Latest
News |
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News
03-27-2009 |
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The CSA
newsletter pictures for April 2009 are now available. Be
sure to use the current password from the top of the newsletter.
Please note the pictures are contained in a ZIP formatted file
and will need to be unzipped on your computer. |
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News
03-06-2009 |
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Terry
Schubert has forwarded a spreadsheet done by Jim Riggins to improve
the Long-EZ F-16 scoop design. Download it here. |
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News
12-22-2008 |
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Steve
Wright reports the 2009 Bahamas fly-in is now in the planning stage
and should be complete in the next few weeks. More... |
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News
12-22-2008 |
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The CSA
newsletter pictures for January 2009 are now available. Be
sure to use the current password from the top of the newsletter.
Please note the pictures are contained in a ZIP formatted file
and will need to be unzipped on your computer. |
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News
11-17-2008 |
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The CSA
newsletter pictures for October 2008 are now available. Be
sure to use the current password from the top of the newsletter.
Please note the pictures are contained in a ZIP formatted file
and will need to be unzipped on your computer. |
|
News
07-18-2008 |
|
The CSA
newsletter pictures for July 2008 are now available. Be
sure to use the current password from the top of the newsletter.
Please note the pictures are contained in a ZIP formatted file
and will need to be unzipped on your computer. |
|
News
05-23-2008 |
|
The CSA
newsletter pictures for April 2008 are now available. Be
sure to use the current password from the top of the newsletter. Please
note the pictures are contained in a ZIP formatted file and will
need to be unzipped on your computer. |
|
News
01-07-2008 |
|
The CSA
newsletter pictures for January 2008 are now available. Be
sure to use the current password from the top of the newsletter. |
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News
10-23-2007 |
|
The CSA
newsletter pictures are now available.
Be sure to use the current password from the top of the newsletter. |
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News
08-31-2007 |
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Terry
Schubert and Gary Hertzler did a presentation on Cooling and Drag
at this years Oshkosh. They have provided
the powerpoint presentation
and an audio file. The archive is on the downloads page.
See the readme.txt in the archive for details about the presentation. Also
note that I was able to open the MP3 file in Windows Media Player but
ITunes was not able to play the file.
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News
08-31-2007 |
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George
Graham, an
outstanding member
of the canard community passed away August 23rd, 2007 after
a short illness. Many of you probably know that George was a superb
innovator. George built a fixed gear canard based on the E-Racer
that was powered by a Mazda rotary engine. Not having an inexpensive
PSRU option available, George modified an RX7 transmission to drive
the prop on his creation. He was able to log several hundred hours
using this combination. A true believer in cheap rotary power he
was quick to help others copy his design for the PSRU and Mazda
rotary installation. |
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News
07-20-2007 |
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Northrop Grumman has purchased Scaled Composites.
Congratulations Burt and team!
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News
07-20-2007 |
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The
CSA newsletter pictures are now online. Terry Schubert will also be
providing a Powerpoint file from their OSH forum on Cooling &
Drag
Reduction. Look for it soon. |
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News
07-20-2007 |
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Bill
James has a new home for his EZ Chronicles.
Be sure to check it out. |
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News
04-23-2007 |
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Freeflight
Composites, LLC announces that Aircraft
Spruce and Specialty, the owner of the Cozy design, has approved
Freeflight Composites to offer training and builder assistance to
Cozy plans owners as well as those who own a flying Cozy.
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News
04-13-2007 |
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Paul
Krasa has provided a 1983
evaluation of the Long-EZ by the US Army. It is also on the File
Downloads page. |
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News
04-12-2007 |
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We
have added a section for items/aircraft for sale in the Hanger Flying
section. We have also updated the forum software to allow photo's
to be uploaded with your posts. |
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News
04-06-2007 |
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The
latest CSA photo's
are available. Please remember to use the password (all lower case)
from the latest CSA newsletter. |
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News
02-07-2007 |
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It
took longer than expected but ez.org is back up and running on it's
own server.
The
forum software has been updated and that will hopefully eliminate
the spam problem.
The
Classifieds and the CSA picture archive is not available yet but
should be soon.
Thanks
everyone for your patience and notes of encouragement sent the last
couple of months, they were appreciated.
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News
10-28-2006 |
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Bill
James has a new article up, be sure to check it out. The CSA picture
archive for the latest issue will be delayed until next week. |
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News
09-21-2006 |
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Rough
River
2006 is just around the corner. For the new guys out there, Rough
River is an annual gathering of the Canard faithful that atttracts
nearly 100 canards from all over the country. But book early... the
motels fill up quickly and are very limited. |
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Bill
James checks in with a new story. Be sure to check
it out. |
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News
09-21-2006 |
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There
seems to be new reports on the C-A list about a virus on ez.org.
Waiter has reported files with the names of lsdmain.info and telecarrier[1].htm.
There are no files that refer to http://www.lsdman.info or telecarrier[1].htm
on ez.org. However after some testing I determined that the google
ad's at the top of the page were loading a hidden iframe that contained
a link to lsdman.info.
I checked
the owner of lsdman.info and it does not appear to be google, it
is registered to a Moscow, RU address.
It does appear that Google has some type of virus that has gotten
into their ad system but I would not jump to conclusions. This may
be legit.
I have
disabled the ad's and will be following up. |
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News
09-13-2006 |
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There
have been reports on the Canard Aviators list about a virus on ez.org.
We have scanned all the files and there is was no virus found by
AVG on any file. Harley Dixon contacted AVG and the response is
below:
This
problem seems to be really false positive as there aren't any suspicious
virus codes in there displayed. I suggest, you might contact the
owner of the website (or exactly the webserver) to perform a whole
scan of their system for any malicious code.
Thank you.
