Frans=0AThe Long EZ was the first aircraft I built, or at least the first m
odel airplane big enough to sit in! First flew=0A1985 and wore out the engi
ne in the next ten years. I've been refurbishing and upgrading ever since.
=0AIvan Shaw was a very early Rutan disciple and helped me get started, the
re were four of us building at-=0Athe time and we used to meet up in the
hills, drink beer and talk about the next great design. The goal was an air
plane that would have-=0ALong EZ performance and short field capability a
nd the Europa was Ivan's distillation of all our dreams and ideas.=0AI clai
m credit for demanding it should be deriggable in 15 minutes like any self
respecting glider. Ivan was persuaded to-=0Avisit one of my local gliding
clubs and see how they -carry on. He always recognises a good idea when
he sees one.=0ANotice the similarity of the tailplane to that of a K6E?-
=0AGraham=0A=0A=0A________________________________=0A From: Frans Veldman <
frans@privatepilots.nl>=0ATo: europa-list@matronics.com =0ASent: Friday, 10
August 2012, 13:12=0ASubject: Re: Europa-List: Mod 77=0A =0A--> Europa-Lis
t message posted by: Frans Veldman <frans@privatepilots.nl>=0A=0AHi Graham!
=0A=0A> Because of the leverage of the rudder pedals (and our strong legs)
=0A> If one pilot pushes hard left and the other one has to overide him the
=0A> total load on the hing and flange would be nearly 400 Kg.=0A=0AWow! I
didn't even think about an override and the leverage! 400Kg is a=0Alot for
that poor hinge! Which brings up the question why the standard=0Aconstructi
on is even certified... Or why this mod didn't get=0Aincorporated in the st
andard kit long time ago.=0A=0A> 7 years ago we sold our house and with it
went my wonderful workshop:-S=0A=0AI even don't want to think about loosing
my workshop...=0A=0A> That meant I had to stop making up Mod kits so I per
suaded =0A> David Stanbridge that it would be a good idea for Europa to sel
l this=0A> mod.=0A=0AJust putting the mod somewhere burried onto the websit
e isn't going to=0Aattract many customers... It took a while before I disco
vered its=0Aexistence, and it took me a while to realize the benefits of th
is mod.=0A=0A> We flew my Long EZ last week for the first time in too many
years, it=0A> felt wonderful. I am tempted to revalidate my lisence and fly
it from=0A> the front again!=0A=0AI think as a relatively newcomer I miss
some history here. So you built=0Aa long EZ?=0A=0AThanks for inventing this
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