LONG-EZ:

 FAST - EFFICIENT - HIGH UTILITY - LONG RANGE

THE AIRPLANE:

The Long-EZ is a small, high-performance, high-utility homebuilt sportplane. While recommended mainly for day-VFR operation, competent pilots can also equip it for night and IFR flying. The recommended power plant is any model of the O-235 Lycoming. We all go for O-320s in the West. 

Note that a mechanical fuel pump is required. It has an alternator-powered electrical system and can be equipped with electric engine starter. It's cockpit layout is designed to compliment pilot work load, with throttle, mixture, carb heat, pitch trim and landing brake controls on the left console and side-stick controller on the right console. Seating provides correct armrest, lumbar, thigh, and headrest support allowing "recliner-chair" comfort not found in conventional aircraft seats. This allows long, fatigue-free flights. The inboard portion of the large wing strakes are used as baggage areas, accessible from the front and rear cockpit. These combined with special suitcases and three other storage areas, provide nearly 10 cubic feet of baggage room. The airframe structure is a sandwich of high-strength fiberglass facings with a core of rigid closed cell foam. Extensive use is made of the new type R45 PV core foam (poly vinyl). The facings are laid up directly over the shaped core, thus expensive tooling is not required. Flying surfaces are full-core, reducing complexity, increasing contour stability, and improving corrosion resistance. As compared to conventional metal and wood, composite sandwich structure offers less construction time, more uniform stresses, improved fatigue life, better environmental resistance, and increased surface durability. 

TRAVELING MACHINE:

At last, an airplane that is specifically developed for efficient, high speed, long range traveling with room for two adults and plenty of baggage. Fuel allowance with two adults is 38 gallons. Single place, you can carry 52 gallons! If you're in a hurry, you can cruise at 75% power at 8000 ft at 185 mph (161 kts) burning 6.51 gallons per hour. With the O-320 you can expect over 210 mph but it will take 8.5 gph. 

This will take two of you from Los Angeles to Seattle or Chicago to Daytona Beach non-stop (965 miles), in 5.2 hours with a 40 minute fuel reserve. If you're not in a hurry, you can cruise "economy" at 12000 feet at 144 mph (124 kts), burning only 3.42 gallons per hour. If you throttle back, the O-320 gets almost the same gas mileage as the O-235.

This will take two of you from New York to Dallas non-stop (1430 miles) in 10 hours with a 40-minute fuel reserve. Single place, using the entire 52 gallons fuel capacity, stretches the maximum range and endurance over 2000 miles and 16 hours! The prototype has exceeded these figures on several occasions: longest two place trip, 1840 miles at 175 TAS, with 50 lbs baggage. Maximum level flight speed. 193 mph.

Development of the Long-EZ included flight testing of many refinements to optimize flying qualities. It is a very solid, stable airplane that has responsive ailerons, good turbulence response, excellent "hands-off" stability and docile stall characteristics. It resists stall or spin even when maneuvered sharply at full aft stick. Flight tests show the prototype to be free from stall departures and spins for all type of entries, including tail slides. Climb is excellent, even at the full-aft-stick speed. Trim changes due to power, gear retraction or landing brake are all very small. It's wide cg range allows a large range of pilots or passengers weighing up to 250 lbs. The Long-EZ's approach and landing speeds are 75 mph (65kts) and 60 mph (52 kts) at normal landing weights. The approach and landing are docile and conventional. Forward visibility is excellent even during a "full stall" touchdown - a considerable improvement over our earlier VariEze. 

THE HOMEBUILDER SUPPORT:

The plans are a literal education in using the materials and is a detailed step-by-step guide to construction using an illustrated format not common in aircraft plans. The Rutan newsletter, the "Canard Pusher" published since 1974, updates plans, providing building hints etc. Complete owners manual provides all necessary information for initial testing and for normal and emergency operations. The plans are not available, but many of the supplemental plans and owner's manuals and posters are available. You have to seek these things on the outside market and there is no builder support from RAF; however the clubs offer more and better advice now than ever there was when RAF was open. 

THE TEST PROGRAM:

The test program was probably the most extensive and successful ever conducted on a homebuilt. It included basic flight tests for flying qualities, performance and systems, spin and dive tests to FAR part 23 requirements, static load tests and landing gear drop test exceeding part 23 criteria, environmental/thermal tests on structural materials/components, manufacturing methods testing, and many others. The reality is that there are literally hundreds over 500 hours flying in these airplanes - it is a very good airplane.

COST AND BUILDING TIME:

The complete package of raw materials available from the two distributors listed, including all fiberglass, epoxies, foams, fillers, sheet metal, tubing, hardware, control system materials, plumbing, tires, wheels and brakes cost about $3200. Don't doubt the kit would cost about $6,000 these days - better to buy an old unused kit.

Any of these items can be purchased separately. We strongly recommend that you get the distributor's catalogs to familiarize yourself with the materials. A complete bill-of-materials is in the plans.

The S-glass roving molded structural fiberglass main gear and nose struts are available from RAF, at $277.95 and $49.75 respectively. Still available.

Many other prefab parts ranging from propellers, cowlings, canopies and welded engine mounts to small aluminum brackets and bushings can be purchased from the listed manufacturers. All those prefab parts cost approximately $2000 - and using them, the competent builder can build a Long-EZ in most of these prefab parts himself, using the drawings in the plans. His building time would exceed 1500 hours and he would save most of the above costs of the prefab items. Contact the manufacturers for their catalogs showing available prefab parts. These are also listed in the plans bill-of-materials. This is nonsense. The time to build with all pre-fab in our groups was over 2500 hours.

Engine costs vary widely. Our prototype has an O-235 Lycoming, that had 1400 hours when purchased, for $1500. It has 600 hours to overhaul and will be worth the, about what we paid, thus this is a very economical way to go. Newly overhauled or new engines can cost from $3000 to $6000. Engine accessories, such as instruments, prop extensions etc. cost about $300 to $500. O-235s in the United States run well over $6,000 and rebuilt $9,000. The O-320 goes up from there nowadays.

In summary, the total cost can run from $5800 for a basic airplane
with a 3/4 runout engine and owner-built prefab parts, to $10,400
for everything available purchased and a zero-time engine. IFR avionics can add from $2000 to $15,000 to those numbers, with many
options available. Ours cost about $25,000 10 years ago.

MISCELLANEOUS ORDER FORM: (With 2001 edits)

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