Best regards,
Jiri Tuma
AVG Technical Support
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News
07-07-2006 |
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The
July CSA photo's are loaded! Many CSA members emailed asking when
the pictures would be ready. We received the CD from Terry on July
5th. Please allow at least a week from the time you get your CSA newsletter
for the latest photo's to be available at ez.org. Terry completes
the newsletter and the photo CD at the same time and it takes us a
few days to get everything ready. Be sure to check out Wayne Blackler's
new intake... Wow! |
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News
06-02-2006 |
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Dan
Patch will be among those remembered at the EAA Memorial Wall induction
ceremony at AirVenture this summer. The ceremony is planned
for Sunday, July 30 at 11:00 a.m.. It will include a time for
reflection, a missing man flyover, and a reading of the names of this
year's honorees. It will recognize their deep love of aviation and the
happiness and friendship they brought into the lives of those
they left behind. For more information, or to request a video recording
of the ceremony, contact Leslie at 920-426-4800.
Jill Patch
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News
05-12-2006 |
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Ron
Gowan a long time EZ builder/flyer has recently started a new company
called EZ Composites, LLC His web site is www.ezcomposites.com.
It's great to have a resource like this centrally located in Denton
Texas. Everyone help make Ron's business successful. |
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News
05-12-2006 |
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Al
Hodges has updated his excellent 2000 Ways To Fly a Canard and Resource
Guide for Non-Builder Owners
of Canard Composite Aircraft. These are both excellent articles. Download
them here.
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News
05-05-2006 |
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About
65 Rutan family members joined together on April 23rd to roast
Pop Rutan on his Happy 90th Birthday! Congratulations Pop!
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News
04-07-2006 |
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The
new CSA photo archive
is up with 650 new photos. Be sure to use the new password from the
front of the latest CSA newsletter. |
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News
04-07-2006 |
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David
Orr checks in with exciting news about the R.A.C.E. events:
Shirlan
Dickey has abandoned R.A.C.E. I honor him for doing it so long and
successfully. We never had a serious injury on any race course -
a
remarkable thing when you consider the other historic venues. A
little smoke inhalation, a little use of a rural road and a whole
lot of truly
serious fun. We can celebrate the sayings that were in vogue back
then: "When the flag drops the b... S... Stops!" among
others.
Instead,
the original running is now a part of history and we think it can
be handled by docents as a museum event. Beagle, Bandit,
Ignition/Windows, and the V-8s are talking about it now and plan
to attend as many as they can celebrating a consensus of the original
schedule - the national holidays. Look for historic announcements
shortly.
Those
of us who have run most of those races most often would take turns
historically reviewing what Shirl Dickey briefed, doing some simulated
race starting and simulated racing and touring the course as each
pilot chooses to do. We are discussing the 4 times this year to
do it at
Wendover, Jackpot, Kanab and Mesquite initially.
The
one anticipated difference might be that there won't be any fees
- donations, maybe - there won't be any plaques, and new guys who
have
never toured one of these courses before and observed a start up
close will be taken up the day before or the event before and given
the
history of takeoffs, formation and start procedures. We might be
looking for people who can simulate the ground jobs, one V-8 has
offered
to teach that aspect.
Beagle |
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News
03-10-2006 |
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The
new Google search box at the top of the page will will use Google
to search just the ez.org website. It's been one of the most asked
for features for ez.org. We have also added a link at the top right
to download the excellent Firefox web browser. If you do not use
Firefox you don't know what your missing. Firefox is so much better
than the standard Microsoft browser and it is simple to install.
Many users have reported problems accessing the Classifieds and
the Firefox browser corrects that problem in most cases as well
as many other problems. Google likes Firefox so much they are recommending
it. Use the link below to get Firefox.
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News
03-09-2006 |
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Marvin
Jones wants to get the word out that Edwards AFB is preparing to restore
N309V (Varieze) for display inside the main museum. The airplane was
donated by the builder, Mr. W.R. McGreaham in 1987. It is missing
the engine and prop so they are looking for a donor prop. They don't
plan on installing the engine so all they need is a prop that would
make it look more realistic. It doesn't need to be serviceable...it
doesn't need to be a VariEze prop...just needs to look like one. Anyone
interested in donating a prop can contact me at 661-277-4030 or via
email at mavin.jones@afotec.af.mil
. Any help would be appreciated.
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News
02-24-2006 |
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Bill
James has reached a milestone with his 20th Chronicle this week!
Thanks for the great stories and info Bill!
If
you like the EZ Chronicles
be sure to drop Bill a word
of encouragement!
If
you have not read any of the EZ
Chronicles, take a look, they are a fun read and we have a new
one most Fridays! |
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News
02-06-2006 |
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SVP
Production Resources is working with Burt Rutan
in Mojave -- he is helping them out with some of the really
cool designs and models of his aircraft to help enhance the production
value. Read more...
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News
02-01-2006 |
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Several
members have emailed to alert us to the set of plans that are for
sale in the classifieds section. The plans appear to be copies and
I have asked the seller to clarify that. Many times sellers do not
know what they are selling is a copy. So how do you tell the real
from the copy? Take a look at
these pictures. |
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News
01-13-2006 |
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Bill
James checks in with details of his fire
warning system. Please note the date next to the EZ Chronicle
link, we have not been posting a news item each time there is a new
Chronicle but we do change the date. |
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News
12-22-2005 |
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The
January CSA photo archive is ready. Check
it out. |
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News
12-20-2005 |
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The
Patch family is hosting a gathering
to remember and celebrate the life of Dan Patch on Sunday, January
8, 2006, 1:30 p.m at the Experimental Aviation Association (EAA) complex,
Brown Field municipal airport, San Diego, CA. |
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News
12-16-2005 |
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Hopefully
everyone has noticed the new banner ad at the top of ez.org. That
means they are working! We are gradually reaching our disk limit at
our present site and bandwidth can always be better. We would like
for the Google ads to help fund a faster hosting site with more storage
and higher transfer limits. I'm not expecting much of a revenue stream
since we really don't get a tremendous number of visitors but even
a small amount will help defray the costs. If you see anything interesting
in the banner ads be sure to take a look as the clicks are what count.
