Username Protected wrote:
The large-engined versions (O-320, not sure if anybody has tried to put a 360 in a Long EZ), that are a bit heavier and have higher minimum speeds (mush speed when the canard stalls), also have more kinetic energy in an off-airport landing. The performance bump is very nice though, according to a friend who commuted in one for a few years, soooooooo...
Everything in aviation and in life is a trade-off, just one more thing to consider.
Pretty sure Mike Melville, and Dick Rutan both put O-360 in their Long EZs. Mike and Dick flew their Long EZs around the world.
I built my Long EZ in the 1990's. It is a great airplane. Mine has an O-320 and I cruise at 165 Kts TAS on about 8 gallons per hour. The airplane can go faster, but this seems to be the sweet spot. My longest flight was from St. Paul, MN to Gary, IN to Newport News, VA non stop in ~4.5 hours. I flew at 11,500 and froze my butt off. My ground speed was often over 200 Kts. I had to climb up to 13,500 briefly to clear weather over the Blue Ridge. I started descending over Charlottesville, VA which is about an hour out.
This is my favorite picture of my Long EZ. It is the first time I took my youngest son up in the plane. Both my boys are now grown men. My youngest son will graduate from Virginia Tech this spring with an engineering degree.
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First flight.jpg