Scotty

It's more common than you might realise. I reckon 1 in 4 that I inspect fail the check as the stop pins are not fitted or have been fitted incorrectly. This is most commonly caused by the seats being removed by the operators during the 100hrs between inspections.

There is an AD for single engine cessnas that has been out for ages about replacing seat rails and seat roller components that are out of specific measurements. This AD also requires that seat stops are put at precise spots to stop the seat moving too far back on take off if it is not latched properly. The last part of the AD is quite often not carried out as it makes getting in and out of the aircraft difficult.

Looks like it was a good day! I was there last year flying my big model but couldn't make it this year. I was planning on flying there but could find a plane to borrow in time. Bugger, next year it is for me then. Few more hours under my belt by then.

Not a nice thing to watch happen, wishing a speedy recovery to those injured.

Congrats on the purchase! Sound like it was a good buy. Where abouts are you keeping it? I would still love to check it out.

Well it was a four seater then if its 182. Best you can get in them is 3 kids across the back seat.

A 6 seater 182??????? It was a cessna 210

Yep, he had made a few changes to it that arent on the plans and this was the big no no sign for me. He still wanted 35 000 for it when there is a flying and tested example for sale for 50 000. A bit of a dreamer i thnk.

I had a look at a Long EZ last week that fell into the that category of sitting around for years because the owner cant afford the cost or time to fix it up. It would be a great project if you got it very cheap or had it given to you. Unfortunately he id too attached to it and wants way too much for it which makes it not a worthwhile project.

Cheers for the info, Im not too worried about the RAAus rego as Vh rego maint is no problem for me where I am. Sounds like it has a similar problem as the C150. 2 average size people on board equals not much weight left for fuel.

They are asking 20 000 and it has a continental 0-200 engine in it. 100hp Cessna 150 engine.

Does anyone out know much about these little V-tail machines? Has anyone owned one or flown one? I have seen there is one for sale in w.a. and thought I might check it out if they are a good thing.

Yeah i reckon its a bit of a lemon. There is just too much money to spend when you have noproof that it is a good flying example to start with. If only it had flown a few more hundred hours it would be a different story. There is that big risk that after you have spent your 20000 plus on the engine and the other expenses to get it on the VH register it might fly like a pig!

If the repair has been done properly its pretty much impossible to determine the repair area unless you grind back down to the layers or fibre. From my experience repairing composite aircraft if you can see the repair its been done very poorly!

Yeah, i have some serious doubts about it. I was thinking of offering a lot less that 15000 based on the fact that the whole thing is an unknown. The airframe is not tested and the engine is in need of an overhaul and maybe major component replacement. You would need to be prepared to loose all the money you payed for it if it turned out to be a lemon. The plus side is if it turned out ok you could have yourself a very cheap high speed cheap to run cruiser. Im looking for something to commute from geraldton to perth for two people thats quickish and cheap to run. Think i might let him sit on it for a bit after i check it out. The other plus with it is that it is composite construction so its not as much of a concern with corrosion up in geraldton as the alum aircraft suffer from.

Yeah, I used to overhaul lycomings when I was working at jandakot airport. That engine has the potential to be very expensive as they corrode up the cranks and camshaft. This will bump the overhaul cost up by about 10 000. Have you had a close look at the aircraft at all? I'm coming down to jandakot next week so I'm going to try and have a look at it then.

Yeah its the one in jandakot. Have you had a look at it? Being a LAME the amount of labour required is not a problem but i am worried about the engine. Being a 2000hr 20 yr old engine worries me. It would definately need an overhaul and that can be big bucks. The aircraft would need a complete going over and this just means the cost will go up. Like ou said i might have to wait it out and see if he drops his price......a lot!

Thanks for the link, a very interesting read. By "mods" i did mean directives. Do you know where i would be able to find them? Im very curious as to why he fitted such a large engine when they are known to have overweight issues anyway. Hes wanting $30 000 for the aircraft. A bit too much i think seeing as it has a high time 20 yr old non recommended engine fitted to it and is un registered and basically unproven/tested. (airframe time is 1 hour total). Im very intersted in this aircraft design but am thinking unless you could get for a bargain low price it may pay to stay clear of it. What do you reckon? Thanks for all you help.

Ive read that there was a few mods that have been done on them since they were built. The one i was looking at has had nothing done on it for 20 years, do you know where you can find a list of all the mods? It has a lyco 0-320 in it which should give it a bit of power. What do you think it would be worth?

If you are planning not to use it for a while you can pull the spark plugs out and spray some LPS 3 or similar inhibiting oil in the cylinders and then put some desicant plugs in it. ( they look like a spark plug but have the silica moisture absorbing beads in them.) This is what we do with all our Lycoming and Continental engines at work if we are not going to use them for a few months. Hope this helps.

How much flying experience do you think you would need before you flew one? I'm still learning at the moment but have access to a c172, 172rg , rv6a and a bonanza to fly and get my hours up on.

Thanks for the info, is there much storage space in the Long Eze. Ive read somewhere that you can fit a bit of stuff insude the wings. I just find them very interesting and thinkit might be a good longterm restore project while i get my flying hours up on other aircraft. Do they have any nasty habits or things you need to watch out for?

Its in a hangar at Jandakot W.A. Theres a few things that im concerned about; He built it 20 years ago, It only flew once for an our after he built it then he moved from the US to AUS and it hasnt flown since, and the engine he put in already had heaps of hours on it when he got it 20 years ago. Maybe it might be best to avoid it?

Hi, Im looking at a "project" Long EZ to return to flying condition. It was built in the US and imported here but has not flown in 20 years and has never been on the Australian register. Who out there has one or has owned/flown one? Any info on the good and bad points would be greatly appreciated. Im a LAME with a group 7 ( composite) rating so the work required does not worry me but i was wanting to here from owners or anyone with info on if they are a good aircraft and what problems they have. It is fitted with a Lycoming 0-320 E2d engine that is running but I would be overhauling it. Cheers Scott

Hopefully I can come across some of these projects for a good price.. I would be looking for something metal or composite as I have had a fair bit of past experience on these. So if anyone knows of some good projects out there let us know!