I'll let you know this time next month how we did. |
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News
12-15-2005 |
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Terry
Schubert has updated the CSA newsletter index. The index compiles
all CSA newsletters since October 1990 and contains over 4000 lines.
Download the spreadsheet
or read more about CSA here.
The CSA newsletter is highly recommended for all Rutan canard flyers
as it contains volumes of great information. The
photo archive for the next issue will be ready in a few days.
Also
check out the new downloads
section. Terry has submitted a scanned Varieze POH and plans for
the Long-EZ rollover structure. |
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News
12-09-2005 |
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Tony
Malfa has updated his
CAD drawings of the Long-EZ to include PDF versions. |
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News
12-02-2005 |
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VariEze
N95BJ has spent a good amount of time above ten thousand feet. But
mostly at cruise. Several years ago I jumped at the chance to plan
and try some high altitude takeoffs in the Rockies. The trips confirmed
the importance for respect of high density altitude..read
more. |
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News
11-29-2005 |
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Tony
Malfa has generously provided a set of CAD
drawings for the Long-EZ. The drawings include NG30, F22, F28,
Instrument Panel and the front and rear seat bulkheads.
 
The
zip file contains six Autocad drawings that can be printed to full
scale at most Kinkos. Tony has spent a large amount of time on these
drawings and they have been used on his long-nose Long-EZ. Each
drawing includes a stock drawing and a corresponding modified drawing
next to it so you can see exactly what has been changed about the
original. Tony reports that all measurements are in fractions to
make it a bit easier to measure and all measurements where made
from an original set of plans. Tony can also supply them in decimal
inches if required. You must view these in Autocad to get the full
appreciation of the detail involved. You may also use Turbocad and
it can be purchased from most office supply stores.
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|
News
11-28-2005 |
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Be
sure to check out the latest
Chronicle by Bill James. The editor was late this week getting
it posted (can't get good help these days). |
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News
11-04-2005 |
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Bill
James adds to the chronicles with Trailing
Edge Fences. |
|
News
10-28-2005 |
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There
are only a few days left to let the FAA know how you feel about the
ADIZ. See AOPA's Operation
ADIZ on how to comment. Even if you don't fly in or around Washington
this will set a precedent that none of us want. Please do it now. |
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News
10-24-2005 |
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Another
installment of the EZ Chronicles is
ready. Bill talks about the Mods
he's been promising to cover. |
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News
10-19-2005 |
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Wayne
Hicks has compiled a group
of techniques for finishing a composite aircraft. Wayne reports
these are not his ideas, but ideas from master canard finishers like
Ken Miller, Nick Ugolini, Dennis Oellman and others. He used these
techniques finishing his Cozy.
Another builder after seeing Wayne's work tells us that Wayne has
"cracked the code" of composite finishing. |
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News
10-14-2005 |
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Bill
James checks in with Jackpot
2000. |
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News
10-13-2005 |
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News
10-12-2005 |
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The
October CSA photo archive has been updated. Check
it out. |
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News
10-12-2005 |
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Steve
Volovsek is nearing his first flight, take a look at the progress
of his Long-EZ
project. |
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News
09-30-2005 |
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We
have a great new feature to announce today. Bill James will be checking
in regularly with miscellaneous ramblings, mostly about EZ's but
sometimes about other things of interest to canard flyers. I'm sure
his highly modified Varieze (is it still really a
Varieze?) will take center stage.
Take
a look at the Those EZ Chronicles. |
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Featured
Canards |
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Please
contact the Webmaster if you
have a Long-EZ, Varieze or any other Rutan variant that you
would like featured. |
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Older
News |
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News
09-09-2005 |
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David
Hanson has detailed the last
flight and horrific crash of N220EZ. David is selling copies of
the rollbar that saved his life, if you would like to purchase a rollbar
contact David Hanson. |
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News
09-06-2005 |
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David
Hanson reports a forced
landing in his brother Mark's Varieze on September 5, 2005 when
he lost power about two miles from KCXY. He survived a terrible
crash that destroyed the Varieze. The crash was the typical off-airport
flip caused when the nose gear or nose digs into soft dirt and pitches
the nose down and inverts the aircraft. This is the first test of
a non-composite rollover structure that I'm aware of. The fact that
David walked away proves the rollover structure did the job even
though it was deformed more than anyone would like.
More
details as they become available. |
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News
09-02-2005 |
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John
Lambert has posted a tribute to Dan Patch here.
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Frank
Tomko reports his Long-EZ sold for the asking price of $29,500. Congrats
Frank! |
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News
08-26-2005 |
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Dan
Patch was fatally injured in a landing accident in his Varieze Saturday
August 20, 2005.
Like
so very many of you who knew Dan, this news brings total shock and
dismay. Dan was extremely kind individual who loved being a part
of the EZ community. He gave freely his time and commitment to this
site and the entire Canard community. Simple words do not describe
the tremendous loss this is to the Patch family, his friends and
the Canard community. Our sympathies go out to his family and friends.
Details
will be made available as they develop. |
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News
08-11-2005 |
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Tonya
Rutan would like everyone to know about about this very
special auction. Get your piece of SpaceShipOne history! |
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News
07-26-2005 |
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Tony
Utset
reports that Wednesday afternoon, July 20th, 2005 Glenn Saunders,
36, was fatally injured while performing an emergency landing.
