Firstly, I’ve always admired the looks of the Q200 and I also like the economy of the IO-200 engine’s 5-6 GPH rate and the 180-190 mph cruise speed. I’m considering purchasing a completed on not building one.

What I don’t know is everything. What I do know from actually speaking with an actual owner with around 2k hours in one is that they are a different bird, but they are still a bird. I do know they are loved by owners and hated by non owners.

The apparent issues seem to be (from what I’ve noticed)

Prop strike on takeoff/landing. I was informed you fly it off and land it tail low to avoid this.

Taxiing: was told this is much better once the owner ditches the hand brake and installs toe brakes. Made sense

No flaps: I was told that being “stall resistant” notice I didn’t say stall proof like the owners, the plane side slips really well with no concerns????????????????

There’s also something about a refluxor but the pilot didn’t have one and didn’t explain it well enough to me in that he attributed the bandaid to a poorly constructed/rigged plane more than the plane design itself.

Wing design and the dreaded bug/rain issue with the original laminar flow “GU” wing which required VG’s on them to cure the problem to the latest LS1 wing which does not require the VG’s. They have incorporated a sparrow strainer to cure and flutter and control forces with the elevators at high speed.

Build quality. This one as with any home built is just the luck of the draw. As Mike Brown told me, a home built is just like a home cooked meal. Some are delicious and some taste like crap.

Why do I want to talk about these? Simple.. mission. KDVO to KCCB weekly would be the course. Figuring worst case scenario, 12 gallons and 2 hrs. Don’t need a plane for more than myself really, can’t break the $$ free for a V35, or anything like a 100k at the moment.

Thanks for the info.

Having the elevator on the canard vs the tail seems like a huge difference to me. I imagine myself in the flare a couple of feet anove the runway. Do you roll it on, like a wheel landing? If so, you don’t have elevator control at the tail to keep the tail up. When the wheels touch, does the tail go down due to CG (like most taildraggers) and it wants to fly again? How bouncy is that front gear, anyway? Does the long arm make it more prone to ground loop if slightly crosswise or you hit a bump on one wheel?

It just seems really counterintuitive and like you would need to change your “muscle memory”. I have not flown one myself.

I asked about the landing. Tail wheel first and I assumed this was to maximize prop clearance. What I was told was you “cannot stall” so you land with quite a bit of back pressure on the elevator and sink it in. ?????

Only thing I know is there was one based at my first facility, the guy flew it reasonably often, until he somehow dropped it in and broke the front "wing". I never saw it fly again.

I really think you'd be happier with say, a $40k short body Mooney if you want economy. Or even an RV-3/4.

Sorry Rik, fat fingers on the phone and accidentally gave you a dislike. Tried to fix it, not sure if it worked. Don’t know anything about the Quickies but like you I always thought they were interesting.

Robert

I can put you in contact with someone who built one and flew it several hundred hours. He sold it and would certainly advise you to run from it.

In a lot of ways I agree. I just can’t love the looks of a Mooney.

That and there’s a reason for it, everyone says get a bonanza or a Mooney. Being it’s going to be me 99.99% of the time I’m looking for something that is a side by side and is economical so to speak. I like the RV7 but they are going up in prices lately.

Just thinking this can scratch an inch for a few years

Looking for single seat economy? Just get an RV-3 and be done with it.

Same speed (or more) as a quickie (190-200 mph on 150 hp), aerobatic, flies beautifully, has a massive support community, you can still buy new parts and you’ll actually be able to sell it when you’re ready.

They can be had all day in the $30k range (One example). There’s a reason there are more RVs flying than every other homebuilt combined..

Quickie's are interesting. I had never paid them much attention until I started thinking of how fun it would be to maybe one day build a plane from scratch. And that leading to what the most efficient design was and Quickie's are pretty much it. Rutan is one smart dude. It even has the Vari-EZE beat for efficiency. Incredibly fast for the power it has.

5.5gph, 164kts. That's impressive.

[youtube]http://youtu.be/nCd_frnWHw8[/youtube]

Oh, they’re so fugly...
You’ve got to be kidding...

I know that beauty is in the eye of the beholder but I can't see how this plane is fugly. Kooky or different, yes. Fugly? Were you wearing your glasses?




Ron

No way are they ugly! They look like an X-Wing. I think they're awesome. I wish they were less quirky airplanes. I don't know anything about flying them except what I've seen on the web.

Respectfully, looking for info on the plane not one's taste.. Don't want this thread to get sidetracked with bs about aesthetics.

The GU airfoil issue is very real. Get into rain and you are going down. No way I would own one with a GU airfoil.

Local fellow has had one for years. I've noticed he uses a fair bit of runway both taking off and landing. They are small and light, so with those dimensions come other challenges of being bounced around a fair bit.

Their crashworthiness is nearly nil - if the engine snuffs you are very likely going to get hurt in an off-field landing, or at least that's what I've seen.

A better deal would be a Long-EZ or Vari-EZ. They, too, have their challenges but at least seem to have slightly better crashworthiness and fewer issues with basic aerodynamics in the presence of contamination.

The other one to look at would be the Cozy MK III - they seem to have lost market value with the advent of the MK IV thus are often available at a price point which gives a lot of bang for the buck.

If you really want a simple, inexpensive flying machine, come look at my Davis DA2A. Stone simple, rugged and a ton of fun to fly on about $35/hour.

I also found Corbin's video's and willingness to discuss the plane very interesting. Both form an information point of view and from the perspective of someone who actually owns one. This is actually why I'm kinda looking for one, like he did completed not to build, just to be different and to be efficient. 155/4.4gph is damn good.

He has a similar mission, 1-2 hr flight and it's efficient.