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Prospectus - Builders Guide/Plan Drawings

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Description

The OpenEZ is an economical, high-performance homebuilt aircraft designed for comfortable and pleasurable cross-country travel. It is roomy enough in the front seat to accommodate persons as tall as 6 ft. 4 in. The back seat can accommodate an average size adult or child and 6 cubic feet of strake baggage area. Its canard configuration was designed not only for performance, but to provide improved flying qualities and safety, as compared to the conventional tractor light plane design. The OpenEZ design is based on the Rutan Long-EZ, with technology and design updates contributed by members of the canard community. You are welcome to contribute by joining the advisory council, you will just need to email the administrator above and we will create an account for you; this is solely to prevent Wiki-Spam or defacement of the site, registration is open to anyone interested in contributing to this project.

The canard has full-span elevators and its rear wing has conventional ailerons mounted inboard for control system simplicity and low adverse yaw. The aircraft has a drag device, called a landing brake, to increase drag, allowing use of runways as short as 1800 ft, with appropriate pilot skill. The glide angle at idle power without the landing brake deployed is about 3.7 degrees. Thus, the brake is required to provide the normal descent control of conventional (less efficient) aircraft.

Yaw control and main-wheel brake systems are combined, to further result in major simplification: The pilot has simple, one-piece rudder pedals to control rudder and wheel-brake functions. A control cable is run from each pedal to its rudder with a spring returning the rudder to the neutral position. The outward camber of the winglets rudder is such that the rudder breakout force is increased with airspeed. This allows low rudder forces at low speed where rudder is needed and higher initial forces at high speed where there is less requirement for rudder control. The rudder pedals are narrow enough to allow the pilot to tilt his feet and move them in front of the pedals so he can stretch out and relax his feet forward during longer flights. The rudder cable moves a bellcrank at the firewall such that after full rudder is reached, further motion of the rudder pedal actuates its respective wheel-brake master cylinder. This system is considerably less complex than the coupled rudder and toe brake system found in conventional aircraft. Also, it results in less brake wear since it is impossible to apply brake in a given direction without already using full rudder power. A bungee system provides pitch trim, adjusted by a lever on the left console. Roll trim is via bungee adjustment to the aileron controls.

The main landing gear is a one-piece, molded, unidirectional fiberglass strut extending from one axle to the other. The one-piece design eliminates the excessive leverage loads found in conventional two-piece gear legs. This allows a much lighter structural attachment at the fuselage. The gear and attachment have successfully undergone drop test to FAR-23 criteria. The gear strut is molded in an airfoil shape. The strut is designed to enter at the top of the wheel pant, rather than at the side, to reduce interference drag. The cruise penalty due to the main gear being fixed, is only 5-6 knots. Thus, the increase in empty weight, increased cost, and increased maintenance of a retractable main gear is not justified. The nose gear is a fiberglass strut, molded to the outside contour of the fuselage. The strut fits into a groove in the fuselage, thus a door is not required. The gear is retracted/extended by a simple worm drive mechanism. The gear is retracted on the ground after the pilot gets out to allow the aircraft to park with its nose down, resting on a rubber bumper. In this position, the aircraft is not susceptible to upset from high surface winds.

The fuel system consists of two, 26-gallon glass/foam/glass-composite fuel tanks, which form wing strakes along the sides. The wing tanks have sumps to provide fuel in most flight attitudes, and very little fuel is unusable. Fuel level is gaged by directly reading the fuel’s coloration in a translucent portion of the tank in the back seat.

Each wing and the canard are removable to allow compact storage or trailering. While, in some cases trailering is the only solution to the crowded airport situation, the work required to completely disassemble, tie down on a trailer, etc., defeats the high utility of the airplane and results in the pilot not flying enough to stay proficient. Please note, trailering at a road-towing width limitation of 8 feet requires a 33” high block under a wheel to tilt the airplane.

The composite structure of the OpenEZ provides significant advantages over conventional metal, wood, or fabric construction. It has been tested to loads far in excess of those required for FAA certification. Fatigue margins are higher. Contour is maintained underload, the structure does not “oil can”, buckle or distort. It provides excellent insulation and damps noise. It has no hidden joints, no water traps, and is far less susceptible to corrosion. It is easier to inspect, more redundant and easier to repair. It is not susceptible to thermal stress due to temperature changes. Properly protected from UV it has a very long life.