Glenn
was flying his 914-ROTAX powered VariEZe from Ft. Lauderdale (FXE)
to Vernon, British Colombia Canada to meet his wife and 6 year old
daughter that were vacationing there. The trip was well planned
and the aircraft had been performing flawlessly prior to the flight.
On the final leg of the flight, Glenn stopped at Lethbridge County
Airport to refuel and Clear Customs. He filled his tanks and took
off; shortly after taking off (Approx 1000 Ft.) Glenn advised the
tower he had a problem and he was returning to land, shortly after
that he advised that he was on fire. One witness reported seeing
smoke coming from the aircraft prior to impacting the ground in
a wheat field.
I have
personally been in contact with the Canadian Transportation Safety
Board and I can tell all of you that they are working very hard
at attempting to identify what caused this tragic accident. Glenn
was and excellent pilot and an Ace mechanic, additionally he was
an expert ROTAX technician and more importantly a friend to all.
Funeral Services have not been set yet, but I will, with permission
from the family, post something on the WEB as soon as possible.
Tony Utset, Miami, FL.
Inital
news account.
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News
07-11-2005 |
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Jay
Blum was fatally injured after an inflight collision with an RV-8
on Sunday July 10th. Condolences from all ez.org members go out to
family and friends of Jay. Initial reports can be read here. |
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News
07-07-2005 |
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The
photo's from the latest CSA
newsletter were loaded today. Please use the password located
on the front page of the July 2005 CSA newsletter to access the archive. |
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News
07-07-2005 |
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Jeff
Rose recently sold his electronic ignition system business Electroair
to Michael Kobylik and Pete Burgher. Electroair has been in business
for over 15 years and has sold many systems within the Canard community.
Electroair will continue to sell new systems as well as support the
old systems currently in the field. The website is www.electroair.net
and their email is sales@electroair.net.
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News
06-29-2005 |
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Very
sad news from Sunrise Airpark. Liz Jones reports that Dave Jones
was fatally injured while landing at Sunrise Airpark, ID in his
Long EZ on June 28th.
Initial
reports indicate a hard landing that tore the main gear from his
Long-EZ and then continued into a culvert damaging the nose. A passenger
survived. No details on the passengers condition, but he was able
to exit the plane on his own. More details as they become available.
Heartfelt
sympathy from all EZ Squadron members go out to Dave's wife Liz
and the family. |
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News
06-28-2005 |
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Eddie
Moody reports about a terrifying
experience with a bird strike that ripped the upper two thirds
of the right winglet from his Long-EZ. Wow!
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News
06-20-2005 |
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Operation
Glass Overcast 2005
From the moment humans began dreaming of ways to convert from the
mundane and cumbersome tasks of daily life to a more convenient and
comfortable way of doing things, brilliance and genius graduated from
something to left of witchcraft as when The Earth was no longer flat
to something to the right of a house hold name. Men and women have
consistently improved upon the knowledge and experience generations
in the making. This form of evolution doubtless began the first time
a man picked up a stone to break open a shell. The true brilliance
however came in visionary people that did not do things just because
they could, rather from the feeling that the impossible be done because
it should. I’m not talking about our “Rube Goldbergs”
here.
The Twentieth Century fostered an exponential growth in technology
as we found ourselves in a new reality where the definition of horse
power changed from the literal meaning into how much thrust it would
take for the Saturn 5 rocket to carry Apollo 11 and The Eagle to the
Moon. This new Space Age yielded an emerging form of genius blazing
a new trail into the stars; in most cases these people were elements
of large Government-funded teams that tended to lean on the conservative
notion what we should build from what had learned in the past. This
worked well when taking baby steps into space BUT once in a lifetime
a person comes along who revolutionizes the entire genre and changes
the direction of technology. Ureka, The Earth is round!
In 1975 a young aircraft designer flew a new and very strange airplane
to the EAA’s annual convention. This plane wasn’t built
from wood, it had almost no metallic parts, and it flew backwards!
It possessed very pleasing lines unseen by even the most modern fighter
aircraft. The performance tripled that of anything aloft with similar
power. Burt Rutan brought us the VariEze!
The next three decades brought on more successful designs with new
frontiers to conquer. Other designers began to borrow from the EZ
design and we soon saw Cozies, Berkuts, Velocities, Speed Canards,
and many others each bearing a heavy influence based on Burt’s
initial VariEze and LongEZ designs. Mike Mellville, Dick Rutan and
others began to fly their LongEzs around the world then The Voyager
and the Global Flier took care of the Earthbound Records by doing
it without landing or refueling - alas this just wasn’t enough.
Burt began to shift his gaze to the edge of the atmosphere and beyond.
Next Stop – Space and the X-Prize!
We all know how that went and I would imagine that if you’re
reading this article, I didn’t have to tell you about any of
it. We all recognize this man and his team for their contributions
to aviation and we want to pay tribute to them for taking us through
30 years – From Oshkosh – To Space – and back! This
brings me to the point …
There will be a mass arrival of canards into Oshkosh. This event will
take place on Monday the 25th of July. The overall mission objective
is to stage out of Madison WI (KMSN) and arrive in one huge gaggle
for the opening airshow at Oshkosh. Our arrival time will be coordinated
with the White Knight and Space Ship One although not as part of the
same flight. If you didn’t know, SS1 is on its way to the Smithsonian
Air & Space museum to take its place next to other marvels of
aviation history.
Some of you will be wondering which types of airplanes are invited
to participate. Well, it’s a fair sized list but in a nut shell
here it is… ALL CANARDS, Rutan Designs and their cousins. This
means any airplane that has been influenced in design by Burt, please
register to attend.
