The Long-EZ Build: Chapter 13 (the nose bottom and nose gear)

[@henry2008kim]

I really hope there was somebody gracious enough to compile information on the Variviggen as you did for Long EZ! Mr. Rutan is a great man but the plans of his require much imagination to interprete! I've learned a great deal more from your website and videos than squinting at decades old plan.

[@randysmith6493]

Very exciting for you. Great project. I like these planes but they are more scary to me seeing how they are built :). This would be a good time to install forward looking FLIR in the nose. We seem to have people run into mountains in Alaska on occasion. Even a little cloud covering a hill top.

[@raymccrea]

Again, beautiful work (both on the building process, and the documentation)! Keep at it, and one day you will find that you have run out of things that need to be done. Then you can just go fly it and move into the maintenance phase.

[@JoaoSilva-dk8fk]

Ary, parabéns pelo trabalho!! É uma longa jornada porem prazerosa.

[@markpaternoster8084]

I see a lot of future promised rides with every person that helps! It's awesome to see them all helping, but I'm sure it's gonna cost you a flew flights lol.

[@georgearmerding]

I'm sitting here binging this whole playlist. thank you for making it. no spoilers. it looks like a party with people dancing around and somehow an airplane happened. Is there a weather or collision warning radar that is small enough to fit in the nose of this type of airplane and doesn't weigh 5 million lbs and if not, why not? cars have radars...

[@Vitaly63Rus]

great respect to you!

[@marketfluxadvertising]

Did you just bought plans or you bougt the whole kit?? If you bought plans only what extra things you gotta buy from manufacturer?

[@bigracin16969]

fantastic! I was wondering when you were going to put out another video. I still haven't decided on whether or not I want to build or buy...It is still a tossup between a cozy and an EZ as well.

[@aryjg]

Thanks Undercow! Have you gotten a chance to attend Oshkosh? Or Rough River canard fly-in? www.roughriver.org/ If not, I HIGHLY recommend you attend either one of those and talk to Long-EZ and Cozy owners / builders. Only then will you be able to make an educated decision as to whether or not you want to build or buy (and which aircraft to choose). If you think you will need the extra passenger and cargo room a Cozy has to offer, then by all means - go with a Cozy. Personally, I chose the Long-EZ because I knew it would be faster and cheaper to build than a Cozy. Also, I am sacrificing room and comfort for better efficiency and a 'sportier' aircraft - in my opinion. All depends what you plan on using it for. Do you want a weekend airplane you can have fun with? Or do you plan on doing longer cross-countries with another family or friend with more storage capability? As for building or buying - I'm an engineer at heart and love building things. To one day look back on my life and say, "yup, I built an airplane"... just gives me goosebumps thinking about it. However, if you care more about the flying aspect and just want to get up in the air, buying is the way to go. Another cool thing about building your own is that you can build it to your specifications and how you want it - as apposed to settling for what someone else has built. Good luck!

[@JasonEllisBuilds]

Ary Glantz How much customization could you do though without affecting the flying performance? I'm a bit of a wide body and have broad shoulders. I would love a Long-EZ but I worry about fitting in it and would need to make it a tad wider.. I'm not sure making one would work for me because of that.. I could be wrong.. please correct me =) Also, can you give a rough estimate as to how much you think the total build will cost you in time and money versus just buying? Thanks and keep up the great work!

[@aryjg]

Jason Ellis Hi Jason! Thank you so much for the positive message! It's hard to answer your question quantitatively. I do know builders who are currently building 'wide body' Long-EZ's - they add an inch or two in width to the pilot seat and an inch or so to the pax seat for extra shoulder room, and keep everything else the same. Unless you are planning on using it as a racer, I doubt you'll notice much performance degradation - for a weekend flyer or a few cross-country trips here and there - will a knot or two on the speed indicator really matter? I personally don't think so. A few things to consider though if you plan on implementing that mod is you might have to increase the span of the canard, center section spar, the engine mount will have to be custom made since the attachment points will probably also be affected, etc. It's really not that big of a deal as it sounds. As for time and money - I'm estimating it will cost about $55k - not including hangar space. As for time, I'm hoping to finish it in a 5 year window - mind you, this is while still working my day job full-time, plus whatever life events that get in the way. Buying a pre-built Long-EZ is way cheaper - look around and you can probably find a decent flying Long for about $35k. So why build? Well, some of us just enjoy the art of making things by hand. Plus, you get to custom build your flying machine to the exact specs you want. Another question you have to ask is do you trust another builder's craftsmanship over yours? There is no right or wrong answer here - it really depends on what you want out of it. Some people enjoy climbing mountains, while others like to be taken to the top in a helicopter. I personally enjoy the adventure and journey of climbing my way to the top ;) Check out this post about time and money: www.aryjglantz.com/2013/11/time-and-budget-tracking.html If you have any further questions or any way I can help further, please do not hesitate to contact me. thelongezbuild (at) gmail (dot) com.

[@JasonEllisBuilds]

Ary Glantz Email incoming! Thanks a bunch man you're build is very inspirational.. keep up the awesome work

[@pouyan225]

@@aryjg Thanks for the shared wisdom, very useful.

[@devilsoffspring5519]

Ary, man, you are fucking amazing. People that do this sort of thing absolutely rule. You posted this in 2014, how's the build been rolling along?

[@fritzmuller8246]

I've always liked the Rutan aircraft but I'm sure that the nose section could be far prettier and not effect the safety or flight properties at all if I was shaped more beautifully . The overall design is not bad but not remotely pretty enough . Also the canard albeit Rutans design for anti stall etc etc is really ugly and such a pity not able to be swept back significantly to improve the looks of the machine . The canard actually destroys the aesthetic of the aircraft completely . In my view I'd like to do the maths and redesign the nose and make a twin boom tail for it to the rear of the aircraft . I'm sure it would fly nicely and would have acceptable performance and be the looker it should be . Someone who made a conversion like this would have a lot of takers I think .

[@DerPilotMann]

Quick question, how do you ensure symmetry when carving the nose?

[@aryjg]

+DanTheSasquatch By eye. It's not too difficult of a task... the bulkheads help you interpolate in between.

[@DerPilotMann]

Thanks. I sat in one today, and being the size I am it is too tight. I think that if I widen the fuselage by a few inches (maybe 2 or 3) and scoot the seat back about an inch (or make the leg holes about an inch taller) I would fit nicely. Any opinions on those modifications? Keep up the nice work!

[@aryjg]

+DanTheSasquatch No problem at all Dan... many builders add an inch or two to the fuselage width. This requires some modifications downstream (e.g., center-section spar mounts, engine mounts, etc.) but it's do-able. The seat back is the least of your worries... there is plenty of room for you to extend your legs up front, so you could leave the seat where it is and relocate your foot pedals a tad forward.

[@DerPilotMann]

Ary Glantz Exactly the kind of input I was looking for. Thanks!

[@ARGYPILATUS]

Great Job dear Ary!!You are amazing builder!!Congratulation! I'm a great fan of Burt Rutan and canard design!You can see in my channel also my model SHINDEN J7W1 BUILD.Again congratulation!