Long-EZ Plans #814
March 2005

SOLD! March 17th, 2005

Owner: Scott Wanzor

Long-EZ #814 began life way back on 4/21/81 in West Palm Beach, FL. This is the date that I originally sent away my money to RAF for a set of plans. Since I lived in an apartment at the time, I rented a warehouse space in Lantana, FL, in the fall of 1981 in which to build the Long-EZ. There was a germinal “Florida EZE Builders Club” in South Florida at the time headed up by Charlie Gray (who went on to build and sell two Long-EZ’s). I spent a good amount of time seeking out and visiting other EZ builders. On 9/30/81 I sent to Aircraft Spruce & Specialty for the Long-EZ materials “kit.” I then got to work building a very sturdy and dead level work table, hot-box to store my Saf-T-Poxy, storage shelves, lighting, etc.

Between the fall of 1981 and 1985 I spent much of my free time working on building the Long-EZ. I moved my shop two more times during that time, both times moving in with other EZ builders. I spoke frequently with either Mike Melville or Burt Rutan, whoever answered RAF’s phone when I had questions. (I also met with Burt and Mike on several occasions, which thrills me to this day.) I bought a house in 1985 which slowed me down considerably. From 1986 to mid 1988 I worked on the EZ from time to time when I got motivated. In 1988 I purchased a Cessna 150 with a partner. It was ratty but very sound. My first partner moved away so he sold his half to a neighbor (they lived in a fly-in community with a 5,000 foot sod runway in their backyards. My second partner was a seasoned A&P mechanic, owned a North American T-6, was President of the Florida Valiant Air Command, was a CFII, had somewhere over 20,000 flying hours, many in DC-3’s and Beech 18’s, and was an absolute dream come true for me. With a free place to tie down the 150, a free instructor, an A&P who enjoyed showing me how to do all kinds of work on the Cessna, I was in hog heaven. The Long-EZ could wait while we completely restored our little 150 to like new condition.

In 1982 I purchased a factory rebuilt Lycoming 0-235 L2C engine from my first Cessna 150 partner (and Long-EZ builder), when he decided that this engine wasn’t big enough for his large frame. That engine is still in my garage in Duluth, GA. The cylinders were never pickled, though desiccator plugs and a crankcase desiccant system were installed from day one of the rebuild in 1981. Desiccant has been changed on a regular basis over the years.

Long-EZ #814 was built by me to potentially win “best construction” prizes at local or regional fly-ins. My father was the best cabinetmaker / craftsman that I have ever known, and he instilled a “build it right” mentality in me that I applied to this Long-EZ. I feel that the results are evident in all aspects of the construction of this EZ. I took extra time forming and shaping foam parts, and the fiberglass work is very exacting. Every part that I built had to meet the exact dimensions in the plans, and had to fit perfectly or I would reject it. I am especially happy with the construction of the original canard and the canopy, though all of the parts of the airframe structure have turned out extremely well. Most of the metal parts used to date are from Ken Brock Manufacturing, though I spent extra time removing tooling and manufacturing marks and generally “prettying up” the metal.

There was a point in my life where I would have stepped in front of a bullet to protect this aircraft. With a wife and young daughter my priorities in life have changed and I have at long last come to the conclusion that it is time to part with my beloved Long-EZ. The aircraft has rarely seen sunlight or daylight (and then for only minutes or hours, never as long as a day), and hence has been protected from harmful ultraviolet light. I have spent over 1,500 hours working on this aircraft to date.

The following are the parts and assemblies that I have built, along with parts, plans, extras, etc., that are included with Long-EZ #814:
Complete fuselage on landing gear:
10” extended nose to move battery forward for better weight and balance and for better esthetics. Included are blueprints that I utilized from builder Cliff Cady. Battery access hatch built and installed.
Standard air brake and hardware installed and functioning properly. (Tension on the springs has always been minimal so that spring “stretch” is minimized in storage.)
Avionics access hatch designed and built on top of fuselage just forward of canopy.
Separate “turtle deck” cover fabricated to afford a bit more storage area and potential noise suppression at aft end of canopy.
Landing gear fabricated with “tube in tube” brake line modification on aft edge of gear bow. 5.00 X 5 tires on 5” wheels. Cleveland disc brakes were sent away for hard chroming to last longer and prevent rust. Particular attention was paid to exact alignments when the axles were installed on the gear.
Landing gear weighed 24 lbs. 14 oz. when installed.
Bottom fuselage landing gear cover with access hatch completed.
Clear canopy covered in Spraylat for protection. Pressurized piston “stop” to hold canopy open. Double-safe canopy opening mechanism to prevent accidental opening in flight. Access to latching system via a small door in fuselage.
Consoles have not been fabricated or installed in fuselage.
Toe brake slave cylinder modification mounted in the nose.
Weight: 64 lbs. 6 oz.
Wings completed:
Very close attention paid to contouring foam cores so that less finish contouring and sanding will have to be done.
Ailerons have not been cut out yet.
Mounting holes for attachment to spar have not been bored yet.
Center section spar complete:
Excellent workmanship throughout.
Mounting holes for attachment to wing have not been bored yet.
Weight: 30 lbs. 11 oz.
Canard and elevators complete:
Original per plans canard.
“New canard” (Roncz) plans included.
Contouring and construction of the canard is excellent. Trailing edges dead straight.
Trial mounting to fuselage nearly perfect in all dimensions.
Elevators perfectly balanced per plans, with dead straight trailing edges.
Simple copper DME antenna buried in the canard.
Canard weight, no hardware or elevator: 15 lbs. 13 oz.
Left elevator weight, no hinges or counterweights: 2 lbs. 0 oz.
Left elevator weight, ready to finish: 3 lbs. 4.5 oz.
Right elevator weight, no hinges or counterweights: 1 lb. 12.8 oz.
Right elevator weight, ready to finish: 3 lbs. 0 oz.
Not included / completed:
Winglets and rudders
Strakes
Cowlings
Controls
Prop
Prop extension
Engine mount
Flight instruments
Avionics
Battery

Included with the aircraft:
Complete set of Long-EZ plans with most plans changes photocopied and pasted into the appropriate section of the plans.
Original engine installation plans from RAF.
Templates and drawings in good shape
Roncz canard plans
Large rudder plans
All Canard Pusher newsletters in a binder
Several labeled drawers of hardware
Several prefabricated metal parts from Ken Brock
Glass sight gauges
Nose shimmy damper
Miscellaneous metal tubes and aircraft sheet metal from the original ASSC kit
Foam for completing winglets and strakes

Long-EZ project location: Northeast suburb of Atlanta, GA

Asking Price for Long-EZ Plans #814 as described above:$8,000

Lycoming 0-235 L2C:
Purchased in 1982 as a zero time, factory remanufactured engine. Overhauled to zero time in 1979.
Cylinders are nitride hardened, though were never pickled for long term storage.
Spark plug desiccator plugs and a crankcase desiccator system were installed in 1979 and have remained in place since that time. Desiccant has been dried or replaced at regular intervals.
Includes log book and other factory documentation.
Includes Prestolite alternator, factory starter, starter gear, Marvel Shebler overhauled carburetors still in the box, Slick mags, several sparkplugs, etc.

Asking price for engine: $10,000

Scott Wanzor
3055 Abbotts Pointe Drive
Duluth, GA 30097
Home: 770-623-4412
Fax: 770-623-4426
Cell: 404-434-4442
Email: s.wanzor@att.net