There are many details that will be worked out with EAA and FAA but
at the time of this writing we know where and when. We know what our
callsign will be with ATC, we know who will be the flight leader,
and we have one of four approaches approved by the FAA. All of this
information is available on the Glass Overcast (www.GlassOvercast.com)
Web site and is updated as things change. A very important point is
this. YOU MUST PRE REGISTER if you wish to participate in this event.
There is an online registration form. If you are unable to complete
this online registration process, you can get in touch with me via
email or phone and I’ll take care of it for you. The registration
process allows for some pre planning items so PLEASE register if you
even think you plan to attend.
This is a wonderful opportunity to pay tribute to a living legend
in aviation history, so come enlist in Operation Glass Overcast 2005!
Frank Pullano Jr
VariEze N500EZ
Atlantic City NJ (KAIY) |
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News
06-20-2005 |
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Rutan
plans are hot these days. A complete Varieze plans set sold for $713
at
auction. |
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News
06-17-2005 |
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What's
a set of Defiant plans worth? About $1725 based on a recent
EBay auction. The auction gathered 33 bids. |
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News
06-15-2005 |
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Frank
Pullano has put together a
site for registering for the mass arrival at Oshkosh 2005 in celebration
of the 30th Anniversary of the Varieze. |
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News
05-18-2005 |
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The
2005 Columbia Fly-In is now history. Read more about the hopefully
annual canard event here.
Tim LoDolce and David Orr deserve a round of thanks for putting this
on, we look forward to next year guys! |
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News
05-17-2005 |
|
We
have some sad news to report. Paul
Conner was fatally injured in a crash of his rotary powered
SQ2000 May 16, 2005. Initial reports are that the engine quit at
250ft. Many of us have followed Paul's progress the last couple
of years as he progressed toward his first flight last December.
He had a similar incident in February. You can read about that incident
here.
You
can read the initial reports here
and here
and here.
Paul was a former Long-EZ builder and flyer and will be greatly
missed. |
|
News
05-17-2005 |
|
Dan
Patch wants everyone to attend the June 18th, San Diego Canard Fly-In
and Weigh-In at Brown Field, San Diego, CA. Taxi to the EAA Chapter
14 hangers next to the control tower on the southeast end of the ramp.
(Just ask for progressive taxi to EAA.) This is a 'Type Fly-In' hosted
by the local EAA chapter for builders and pilots of canard aircraft.
The emphasis is fun, friendship and informality. Breakfast served
from 7:30 to 9:00 AM,
program at 10:00, and lunch at 11:30 (no charge to canardians). Trio
Avionics will be there with their Long-EZs, EZ Pilot autopilot
demo, a short presentation, and details on their new altitude-hold
system. The San Diego EZ Squadron will have scales set up to quickly
check and update your plane's weight and balance paperwork. Contact
Dan Patch at dpatch1@san.rr.com or 858-826-4875. |
|
News
05-05-2005 |
|
HOT
'GLASS 2005
Fly-In & Symposium May 20 - 22nd
Las
Cruces, New Mexico - Aviation enthusiasts from across the nation
will gather in Las Cruces, New Mexico to participate in HOT 'GLASS
Fly-In. The event starts Friday, May 20th and runs through Sunday
the 22nd at the Las Cruces International Airport (KLRU).
HOT
'GLASS is the only fly-in of its kind in the nation and several
hundred high-performance composite aircraft are expected to attend.
HOT 'GLASS will showcase aircraft from manufacturers such as Lancair,
Glasair, Tango, Burt Rutan's Long-EZE, White Lightning, the new
Nemesis NXT and many more.
Nine-time
Reno National Air Racing Gold Champion pilot and New Mexico native
son Jon Sharp* will arrive in the Team Nemesis NXT #3 to share his
experiences. Planned events include demonstration flights, technology
seminars, roundtable discussions, and expert speakers. Saturday
morning, Experimental Aircraft Association Chapter 555 will host
a pancake breakfast. Saturday evening, Adventure Aviation will host
an Enchilada Dinner featuring keynote speaker Jon Sharp who has
a special announcement for the aviation community. There will be
lots of fun and festivities in the high desert for everyone.
All
pilots and aircraft as well as the general public are welcome. There
are plenty of activities for all. In Las Cruces, you will find museums
and historic Old Mesilla, which boasts some of the best shopping
opportunities in the Southwest. Great weather and beautiful mountains
await you. Plan now to attend the fastest "fly-in in the nation!
|
|
News
04-26-2005 |
|
Things
are heating up for the Varieze 30th Anniversary Gathering at Oshkosh.
Eric Whyte and Frank Pullano are working on a mass arrival into
Oshkosh just prior to SpaceShipOne's arrival. Eric organized the
20th anniversary mass arrival in 1995 with Norm Howell and is the
Chairman of the EAA AirVenture Cup Race. More details as they become
available. |
|
News
04-19-2005 |
|
Tim
"Tiger" LoDolce
has published his excellent Western
States Calendar of Events. Please drop Tim an email if your
event is not on the list.
|
|
News
04-19-2005 |
|
West
Coast Gathering of Canards
Tim
"Tiger" LoDolce and
David Orr have
decided to organize a spring "Gathering of Canards" to
bring us West Coasters, and everyone else who wants to meet us,
a little closer together rather than at some far away event. One
very much like Rough River with the exception that we allowed adult
beverages. Yes, Shirl does a wonderful job of organizing the R.A.C.E.
events in Utah and Arizona but many people just can't get away,
don't want to race (you don't have to and it's still great fun),
or just can't afford to fly that far. At the price of gas these
days I can't blame them either.
We
wanted it to be at a location that offered something more than just
an airport ramp and maybe some camping close by. We also wanted
it to be somewhere around the middle of California so the SoCal
guys, and all the other EZ drivers in the surrounding states could
get to without making it a big expensive trek. We also wanted it
in a place we could count on good weather. So with that criteria
in mind we have chosen Columbia, CA (O22) that's Oscar 22. It's
got lots of things to do and see besides just sitting back and relaxing
and shoot'n the breeze. (See the links below).
