Photograph:
Rutan Long Ez VH-XTC (c/n Q23) at Murwillumbah, NSW in August 1993 (David C Eyre)
Country of origin:
United States of America
Description:
Two-seat light sport aircraft
Power Plant:
One 112 kw (150 hp) Avco Lycoming O-235 four-cylinder horizontally-opposed air-cooled engine
Specifications:
- Wingspan: 8.68 m (26 ft 3 in)
- Length: 5.12 m (16 ft 9½ in)
- Height: 2.4 m (7 ft 10½ in)
- Wing area: 7.62 m² (81.99 sq ft)
- Max cruising speed at 2,440 m (8,000 ft): 295 km/h (183 mph)
- Cruising speed at 40% power at 3,660 m (12,000 ft): 232 km/h (144 mph)
- Stalling speed: 80 km/h (50 mph)
- Max rate of climb: 411 m/min (1,350 ft/min)
- Service ceiling: 6,705 m (27,000 ft)
- Normal range with max fuel at 40% power with 40 mins reserve: 2,301 km (1,430 miles)
- Empty weight: 322 kg (710 lb)
- Loaded weight: 601 kg (1,325 lb)
History:
The Long Ez is a tandem, two-seat, high-performance aircraft of canard configuration designed by Elbert Rutan, and is a development of the well-known VariEze, being somewhat larger overall. The prototype was flown for the first time on 12 June 1979. The fuselage was of composite structure consisting of large sheets of rigid urethane foam with wood strips as corner fillets, covering being by means of uni-directional fibreglass. The wing was a single-spar structure having a rigid foam core with fibreglass covering. The tricycle undercarriage had two fixed main legs, like the VariEze, in a single unit of moulded fibreglass. The nosewheel was carried in a fibreglass strut which could be mechanically retracted by a hand lever in the front cockpit.
The Long Ez was usually fitted with either the Lycoming O-235 engine, which gave a maximum cruising speed of 295 km/h (183 mph), or the Continental O-200, which gave a maximum cruising speed of 286 km/h (178 mph). The Long Ez differed from the VariEze in other ways, including an electric starter, engine-driven alternator, an enhanced field of view during landing and approach, and increased span. More than 4,000 kits have been sold throughout the world and two were evaluated by the US Army as a potential reconnaissance aircraft with sensors installed in the position of the rear seat.
A number of records were set by the Long Ez, the first being on 15 December 1979 by Dick Rutan, brother of the designer, when he flew 7,723.3 km (4,800.3 miles) in 33 hours 33 minutes to set a new FAI C1b record. On 5 June 1981 this was increased to 7,344.56 km (4,563.7 miles) in 30 hours 8 minutes; and on 8 February 1982 a 1,000 km (621 miles) closed-circuit record at 334.81 km/h (207.98 mph), this aircraft being fitted with a 119 kw (160 hp) Avco Lycoming O-320 engine.
On 31 January 1991 two Australian-registered Long Ez, flown solo VH-LDL (c/n Q26) and VH-MJL (c/n Q32), established a trans-Tasman record of 7 hours 25 minutes, being flown by Lindsay Danes and Magna Lisset, cruising at 309 km/h (192 mph) at 2,743 m (9,000 ft) and using 163 litres (36 Imp gals) of fuel.
A number of examples of the series have been built in this area. First to be registered was VH-LEZ (c/n V.69) in 1984, followed by a further 21, including VH-HGS (c/n S26), VH-LZE (c/n N160), VH-LTS (c/n W119), VH-RGL (c/n Q51), VH-EZL (c/n V73), VH-XTC (c/n Q23), VH-JSL (c/n Q27), VH-LDL (c/n Q26), VH-LEP (c/n N177), VH-JZE (c/n V74), VH-RAL (c/n S33), VH-MJL (c/n Q32), VH-JFL (c/n S22), VH-JMH (c/n Q36), VH-LEA (c/n N126), VH-LEX (c/n W118), VH-LPF (c/n N173), VH-ZWZ (c/n N198), and VH-XMX (c/n Q627) etc.
First of the type in New Zealand was ZK-LEZ (c/n AACA/715), followed by ZK-LET (c/n 306). This latter aircraft during its life has flown with a Mazda rotary engine driving a six-blade propeller, a turboprop engine, and a turbojet engine from a drone.