I first flew this LongEZ on the 4th of July 1983 after almost 3 years of building in my garage. I try to take it up to celebrate every 4th if the wx is okay. Down low like this it will indicate just over 200 knots wide open. It's reluctantly for sale, so this is my last birthday with the EZ. Almost 3,000 hours of trouble free flying all over North and South America

Are you replacing it with a newer or different plane?

Happy Birthday EZ!

Yep, looking for a V-tail Bonanza. Not as fast, but more comfortable for an old man. I was 32 when I first flew the EZ.

Really neat looking airplane. I know nothing about these, the majority of my time has been in the Bonanza family, I'm curious about a couple things.

• What is the reason for parking with the nose wheel retracted? I assume that the retraction / extension mechanism is purely mechanical, sort of like early Mooney?
  
  
• What engine is installed? Fuel burn in cruise? Fuel capacity?
  
  
• Useful load?
  
  
• If wind / weather / terrain does not force a choice, what altitude range do you prefer for cruise?

The pilot sits way forward of the CG, so it will tip over backwards without a pilot or copilot in it. Part of the reason it needs to be sold; too much gymnastics to board at 70. It has a 160 HP Lyc from a Piper Warrior. Wide open throttle at 17.5 is 180 KTAS at 6.9 gph . Fuel capacity is 54 gallons, all useable. 694 # useful load. 12 turns of a 3" crank to retract/deploy the nose gear.

I've been looking at V35's, 64-65 S or V35 A or B

quote:

Originally posted by aileron:

looking for a V-tail Bonanza.

Just saw this after my previous post. Wish that I had known -- sold my V-tail not too long ago. S-35, the most desirable model, in my opinion. Nicely equipped, not many hours on a factory overhauled engine and new prop.

I have a bit over 5,000 Bonanza hours, personal flying and instruction given, so if you have any Bonanza questions, I would be happy to discuss with you, either here, or via the email address in my profile.

Going from 180 kts at less than 7 gph, to 175 kts @ 15.5 gph might be a bit of a shock.

Most of the S and later Bonanzas had 80 gallon tanks (74 useable), the so-called "long range" option. "Standard" was 50 gallon, but I have never seen one of those, I don't think the factory produced very many.

You speak of acrobatics for boarding. Much as I love Bonanzas, and delightful as the S-35 is to fly, if I were to buy another airplane today (not gonna happen), my 84 year old, mobility limited body would have a much easier time getting into and out of a C-210. Not as nice to fly as a V-tail, just a bit slower, but I have to be VERY careful maneuvering to step up onto the wing of a Bonanza, and even more cautious when getting out and stepping down. Not a factor with the Cessna.

My next door neighbor would like me to buy 1/2 of his very nice T210. Not as fast as a Bo unless up high, and burns 19 or 20 gph, but is very easy to board and super comfortable. There's just two of us and a dog, so 6 seats would be a waste... and I've lusted after a V35 for almost 50 years. Nothing flies like a Beech.

I'd like to get tip tanks on a V-tail to make 875 nm X/C flights non-stop twice a month.

quote:

Originally posted by aileron:

Nothing flies like a Beech.

This is true. Delightful handling. My S-35 controls were a great combination of light and responsive, yet a very stable airplane, not at all "twitchy." Very easy to hand-fly in IMC*. The C-210 that I owned prior to the Bonanza was very stable, but felt like a truck without power steering. It took conscious effort to change direction, where the Bonanza almost felt like it was reading my mind.

As far as tip tanks, there are a lot of after-market vendors. I did not need / want tip tanks, the fuel range of my V-tail, almost five hours, exceeded my bladder capacity, so I always welcomed a fuel, restroom, and snack stop on longer trips.

The most convoluted fuel system I dealt with was on an acquaintance's older C model. It had seven tanks: the factory supplied main and aux tanks in each wing along with the factory optional belly tank, plus tip tanks. In older models, excess fuel is returned to the left main, no matter which tank is selected for the source. This means that an hour or so should be burned from the left main to make some room before feeding from any other tank. Take-off and landings are performed with fuel from either main, the other tanks can be used in cruise. The tip tanks on my friend's C model would not feed the engine directly. Fuel was transferred from the tips to the left main by electric pumps, one for each tip. The transfer rate was higher than the engine's fuel burn rate, so that meant that when transferring from the tips, you needed to keep an eye on the level in the left main to avoid pumping excess fuel overboard. Fuel management on this particular airplane required more attention than just about any other task. He had this arrangement in order to get non-stop capability between Chicago and The Bahamas.


Newer Bonanzas are simpler. The factory supplied just two tanks, a 40 gallon main in each wing. Fuel delivered to the controller by the fuel pump that is in excess of the engine's requirements is returned to whichever tank is in use, very simple. Either tank may be used for take-off and landing, so fuel management boils down to selecting a tank that has enough fuel.

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*I hate acronyms that are not defined. Of course, every pilot knows what "IMC" means, but for the benefit of non-pilots, it is "Instrument Meteorological Conditions," informally known as CSS (Can't See for Shit) as opposed to Visual Meteorological Conditions (VMC). In simple terms, VFR means "see and be seen," IMC means that you can not see and avoid hard things like other aircraft, terrain, etc., so ATC (Air Traffic Control) services are used for collision avoidance.

Happy birthday indeed. Curious to know what body of water those pics are from?

quote:

Originally posted by lbsid:
Happy birthday indeed. Curious to know what body of water those pics are from?

Flathead Lake MT, largest freshwater lake in the US West of the Mississippi.