardians (not to be confused with Canadians ). This may be a disadvantage for a new/potential canard builder, they may expect all support to be in one place like the Vans or Velocity websites. I know I get answers to my Cozy questions quickly, often w/in the hour. The rest I knuckle down and find the answer myself. There is a wee bit of hand-holding for new canard builders, but it's not near as much as I've seen for other amateur built planes.

5) Sex appeal (and/or babe magnets). Canards. Nuf said.

6) Unsupported. There are plans out there for building a tandem canard. Spend a day, or more, Googling for Open EZ plans. Suspect you could also build a Veri-Eze if you wanted to, but it'd be a chore making some of the special fittings (wing attach) yourself.

7) New design. I would very much like to see plans for a stretch Cozy MK-IV. A bit wider, and a foot or more longer, to make a real comfortable four place cross country machine. The market just doesn't seem to be there. As to 'reinventing' the tandem canard, see the bullets above.

If you have your heart set on a LongEz type, poke around the interweb. You will find the support you're looking for, it just won't be in one place.

Attend one of the canard fly-in's! There are many, but spread out across several website's Rough River is the premier one (roughriver.org) at 2I3 west of Ft. Knox, KY. RoughRiver is total canard immersion. The West Coast event is "Canards West" in Columbia, CA. Expect to see rocket scientists there. Then there's Kanab, SnF, Copperstate, Burrall Saunders gig, OSH, ...

Rick

Must be a virus going around... 

Same thing happened on a different forum: http://forum dot canardaviation dot com/showthread.php?t=5855

A new bronze gear should set you back around $80. Add a half hour of machining to make it fit, you should be done.

Rick