What's the difference in flight from the typical light civil ? How much weather will they take, rain Ice Etc.
What's the difference in flight from the typical light civil ? How much weather will they take, rain Ice Etc.
Your question is very vague since the handling characteristics are going to depend upon the specific configuration. If they aren't certified to fly into icing, then you have no business being there. To be quite honest, there really isn't a single engine light plane I would fly into anything beyond very mild icing. There's nothing we do in GA that is important enough to chance it instead of waiting for it to pass.
Unfortunately in science what you believe is irrelevant.
"I'm an old-fashioned Southern Gentleman. Which means I can be a cast-iron son-of-a-***** when I want to be."- Robert A. Heinlein.
Tom - from what I understand turbulence isn't any more of a problem than in any other light aircraft.
I seem to remember that the original airfoil design used for the canard on the Long EZ did have a problem with losing a lot of lift in the rain, the Roncz canard is supposed to fix that issue.
Tom, they have a few idiosycracies but then all airplanes do. So you just get the proper training and pay attention. I don't think it's something I would want for hard IFR flying and like any non-equipped airplane, structural icing is an emergency situation requiring immediate action.
I've created a log in at EZ.org, but it never allows me to log in again or post.
Last edited by Tom Downey; 01-17-2012 at 04:45 PM.
I built and fly a VariEze and I can tell you that it handles turbulence quite well. I think that's due to the relatively high wing loading and something about sitting between the two wings (the canard contributes ~25% of the total lift). Anyway, it's a lot more comfortable in turbulence than the Cessna, Beech, and Piper light planes I've flown.
Canard contamination from ice or even a heavy layer of bugs can cause a strong pitch force that may be more than the trim system can compensate for. Not a comfortable situation but the airplane isn't going to fall out of the sky. I've flown in rain and the pitch change is obvious but easily trimmed out.
They can run their forum however they like, of course, but on this one, everyone's opinion is welcome. You and Mike are both valuable contributors here - enough said.
Hal Bryan
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