I Won a Long EZ Airplane at Auction

[@judd_s5643]

I have a lot of experience building Long Ez’s. I know nothing about this particular build but I can tell it’s been sitting for quite some time judging by the color. Outside of the possible UV damage, I’d be concerned of which epoxy system it was constructed from. In the early days RAF called for Safety Poxy, the mfg of Safety Epoxy decided to quit making it. Burt scrambled to an approve another epoxy system but it had a characteristic of creating an amine blush. Look up what it is! The new system was prone to amine blush and this causes an inter laminate adhesion failure. I’ve see F22 bulkheads core drilled (for the Canard attach bolts) and the core separated like Pringle potato chips I’ve seen the inside floor to sidewall lamination completely pop off with just your fingernails. The component in safety poxy that prevented amine blush was a carcinogen the company wanted out of that liability. Bottom line, it may look ok but structurally it’s an unknown. It all depends on if the builder used the old system vs new, if they used new did they take steps to remove the blush prior to the following layup,.

[@tireballastserviceofflorid7771]

My longest lived dream is to build and flay a Long EZ. Back in the 70s and 80s you saw all kinds of adds for cool stuff included this plane. Good luck with it. Hope to see you fix it up and fly it. Be a really fun project.

[@MarkStafford9]

Caution with UV damaged fiberglass parts: they may not be as strong as they need to be. In a composite structure, the glass strands are the tensile strength part, and the epoxy or polyester resin is the flexible part. Polyester resin is usually easier to damage with sunlight or heat, while epoxy resins have higher heat tolerances but still can be damaged by ultraviolet light. Once the flexible resin matrix is energy damaged (heat and/or electromagnetic radiation) it looses its resilience and flexibility and can fail catastrophically in flight under load. It appears from the video images that the fiberglass parts have significant discoloration from light and heat exposure. It could be that darker colored foam cores are giving that effect.

[@burtonporter8437]

That’s the old resins they used that caused the color change with oxidation, not necessarily uv damage

[@samdoe5087]

Almost all man-made plastic type product suffer damage with UV light. This is why so many plastic products are black, to prevent the intrusion of UV light. Most fiberglass construction also uses gelcoat as a UV resistant finish coat. Gelcoat does slowly oxidize. There are many paints which are designed to be UV resistant including some which are two part epoxy.

[@lutomson3496]

Ive flown both the long and vari eze, I worked with Burt and Dan Mortensen on the Amsoil Race plane did all the comm and avionics equipment on it and supported them at the Reno Air races back in the day now it hangs at the EAA headquarters great planes I hope you have a chance to get it flying again

[@dabblinwithdan2895]

That's a very interesting connection. I'm not certain what I'm going to do with this plane yet. Wish me luck. Thanks for watching.

[@lutomson3496]

@@dabblinwithdan2895 Hope you can get it flying again!

[@dabblinwithdan2895]

Time will only tell. Thanks for watching the video. The plane gets alot of stairs parked on the front lawn.😀

[@terrallputnam7979]

I bought a 1961 Forney F1A Ercoupe and brought it home on a trailer. The wheels were 8' apart, which made carrying it on a 6' wide trailer very interesting.

[@Gmoney_72]

Nice save! Best of luck with her!

[@sierraromeo]

Assemble the finished components and set up a static load per Rutan's testing data, just need scales sandbags and cribbing . If it passes a stringent + & - load test, then protect components from direct sunlight until finished in a glossy white finish....only white will prevent the epoxy from heating and exceeding the T&G. (softening zone)

[@iguanaamphibioustruck7352]

I believe I graduated with Burt Rutan from Cal Poly in 64. Early on, I was interested in airplanes and had graduated from Utah State in Aero Tech with a pilot and mechanics license. At Cal Poly I matriculated in Aero Eng and then change major to Industrial Eng. I am an engineer/inventor who has dedicated my life to Low Impact Ground Vehicles. Like Bert who Probably did not beat Cessna, my incredible Iguana vehicles, are not a household word. Win or loose, Bert was a pioneer who set aside his personal comfort for progress in aviation. My CPA friend, says; "I love inventors, builders and engineers because they create wealth. The rest of us just move it around". Keep that in mind when you evaluate Burt and Trump. Iguana

[@MONTANASiFLYBIGSKY-ff4kk]

We flew a LONG-EZ for 15 years, one of the nicest planes you will ever fly. We have upgraded to a Velocity as we wanted more room and speed, but truly miss the LONG-EZ. Be safe and enjoy your new bird.... IFLYBIGSKY

[@peterfranks7619]

Hello Dan, one of your most interesting vids. Realistically, what are you looking at to get this model in working order to actually fly? 30grand on the low side?

[@oldowl4290]

Geez.. NO. Good luck with that.

[@shanebanquer6090]

That will not last you 6 months leaving it outdoors. You might as well bury it. They can withstand sunlight for a while after they have been painted “preferably white” but not raw glad as this project is currently in. I’ve built a Varieze and have owned and rebuilt 5 Long Ez’s.

[@dabblinwithdan2895]

This information is what I have learned through comments such as yours. I have the wings stored inside. The Fuselage is completely wrapped three times with a reflective top covering. Thanks for your comment. It's appreciated.

[@mp-xt2rg]

When you say "won" that might be optimistic. It's looking real rough. I'd have to lose a bet to take that thing home. Best of luck to you sir. I hope you get her flying.

[@bmckinney10]

How many have you built or rebuilt? There is a lot of work already completed on that build. Just inspect it well and get some other experienced eyes on it.