I
just got off the phone with Jim the manager of Columbia, CA airport
and the 2nd weekend in May (13-15) is open for our Canard Gathering.
Jim told me the camping/picnic facilities will be shared with an
EAA chapter holding their own little fly-in but that they'd be happy
to have us. Jim's the past president of the Columbia/Sonora local
EAA chapter 1337 and will help out where he can.
Don
Denhard (Long EZ) is based at this field and will be a big help
in getting things organized at the airport prior to the event days.
I
can foresee a lot of early arrivals on Friday afternoon and early
evening. We will be hosting a "cocktail" party at the
camp grounds that evening. Saturday most will arrive. Some will
camp while some will want to stay in hotels. Some may even want
to rent a car but it is not necessary as the town of Columbia is
a 15 minute walk on a great nature trail. Plenty of places to eat
there and the food is good. I'm sure you are all familiar with Columbia
anyway so I don't need to go on about how nice this place is. Saturday
we can repeat the "cocktail" party. We'll just play it
loose which is the way most would want it anyway.
The
campgrounds has built in BBQ's, good indoor toilets with hot showers.
the camping area is very shaded and it's about 20 degrees cooler
over there. The camping fee is $8 per night which includes the tiedown
fee which is $4 for those who choose not camp.
We
can just do our own thing for food and drink or we can organize
a picnic style meal for lunch and dinner. We might even have a local
group cater us. We're looking into this side and will let you know
when more is learned. For now just plan on doing your own thing.
So
mark these dates down on your calendar and plan to attend. RSVP's
are requested so we can have a guestimate on the number to expect.
When:
May 13th thru May 15th (the weekend after Mothers Day)
Where: Columbia, CA Identifier O22 (Oscar 22)
Why: Shed the winter doldrums and stretch your wings
What time: Friday, May 13th anytime after noon to Sunday, May 15th,
about noon.
If
you want to rent a car do it now as there are just so many to go
around. If you get one, please share it with those that want to
explore as much as you do.
Tim "Tiger" LoDolce
VEZE N26FM (Race 62)
Western Canard Fly-In Committee Member
|
|
News
04-01-2005 |
|
Some
have reported a problem with logging into the Central
States Photo Archive. Drop me
an email if you have a problem getting into the archive using
the password in the April edition of the CSA newsletter.
|
|
News
03-28-2005 |
|
Terry
Schubert has forwarded the pictures for the April edition of the
CSA newsletter. The user name for the Central
States Photo Archive is csa and the password
is located near the top of the April 2005 issue. Thanks Terry!
Warning...
there are 200 plus pictures for April, modem and slow-speed internet
user's beware! |
|
News
03-25-2005 |
|
We
have a new area setup under Hanger Flying for local canard groups
to post news and information that is local in nature. Dan Patch
requested this area so the San Diego EZ Squadron members would have
a place to exchange information about local issues and events. We
can add new groups upon request. If your a San
Diego EZ Squadron member take a look. |
|
News
03-25-2005 |
|
Steve
Wright wants to let everyone know about the 2005 EZ
Bahamas Canard Flyin April 18. Steve has put together a Rough
River type fly in where you can walk to your room after landing.
Steve is a veteren of Bahama flying having made the trip in his
Varieze many times and say's it's easier now due to rule changes
for experimentals. Good job Steve! |
|
News
03-25-2005 |
|
Skip
Barchfeld says things are heating up for the Hondo SWRFI Texas Flyin.
On May 13 there will be a flyover at Hondo Airport (KHDO) to open
the SWRFI Texas Flyin. We will be gathering at Castroville airport
at 10:00AM, briefing at 11:00AM, leaving Castroville at 11:30AM and
overflying the Hondo Airport at 12:00 noon. Before leaving Castroville,
all canard pilots who participate will receive a personalized t shirt
as per the attachment. After landing at Hondo, this canard group will
have reserved group parking. There will be a ceremony hosted by local
San Antonio radio personality, Bob Guthrie, commemorating the birth
of the VariEze and the many accomplishments of Burt Rutan and Mike
Melville. A large Poster of the VariEze will be displayed among with
a huge birthday cake. Immediately after the ceremony, the cake will
be cut and all who attend this event will be given a piece of the
cake. Email Skip at to reserve
your spot for the fly-over. We will be looking for ya'll! Skip. |
|
News
03-15-2005 |
|
Dan
Patch wants everyone to attend the San Diego EZ Squadron meeting
on Thursday, March 17th, 6:30 PM, at the Casa Machado restaurant
at Montgomery Field. Please note that this
is the THIRD Thursday of the month - a week later than the
usual second Thursday meeting night!!! Read
more about it in a recent Hager Flying post. |
|
News
03-07-2005 |
|
Trio
Avionics has
announced a new Altitude Hold feature for their already feature
rich Auto Pilot. Bruce
Bohannon used the Auto Pilot in the Exxon Flyin' Tiger to set
a new altitude record last November. |
|
News
03-07-2005 |
|
Scott
Wanzor is selling his Long-EZ project and O-235. Take
a look, it won't last long. |
|
News
03-04-2005 |
|
The
March EZ
of the Month is a special story about twin EZ's and a pair of
brothers, Mark and David Hanson.
One brother struggles with an illness while his brother helps him
achieve his EZ dream. I speak for the entire Canard community when
I wish Mark a speedy recovery.
I know
Mark and David would appreciate an email with words of encouragement.
|
|
News
03-03-2005 |
|
A
Burt Rutan design does it again! As if putting people in Space wasn't
enough, the Rutan designed GlobalFlyer
piloted by Steve Fossett completed it's around the world flight
today to add to a long list of records and accomplishments for Rutan
designs. Fossett touched down at 1:48 central time in Salina, KS
taking a little over 47 hours to complete the trip around the globe.
