Howdy Everyone from Texas

[Genecockrell]

Hi all, thought I'd join the site and have a look around... I'm Gene Cockrell from Killeen, Texas in the US. I have a good flying Vari Eze and have several hundred hours in type. Fairly interested in a variety of aircraft. Hope to learn more here.

 

 

[bexrbetter]

Hi Gene, welcome.

 

Pictures of your Varilongtimetobuild please?

 

 

[Genecockrell]

She looks like this

 

 

 

[Genecockrell]

As for a long time building, I have no idea. I'm not a builder but from what I have seen and heard these are pretty easily put together...I did run a search on forum history and saw some uninformed, may I say clueless comments about the Variezes. Is this characteristic of this group?

 

///Gene Cockrell

 

 

[bexrbetter]

As for a long time building, I have no idea. I'm not a builder but from what I have seen and heard these are pretty easily put together..

I have done nothing but study build techniques, processes, methods and systems to build planes for the last 5 or so years via hundreds of build blogs and have determined most of Rutan'ish planes come out the worst for build time. 3000 plus hours is rather common.

 

Don't get me wrong, was just a bit of tongue in cheek, I love 'em and you got a beauty there!

 

saw some uninformed, may I say clueless comments about the Variezes. Is this characteristic of this group?

Nah, nothing special here, we're typically clueless when it comes to most things.

 

 

[Genecockrell]

I have done nothing but study build techniques, processes, methods and systems to build planes for the last 5 or so years via hundreds of build blogs and have determined most of Rutan'ish planes come out the worst for build time. 3000 plus hours is rather common.Don't get me wrong, was just a bit of tongue in cheek, I love 'em and you got a beauty there!

 

Nah, nothing special here, we're typically clueless when it comes to most things.

Hi Bexr,

 

Glad you like, it's a great plane to fly..If anyone has one or is considering one, I can always be prevailed on to offer advice, may not be worth 2 cents but its free...

 

. I don't know about build logs per se, they are pretty boring reads. I generally am the guy who goes over the plane and gets things straightened out mechanical wise so it will fly again, I did a Vari early this year that had been hangared for 25 years and didn't fly during that time....Demonstrated it for a buyer yesterday and I really didn't want to land.. it was so sweet...

 

In any case, from talking to and knowing several builders over the years, you sometimes learn a couple things..

 

IMHO the most time consuming construction is wooden truss structure (I used to have a Super Diamant- this is a big Emeraude- which I sold as a project for way too cheap and then sent to Australia about 3 years ago) followed by metal monocoque then by metal truss followed by moldless composite.. Wood planes seem to take about 10 years to get built, rag and tube less than that and RVs Sonexes, etc are done a lot of time in 4-5 years.. Of course there is the difference between kit build - the US has a 51% rule where the builder has to finish out 51% of the aircraft- and plans built.. A couple of Varis that I know of (one builder is deceased though) were built in a 3 year time frame back in the early 80s. I think the Long is about the same in construction time provided one purchases the metal fittings and the engine mount...One local Aussie is just about finishing a FG Velocity and I think he has 5 or 6 years in it... This is a kitbuilt 4 place canard with 260 hp and is quite a plane...

 

One comment I have heard from multiple people and I know to be true about working with epoxy and glass is that the workflow goes in discreet steps due to the epoxy work and cure times and you are basically forced into these steps and that this tends to speed things along during construction...

 

 

[poteroo]

One local Aussie is just about finishing a FG Velocity and I think he has 5 or 6 years in it... This is a kitbuilt 4 place canard with 260 hp and is quite a plane...

Probably the one in a hangar not more than 100 metres from mine here in Albany, West Australia?

 

happy days,