The Very Informal Gathering Of Defiant Builders These guys are even more of a tight knit group than most builders, probably due to the extreme sacrifice required to build a Defiant.  Most builders report that it's comparable to building two LongEZs. They had some very interesting building and flying tales to share.  With the reliability of two engines and the safety of the inline configuration, Defiant pilots are not discouraged by open stretches of water or mountains.  The Defiant is a real workhorse for serious traveling.

 

Life On EZ Street There were a lot of LongEZs and Variezes at Oshkosh this year, along with Cozys, Velocitys, Quickies, Defiants, VariViggens and a few other canard aircraft. This view shows only a small percentage of the 60 canard airplanes the EAA registered in 2001. As usual, the attractive and unconventional canard aircraft were very popular with the Oshkosh attendees.  I didn't stick around the plane, but just walking by a few times I managed to answer the "Where's the nose wheel?" question four times.  I'll have a printed and laminated sheet with frequently asked questions and answers next year, along with some barrier tape to rope off the plane to prevent the canopy scratches the plane received this year.

 

Looks like a fish, flies like a fish, steers like a cow. Just kidding. If this Q200 flies as good as it looks, it's a sweet flying plane.  One of the most esthetically pleasing shapes for a plane, these guys look fast just sitting on the ramp.  They're fast and very efficient planes.

 

Probably the prettiest of many beautiful LongEZs at Oshkosh this year. I think that's the chameleon paint that radiates a different color depending on the viewing angle.  As I walked around the plane, it shimmered in a changing rainbow of red, blue and violet. I overheard a lot of nice comments about this plane.

 

This Cozy looks very fast.

 

A very nice example of a Velocity 173 RG

 

All of those years of hard work were worth it! Harry Manvel's beautiful new Defiant flew to Oshkosh for the first time.  I can't say enough nice things about this plane.  The attention to detail is superb.

 

If you have an extra $125,000, this very nice Defiant, named Starship II is for sale. For details, contact me and I'll put you in touch with the Weitzels in Wake Village Texas.  I'd post their contact info, but I didn't get permission and they might not appreciate it.

 

Here are a few of the people that showed up for what became an almost standing room only crowd at the 2001 Central States Association Picnic at Oshkosh, on Friday evening, under a tent in the Nature Center. This was a great time for old friends to meet and catch up on old times as well as learn what's new. Thanks to Jim Rodrian and his family for hosting the picnic this year.  The food was really good, and everyone I saw was having a really great time.

 

SCALED Composites design engineer describes the Northrop Pegasus Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV), a research project for the Navy.  This device looks like it will serve more of a fighting role, while other smaller UAVs are intended more for reconnaissance. The Northrop Pegasus UAV prototype was built in two halves, the upper and lower, almost exclusively from carbon fiber.  The two pieces were joined in the largest secondary bonding operation in SCALED Composite's history. SCALED is definitely on the cutting edge of aviation technology.

 

Dick Rutan is a very entertaining and motivational speaker.  He is in great demand at every Oshkosh, but more so this year, when the theme was Aviation Firsts, a term that pretty well defines his career. In the forum I attended, he spoke about the Voyager trip around the world unrefueled, last year's Arctic Circle rescue, and his recent test flight of the rocket powered LongEZ (see the next picture, below). Dick is the record holder for time in a LongEZ, currently at just over 4000 hours.  That's a lot of EZ time, and Ole' Blue looks none the worse for wear.

 

This is the business end of the rocket powered LongEZ that Dick Rutan recently test flew.  The plane has one 400 pound thrust rocket, with plans to add a second.  It's VERY LOUD! The alcohol fuel tank is underneath, and the liquid oxygen tank is in the back seat. After the early development work, this rocket LongEZ is expected to fly some air shows in the near future.  The idea is to develop practical rocket systems for inexpensive space applications like space tourism.  The air shows are largely to generate interest and attract investors.  The rocket is not being developed as a practical form of propulsion for general aviation. The XCOR guys had a neat little suitcase rocket they were firing in the booth, just to the left of this picture.

 

This is Greg Richter's new turbo Mazda 13B powered Cozy, just outside the Blue Mountain Avionics booth.  The plane is equipped with their new EFIS/One avionics system, which garnered a lot of positive comments and more importantly sales at Oshkosh this year.  At $8800, the EFIS system is as capable as systems costing three to five times as much. I'd liked to have seen more of the plane, but I arrived late, and the next day the plane was away for brake repairs before flying home.  From the walk around on the outside, this looks like one very nice plane. I believe those are twin landing lights on the front, not a pair of fifty caliber guns or 20 mm cannons.  It's fun to pretend. "Out of my way, spam can!"

 

Burt Rutan and Mike Melvill gave a really fun talk and slide show at the misnamed Technical Forum.  The subject was the early days at Rutan Aircraft Factory (RAF) in Mojave California.  They divulged a lot of inside information.

 

This is the mock up of the new Orion TS, a canard airplane that will be powered by a 650 HP turboprop engine.  That's pretty exciting.  The introductory pricing looks too good to be true, although still out of my league. The designers seem to have all the right credentials, but I'm still a bit leery of a plane that hasn't been prototyped and flown.  Computer modeling is a lot better than even a few years ago, but I'm still really surprised that they have progressed to production tooling before flying a prototype. The factory will be located in Cincinnati, Ohio.

 

I stopped by the Berkut tent as they were packing up to leave.  This very nice Berkut was still on display. I helped load the Cool Jugs engine onto the trailer for the trip home.  Cool Jugs is an after market add on to convert a certified air cooled airplane engine to water cooled operation, just like all modern engines.  They claim increased power, increased reliability, longer overhaul life, and decreased opportunity for detonation or shock cooling.  Dick Rutan flew his Cool Jugs equipped Lycoming 360 powered LongEZ to Oshkosh this year. It was too busy while everyone was packing up to go, and I didn't get a chance to ask Dave Ronnenberg about the rumors of the soon to be released four place Berkut.

 

The Grizzly Burt Rutan wanted to explore using a canard design for a bush plane, which requires a low takeoff and landing speed.  With a lot of wing area and large flaps on the canard and main wing, he was successful in attaining the low speed flying qualities.  However, at a forum on Saturday he admitted that after a trip to Alaska he realized that a true bush plane needs high wings to clear the brush. Nevertheless, the RAF staff used the Grizzly for several fun camping trips.  There is enough room in the back for a tall person to stretch out and sleep. The Grizzly is on display behind the EAA museum in Oshkosh Wisconsin.

 

I was the next to the last EZ to leave.  I didn't see any homebuilts in the other homebuilt area. The day after Oshkosh is officially over, it's a quiet place.  It seems deserted compared to the activity of the previous week.