There is no question that Burt Rutan's genius will be detailed in
history books as the greatest aviation designer in history. Congratulations
Burt on a great design, we can't wait to see what is next! |
|
News
02-25-2005 |
|
We
have updated the list of flyers planning
to attend the 30th Anniversary gathering. This gathering is for
all canards and especially Varieze since the first flight of the
Varieze prototype was thirty years ago this May. It is looking more
and more likely that Oshkosh will be the location especially with
the announcement that SpaceShipOne and Wight Knight will be on display.
The contrast of SpaceShipOne against a sea of canards will truly
be a special and a once in a lifetime event.
It
also looks like that White Knight with SpaceShipOne attached will
refuel in Albuquerque and Tulsa as they make there final flight
to Oshkosh. I'm sure there will be big crowds at each stop. Maybe
flyers that cannot make the full gathering can make one of those
stops. |
|
News
02-25-2005 |
|
|
|
News
02-25-2005 |
|
Ralph
Fettig would like to invite everyone who is making the flight
to Oshkosh to stop in Minot, North Dakota before the last leg into
Oshkosh. The local air museum is on the field (MOT), there are quality
motels across highway from field, lots of hanger space. If enough
people are interested they plan a great BBQ the night before and news
coverage on the local network and newspaper. |
|
News
02-21-2005 |
|
Al
Hodges wants everyone to know about the 47th
Annual Cactus Fly-in at Casa Grande, AZ Friday
- Saturday, Mar 4-5, 2005. Contact: Dave Sirota 520/603-5440, chairman@cactusflyin.org.
CGZ Airport
Diagram and Info Warning: Watch out for big yellow Stearman
aircraft! |
|
News
02-04-2005 |
|
Terry
Schubert, editor of the Central States Newsletter, as a further
service to it's members is allowing ez.org to
publish the photo's of each CSA newsletter. How many times have
you wished to see some of the great photo's in color or see just
a little more detail in a photo? We believe this is a great addition
to CSA and ez.org. Please support Central States by joining today!
Read
more about this announcement here
and take a peek into the next newsletter. |
|
News
02-03-2005 |
|
Nobody
will ever accuse Bill James of not thinking outside the box. Our
February 2005 EZ of the month has more innovative ideas than
should be allowed by one person on one aircraft. A definite "I
wish I'd thought of that" type EZ. |
|
News
02-03-2005 |
|
John
Lambert has suggested having the Varieze 30th Anniversary gathering
more in the center of the US. He suggested Hondo, Texas (HDO) just
west of San Antonio. Hondo is about 1200nm from either southerern
coast, Florida and the central Canadaian border. Far east or far
west flyers would be disadvantaged traveling about the same distance
as the San Diego to Oshkosh flyers would if it were held at Oshkosh.
The EAA SWRFI Fly-In
has moved this year to Hondo. It is an ex military air base with
long runways, and lots of ramp area. San Antonio is a great place
to visit with lots to do and see. There is a thread
setup in Hangar Flying for comments about this or anything related
to the gathering. Everyone please contribute your thoughts!
|
|
News
01-28-2005 |
|
 |
A
few months ago I visited John "Waiter" McAvoy's
web site and noticed he
was planning a few upgrades to his EZ this winter. I checked
back in today and John has been busy! His EZ is not back in
the air but you can see what he has in mind. Looks like the
retracts are installed and he is well on his way. Waiter's
web site has some great pictures and information. Be sure
to check out the "Operating Costs" link. |
|
|
News
01-14-2005 |
|
- Bill
James has been hard at work on his highly modified Varieze. Judging
from past CSA articles Bill makes more changes to his Varieze
in a week than most guys make ever. Bill will be giving us a full
report soon. Here are a couple of shots: Photo1,
Photo2 of his Varieze.
- Check
the EBay auction link if you're looking for Long-EZ plans as there
are a couple of sets up for bid and going cheap as of today.
- All
canard flyers are invited to the Varieze
30th anniversary gathering. We have had a handful of flyers
interested in attending the gathering at Oshkosh. There is a patch/sticker
being designed by an interested flyer and most feel that Oshkosh
is the best location.
|
|
News
01-10-2005 |
|
David
Orr describes his recent incident
where his Long-EZ "PaintBall" was destroyed in an off-airport
landing attempt. |
|
News
01-10-2005 |
|
The
EZ Squadron in San Diego is planning
to meet for dinner at the Casa Machado Restaurant on Thursday,
the 13th at 6:30 PM. |
|
News
01-07-2005 |
|
A
Cozy canard flyer, Len Johnson
has reported on a taxing situation in Orange
County, CA that could affect everyone. Orange County has assessed
taxes on the labor required to build his Cozy. I know Len would
appreciate all the support he can get to resolve this. |
|
News
01-06-2005 |
|
Frank
Pullano Jr
reports that a Fly-In and formation flying school is planned in
Millville NJ on the 15th of January. All the important information
and registration can be found at www.vultureformation.com.
It is FREE and door prizes will be given out. Only
six canard drivers are registered so signup today and support this
gathering. |
|
News
01-04-2005 |
|
David
Orr (aka Beagle) a long-time contributor to ez.org and the canard
community experienced an undetermined engine problem and had to make
a forced landing near the Yucca Valley Airport on December 31. Initial
reports are Beagle and passenger suffered no significant injures.
