Miscellaneous information and Links The hatch (28 Jan 02)

[IMAGE] Didnt know where this would fit in any chapter... The hatch was cut by the previous builder, I ordered camloc fasteners to keep the hatch in place. The fiberglass flange that the hatch rested on was too thin for the camlocs, so I shimmed the camloc receptacles with aluminum strips. The entire assembly was then riveted into place.

Back into it (08 Oct 01)

Well, my three month break from working on the project due to work commitments turned into seven months. I really missed working on the project. But here I am, back at work, glad to be home.

Time out (01 Mar 01)

I wont be able to work on the project now until the summer. Work is taking me out of the country until June. Too bad for me, because I was enjoying it a lot. This summer, the plan is to put the finishing touches on the brakes and the controls, then start on the strakes.

More repairs.... Not so small this time (25 Feb 2001)

[IMAGE] [IMAGE] Work progesses.. But the NG53 gear broke a few teeth off, collapsing the nose gear. I had to take the whole assembly out (NOT an easy task), clean the parts, and rotate NG53 sufficiently so that the teeth that are left will connect to the helically splined worm gear. These two pictures show the gear re-installed. You can see where the teeth broke off. Concerns me somewhat, since the piece is cast iron. Cast iron parts arent supposed to break! But the concensus I got from the canard.com newsgroup is that it will we ok.

N125ML..Reserved! (13 Feb 2001)

I got my little letter from the FAA today saying my choice for a tail number has been accepted and reserved. My canard project is now officially N125ML!

More Ideas (20 Jan 2001)

Work is progressing nicely. Having a good time freezing out there in the garage while I work. I'm thinking that I will make this airplane a day VFR bird, get it flying, and upgrade it as I see fit. I want to finish it in the shortest time possible.

Time for a few small repairs (15 Jan 2001)

[IMAGE] While I was waiting for more parts to come in, I began a small repair on the side of the fuselage, where some holes had apparently been made during shipping. (The lighting is poor in this pic, the holes are between the strake cutouts.) I sanded down all around it, prepared the old foam inside the hole, slurried in a new piece of foam, and then began several small layups over the hole. After it cures, I will sand and fill. Been working some everyday this week on the project. I'm having a great time!

Back on track (09 Jan 2001)

Been out of town quite a bit since October, the job keeps me away quite often. Another re-affirmation of my goal to finish this project, and another attempt at doing a little work every day. I hope to have the controls finished this month, and the brakes finished in Febuary. I will then be out of town again until the summer, when I plan to work on the strakes.

Change of course (15 Oct 2000)

Sort of hit a roadblock with the ailerons. I am going to worry about wings later. I moved the fuselage into the garage and began cleaning up things left undone by the previous owner. The brakes look good, but I plan to use "Debs LongEZ building tips" to install the cylinders, and Im waiting for her book before I install them. I am also working on the firewall and the fuel/baggage strakes, and a little sand and fill as well.

Some thoughts(04 Oct 2000)

Worked only a few minutes on the project tonight. Progress is slow, but there is something coming together out there in the garage. I was going to skip the left wing and move onto the strakes, but I would need to move to a hanger to do that, and economically speaking, with the amount of time I spend away from home (i.e. NOT working on the project), it makes more sense to keep it here, finish the left wing and move to a hanger later.

A word of advice to anyone picking up a partially completed project: Don't start with the wings! This chapter takes a lot of skill and know how. My learning curve was mighty steep, and I would have been better off attacking it with a little more experience. I would have undoubtably saved some time and made less mistakes. The left wing will undoubtably be a better product than the right one. I may have to remake the right one at a later date. We'll see.

A Nice Visit (11 Sep 2000)

Tonight my neighbors stopped by while I was busy sanding the right wing in the garage. They had been hearing sanding noises, drilling noises, bumping and swearing for months and were curious as to what I was up to. It was really nice to show people not familiar with the Homebuilt hobby what it involves in building a plane. I was given the opportunity to show them the plans for the EZ, explain the building process, explain how the fiberglass and foam make up a structure. We talked about engines and when I thought I'd be finished with the project (my motto: "Fly by Forty"). It made me realize how much I really enjoy what Im doing here.

Rutan-induced angst! (06 Sep 2000)

Had the opportunity recently to fly a Varieze in Pensacola, Fla. (Many thanks to Ralph G.) Makes me want to own one NOW, not build one for years and years. The problem: I've grown quite attached to the wing forming in my garage and the fuselage in the shed! I think for now I will build, while looking for a nice EZE to purchase.

Some thoughts on my project:

I assumed when I started this that it would take a couple of years, and be done. I'm finding that the work is slow. I've also discovered that building an airplane is about doing the little things, and not getting overwhelmed by the big picture. Having said that, I think that this project has been one of the greatest endeavors I have ever undertaken. I'm building an airplane! Doing the actual work is sometimes hard, but there is a certain joy in creating something from scratch. Amazingly, the help I need seems to appear just as I need it, and so does the money. The impossible tasks seem easy and achievable when I break them down to small steps. Furthermore, I've come to know a group of people that love this as much as I do, and what an experience that is. I can't wait to finish this project and fly around the country to meet them all!

[IMAGE] This is my inexpensive epoxy pump. Many thanks to Lee Devlin for the idea. Unlike a sticky stuff dispenser, its low maintenance and easily portable, however it measures a set amount every time, and although its always at the correct ratio, there is waste.

LINKS (more to come)

The Canard Aviators Page A must see site for anyone interested in Canard Homebuilts.

EZ Squadron Equally as good and as important is the EZ Squadron page.

Renaissance Composites The Berkut, one of the successors to the LongEZ.

Scaled Composites Check out what Rutan is doing now.

An interview with Burt Rutan. Interesting stuff on an interesting guy.

Erik's LongEZ page. He's building Fast!

Instrument Panel planner A really cool website where you can build your instrument panel on paper... Its fun to dream....

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