Transporting a VariEze?? (long!)
Matt
complete aircraft. It is non-flying (no engine/instruments and fuselage
damage), I have a decent background working with composites and a major
repair/new fuselage would be doable.
Does anyone know how repairable a VariEze would be if the main gear had
failed/ripped off the aircraft such as during a rough field landing? I have
seen photos and the aircraft looks like the type of project that I could
handle.
I don't have any first hand knowledge of how the landing gear structure is
tied into the VariEze airframe. Could damage to the main spar carrythough
or firewall occur if the main gear has been forcibly removed/failed?
My main question is what size of open or enclosed trailer would be
sufficient to move the airframe ~1800 miles or so? It's my understanding
that the wing panels are removable outside the strakes, correct? I'd like
to be able to tow it with a mid-sized car. Anyone have sizes on components
(approximate is fine). If it would fit in a full sized pickup that would
work too!
I'm a graduate student so the funds are somewhat limited but the condition
and price of the project are quite appealing if it's still available.
Please reply to me directly.
Thanks,
Matt
ocu
hehe, I am a grad student too. I am surprised you have time for
homebuilding...
good luck with your project !
Matt <mo...@vt.edu> wrote in message news:8k6770$j8k$1...@solaris.cc.vt.edu...
Kevin O'Brien
One of the canard websites, either canard.com or ez.org, has the detailed
story of a man who crashed landing at OSH and had VERY similar damage to his
EZ. He got some help and repaired the plane right onsite, during the show.
Like I said, he put the detailed story on that site... now you go and find
it, mate. Indeed, before you get into a Rutan canard, read every scrap on
those websites, face Mecca, and thank the guys that put it there. Also
SOMEONE in your EAA chapter will have built an EZ (just law of averages,
just like someone in the chapter always bought, but never built, a BD-5).
Find that guy and interrogate him ruthlessly.
I can't imagine how the landing gear, attached to the bottom of the fuselage
'boat' could fail the spar. No can do GI! The vari is a mid-wing... shoulder
wing really. if you hit anything hard enough to fail the spar that's just
about hitting hard enough to turn the whole thing back into the fibres
whence it came.
You might have some tip or winglet damage. As you know from your composite
experience, this is all very repairable. If the gear went, you might have
had a stoppage on the engine, and that makes it teardown time. It's probably
OK but you ought to check it (or have it checked if you are maintaining the
engine's certification).
A really nice Vari-Eze is still a pretty inexpensive plane to buy.
Repairables like you describe are often sold for less than the parts value
(i.e. engine and instruments) because, to a parts wholesaler, he'd have to
put effort (I spell: $$) into parting it out. So it sounds to me like you
have a good strategy to get flying in a pretty good, and very eficient,
aeroplane. Good luck. Resist the temptation to add a lot of gewgaws to it.
There are a couple of OSH champion EZs that fly like dogs because they're so
overweight with leather seats and Starship Enterprise panels. A light
Vari-Eze is a joy.. if you want an IFR machine or creature comforts and
electric start, wait for someone to ocrash a Long-EZ and rebuild THAT.
Transporting a disassembled EZ is a drag. Once the wing panels are off the
thing is still about 9 1/2 feet across the spar stubs. I've seen it done by
removing the engine and mount, and building a framework to hold it upright
on a flatbed trailer. If you do it this way, beware of overpasses...
cheers
-=K=-
kevin at network impossible dot guess
Matt wrote in message <8k6770$j8k$1...@solaris.cc.vt.edu>...
<snip>
>Does anyone know how repairable a VariEze would be if the main gear had
>failed/ripped off the aircraft such as during a rough field landing? I
have
>seen photos and the aircraft looks like the type of project that I could
>handle.
>
>I don't have any first hand knowledge of how the landing gear structure is
>tied into the VariEze airframe. Could damage to the main spar carrythough
>or firewall occur if the main gear has been forcibly removed/failed?
<snip>
Matt
out a bit already. The long drive (~60 hours total) and logistics made the
project a little more then I wanted to deal with. Still a VERY good deal
though. Just not for me.
S.O.
Sean Ovington
"Kevin O'Brien" <ke...@useorganisationasdomainname.com> wrote in message
news:8k8an6$adg$1...@nnrp-corp.news.cais.net...
Peter S.Lert
full-size pickup (nose sticking out over the lowered tailgate). Be
aware, however, that it's about 8 feet across the strakes-- right at the
legal highway limit.
I've seen one transported in a pickup cocked up at an angle, i.e. the
end of one strake down in the bottom of the bed and a ramshackle
arrangement of 2x4's holding the other strake up over the other side of
the bed; the whole deal topped out around 10 ft. off the ground, truck
included.
Stephen Rivett
the Oshkosh planners have taken more responsibility in making the flyin safe?
The reason I ask is that if they haven't made things safer I won't make a trip
to Oshkosh one of my goals for the plane I'm starting to build.
Thanks, Stephen Rivett
KBoatri144
>I know it's been 12 years since this incident occured but I'd like to know if
>the Oshkosh planners have taken more responsibility in making the flyin safe?
>The reason I ask is that if they haven't made things safer I won't make a
>trip
>to Oshkosh one of my goals for the plane I'm starting to build.
> Thanks, Stephen Rivett
I've been to Oshkosh several times myself, and didn't find the procedures
"unsafe". However, if you go to any large fly-in, you'll see some amazingly
dumb things, and examples of extremely poor flying technique.
In the accident in the link referenced in this thread, at least three errors
were made by the guy who tore up his EZ...
1) Went to a wrong frequency.
2) Failure to see and avoid until way late in the game.
3) Failure to carry out a go-around from the pre-flare.
If he'd gotten any of these three items correct, he probably wouldn't have
messed up his airplane.
Myself, I've only made errors 1 & 2 that I listed above, and thankfully, I
didn't make 'em at the same time. There are very few perfect pilots out there,
and this guy just got caught by a series of his own mistakes.
KB