[@dabblinwithdan2895]

I haven't built any yet. I'm not certain who to contact about inspecting fiberglass. I believe it's be hangered since conception. Wish me luck. Thanks for I r watching.

[@bmckinney10]

@Dabblin' with Dan Good luck! They are awesome planes and I love flying mine!

[@bmckinney10]

Also, don't listen to all the negative responses being posted here. None of them have any experience with a Rutan design. Get on the support forums and you will find someone nearby who can help you make some decisions. I had no direct experience with Rutan designs 3 years ago, and now I have 3 of them!

[@bmckinney10]

Landing at Oshkosh 2021 in my VariEze. kzbin.info/www/bejne/eJmrmoqbnLqMkMU

[@terrallputnam7979]

I saw this on eBay and thought it might go cheap.

[@beauhatman4395]

Those "pistons" at 13:33 are, actually, cylinders....jus' sayin.

[@dabblinwithdan2895]

Thanks.

[@Clipper_EBS]

how much you paid for this ?

[@dabblinwithdan2895]

600

[@bcsimpilot3497]

Sell it to Jimmys World lol because although youre going YES YES YES!....something tells me you should have said NO NO NO!

[@LDHAl412]

they are called Juggs

[@seanbordelon1543]

Interested in selling it? Disabled Vet looking into getting into flying amd a project

[@Airplanefish]

Sean Bordelon You don't want that project. That fiberglass is far from good and the work to repair it is more than building a new one. I got a simple airplane for sale that might interest you? Aeronca Chief. Not a project tho......ready to go. Less than a used car

[@dabblinwithdan2895]

Thanks for your feedback and offer. I have the same concerns. Plans are uncertain.

[@dabblinwithdan2895]

I'm not certain what I'm going to do with it yet. Give me a couple of months to figure that out. Thanks for your service and for watching.

[@lee81147]

The long jet engine is a turbo shaft

[@akbarshoed]

What's the plan, Dan?

[@dabblinwithdan2895]

I need to have fiberglass looked at to determine if it is structurally sound. If so, I might build it.

[@dabblinwithdan2895]

Not sure yet.

[@av8tore71]

Should have had the nose facing the front

[@buckmurdock2500]

1 month ago.....I imagine it will be a long time before episode 2 is aired, lol. I can tell airplane hauling is not your area of expertise. How much of the plane was destroyed on the trip?

[@barrygrant2907]

I'm not even going to watch this in its entirety. My dad was building a Long-Eze and said, "If it's not built exactly right, it's totally wrong. I'd heave that thing in the dumpster.

[@tireballastserviceofflorid7771]

One person who is not an expert tells you something once. And you believe it blindly.... Wow.. It's known as a not overly difficult plane to build. And most people agree it's not a difficult plane to fly or land.

[@tobberfutooagain2628]

My great uncles cousins wife’s neighbor once told me, its better to get pissed off, than pissed on…. cause then yer both….

[@barrygrant2907]

@@tireballastserviceofflorid7771 The issue with the Longeze and other like it is you cannot inspect the construction of the fiberglass. Rivets and ribs, yes, but if whoever started it cut a few corners or didn't do it right, you won't know until the wing comes off. And my dad knew exactly what he was doing.

[@tireballastserviceofflorid7771]

@barrygrant2907 It could be x-rayed. It's not that expensive considering aircraft kit cost. Also you can have an ultrasound done. There are ways to inspect it if it were worth it.

[@ExtremeRecluse]

Another 1000 manhours and it should be ready. I would like to know all of the background and desires in buying this plane.

[@NeilHarrigan]

Greg's famous

[@CurtisHarshey]

All you wanted to do is poke around the hangar, the Long Eze was the ruse to go there. You treated it like firewood thrown in the back of the truck, and strapped down without any cushions for wings. Pass on anything you're dealing with...It's probably been abused. I cringe thinking of the hours put into this project and your disregard for it.

[@lisaleedavidson]

Terrible packing and loading on trailer.

[@ronwade5646]

Never fly this thing! It's too old, it WILL DELAMINATE

[@ccserfas4629]

What you won is a headache

[@bmckinney10]

False. Go look at any build pictures of Rutan designs over the years. They don't start looking nice until the first coat of primer.

[@ccserfas4629]

@Brian McKinney thanks for your comment! The appearance, paint & finish won't be nearly the headache that an incomplete build will be.

[@bmckinney10]

@CC Serfas Have you rebuilt built or rebuilt a Rutan canard? If not, then you don't understand how they are built, how to inspect, and how to rework suspect areas. I found 3 well built canards (VariEze, Long-E,, Cozy) and have refurbished them into safe flying aircraft. This featured Long-Ez has 1000+ hours of completed work that may be fine.

[@ccserfas4629]

@Brian McKinney No home built ownership history. No disrespect, I'm just at the opposite end of the spectrum. Quite a few incomplete dream projects behind the hangers here at KAJO that will never be finished. We'll see what happens....

[@dabblinwithdan2895]

No, I have all the owners' paperwork and pictures of the build. Not sure what I'm going to do. Thanks, though, for your concerns.

[@skyrangerswift2ireland]

Not a fan of these. Be careful, how ever you decide to go with this.

[@dabblinwithdan2895]

I understand. I will be careful. Thanks for watching.

[@bmckinney10]

How many have you built or flown? There is no issue with a properly built canard.

[@mcashnv]

Scrap. Sorry.