The aircraft however sustained substantial structural damage. To avoid
speculation that helps no-one, we will wait to hear from Beagle on
the details of this incident. |
|
News
01-04-2005 |
|
Welcome
to 2005! Tim
LoDolce
recently responded to a question on the CA mail-list about the annual
condition inspection for the non-builder. There is so much mis-information
out there on this subject. Here is the real
story. |
|
News
12-30-2004 |
|
The
January 2005 EZ of the month is Harry
Manvel's Defiant. Some aircraft are just too cool and this Defiant
falls into that category. It looks fast just sitting on the runway
and the panel is exceptional. |
|
News
12-28-2004 |
|
Prospective
builders take note: Condor
Sales has several sets of original Long-EZ plans listed on their
site as well as many other goodies. Another set of Long-Eze plans
recently
sold on EBay for $760 off the record price of $1526. A set of
Varieze
plans originally purchased by aviation writer Tony Bingelis
also sold for $455. |
|
News
12-28-2004 |
|
The
Long-EZ, Varieze, Berkut, Cozy and other canards have appeared in
many of EAA's Sport Aviation magazine. Here
is a list of the articles and issues for the Long-EZ. A set of thirty
CD's containing all
the back issues may be purchased from the EAA. |
|
News
12-23-2004 |
|
Looking
for that perfect nose? A new article has been posted that describes
the art of crafting a new nose for your Varieze or Long-EZ. |
|
News
12-17-2004 |
|
An
EZ way to start the new year! Lynn Erickson reports there is an
informal EZ Flyin at the Chino, CA airport. Breakfast at Flo's restaurant
on Jan 1, 2005 around 8:00am. Everyone is welcome! |
|
News
12-17-2004 |
|
|
|
News
12-09-2004 |
|
Another
set of Long-EZ plans just surfaced on EBay along with a couple of
projects. Will this set of plans break the record price set last
week? You can use this link
to quickly find Long-EZ or Varieze items on EBay.The link is also
on the left menu. |
|
News
12-08-2004 |
|
Google
recently purchased a company called KeyHole.
Keyhole lets you "fly" over most areas of the country
and even other parts of the world. It's uses satellite pictures
and is able to convert these into a 3-D format. You can pan and
zoom to any area and even rotate around a point. It has great resolution,
I was able to pick out my car parked at my office. It is not like
a FlightSim where the buildings are computer generated, it shows
the acutal structures. I think it is a great tool to preview a flight
into an unfamiliar airport. There is a 7 day free trial and it costs
$29 a year after that. |
|
News
12-06-2004 |
|
A
set of Long-EZ plans sold
on EBay yesterday for $1526 gathering 41 bids. I'm aware of
only two previous sets that have sold in the mid $800 on EBay so
this is a record price. Only a few sets of plans are seen for sale
every year and there seems to be great demand. The short supply
can only make Canard style aircraft increase in value as time passes.
Several
users have commented on the choice of blue for the links on this
page saying it is too hard to read against the black. I'm going
to try yellow for a while, let me
know if you don't like it. |
|
News
11-30-2004 |
|
The
December EZ of the month is a very nicely done VariEze. Many unique
features make this well worth the read.
The
links section has been updated with several new links including
a link to John Waiters great site
that has articles about oil based cabin heat and a cool canopy stay.
Several
members are having problems with the links on the left side of this
page. Anyone that cannot see the "Classifieds" link below
"Featured Canards" on left side of the screen please email
me what version of Windows your using and your browser version.
Thanks! |
|
News
11-23-2004 |
|
A
new section showing the results for the four race series called R.A.C.E.
has been posted. |
|
News
11-22-2004 |
|
Jeff
Russell of AeroCAD has released the construction manual for his AeroCanard
(Cozy look-alike) as a free download
this morning. Other builders have said the AeroCanard plans are 99%
identical to the Cozy. You can download the PDF files at the AeroCAD2
site. The construction manual totals more than 35mb of files and can
be purchased for $29.95 on CDRom. The full size drawings and templates
may also be purchased separately. The full size CAD drawings for the
Cozy bulkheads have always been available at the Cozy
forum. |
|
News
11-22-2004 |
|
Valerie
Harris from EZ Jet (formerly EZ hangar) dropped me an email to
let everyone know that they are now focusing all their efforts
on jet conversions for canard pushers. Please check out the EZ
Jet website for more information. The website has updates
on the CozyJet along with pictures of the Valkyries and a Longeze
jet being built.
|
|
Notice
11-22-2004 |
|
Several
people have had trouble finding the new classifieds. The link "Stuff
for Sale" has been changed to "Classifieds" and is
on the left side of this page. I also suspect some browers may be
having trouble displaying the main page correctly. A screen shot
of what the main page should look like is here.
If you are not seeing the same thing on the main page please drop
me an email and let me know what browser you are using. |
|
Notice
11-17-2004 |
|
There
have been a few inquires about the usage of the new classified system.
You must register before placing your ad. The Register link is on
the classified page here.
Once registered you can place an ad using the "Place an Ad"
link at the top of the page. If you don't see that then you may not
be logged in. Use the "Login" link at the top of the page
just below the picture of the Berkut. You
can upload up to six pictures. The pictures can be any size and
will be resized automatically to fit.
Please
let me know if you need further
assistance. |
|
News
11-16-2004 |
|
We
have a new look and a new section to announce. The new section called
"Featured Canards" will include projects as well as complete
EZ's. Anyone that would like to have their project or flying EZ listed
under the featured section please drop
me an email. Each month we will try to pick a canard aircraft
that stands out from the rest to be our EZ of the month. Our first
featured canard and our EZ of the month is Wayne
Blacklers Long-EZ. I warn you, if you are currently building (I
am) and thought you were close to being finished (I was) don't look
at these pictures. |
|
News
11-16-2004 |
|
One
of our members has a speed mod and he would like to gauge everyone's
interest. I've added a new
polling feature to allow everyone to provide input on questions
like this. If anyone has a poll they would like to take please let
me know. |
|