The Long EZ

Welcome to my airplane build blog. I am in the process of building a Long-EZ aircraft. The Long-EZ is a 2-place, single-engine, all-composite airplane - capable of flying 200+ mph. Feel free to browse around and contact me with any comments, questions and/or motivational anecdotes - thelongezbuild at gmail dot com.

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Chapter 1 - General information
     1. The Long-EZ
     2. Composite basics
     3. Mixing epoxy
     4. Tooling
     5. Time and budget tracking

Chapter 2 - Materials
     1. List of materials

Chapter 3 - Practice layups
     1. The flat layup
     2. The load beam
     3. The bookend

Chapter 4 - Bulkheads
     1. Overview
     2. Front seat
     3. Rear seat
     4. F28 bulkhead
     5. Instrument panel
     6. F22 and doubler
     7. The firewall



Chapter 5 - Fuselage sides 
     1. Overview
     2. Fuselage side walls - prep
     3. Fuselage sides - left inside glassing
     4. Fuselage sides - right inside glassing
     5. Top longeron reinforcement and trim
     6. Aft fuselage beef-up 



Chapter 6 - Fuselage assembly 
     1. Overview
     2. Rigging and floxing the fuselage
     3. Applying BID tape to bulkheads
     4. Straightening out the fuselage
     5. Contouring the fuselage floor
     6. Glassing and bonding the fuselage floor
     7. Applying BID tape to bottom corners
     8. F28 and doubler installation
     


Chapter 7 - Fuselage exterior
     1. Overview
     2. Rounding the corners
     3. Making and installing the main landing gear attach brackets
     4. Trimming the F22 bulkhead 'batman' ears
     5. Seat belt hard points
     6. Flex hose conduit inserts
     7. Glassing the exterior fuselage



Chapter 8 - Rollover structure & seat belts
     1. Overview
     2. Manufacturing the rollbar
     3. Installing the rollbar
     4. Seat belts    ::pending::


Chapter 9 - Part 1: Speed brake
     1. Overview
     2. Speed brake recess
     3. Speed brake glassing (outside)
     4. Speed brake glassing (inside) 
     5. Speed brake actuator



Chapter 9 - Part 2: Main landing gear
     1. Overview
     2. Outside strut layup
     3. Positioning the main gear strut on the fuselage   
     4. Gear attachment fitting layup (the gear tabs)
     5. Finishing up the tab/LMGA assembly
     6. Installing the axles
     7. Installing the brakes and wheels
     8. Packing the wheel bearings



Chapter 10 - Canard
     1. Overview
     2. Inner cores and shear web layup
     3. Installing the lift tabs and leading edge
     4. Canard jig and bonding extension tips
     5. Bottom spar cap and skin
     6. Prep for the top skin glassing and hinge inserts
     7. Top spar cap and skin  



Chapter 11 - Elevators
     1. Overview
     2. Torque tube prep and NC2 install
     3. Bottom and top skin layups
     4. NC2 pockets and outboard end layups
     5. NC6 install and trailing edge trim
     6. Elevator jigging and install
     7. Canard outboard tips
     8. Elevator mass balance
     9. Elevator inboard ends  ::pending::



Chapter 12 - Canard installation
     1. Overview
     2. Installing the alignment pins
     3. Aligning the canard and making top tabs
     4. CN1 Bushings and installing the canard



Chapter 13 - Nose and nose gear
     1.    Overview
     2.    Extended round nose
     3.    Nose wheel strut
     4.    NG30 panels
     5.    Nose gear box installation
     6.    Nose bulkheads
     7.    NG6 pivot to nose strut
     8.    F1-3 installation
     9.    Nose floor pans
     10.  Rudder pedal assemblies
     11.  Nose wheel casting installation
     12.  NG3/NG4 and actuator hook-up
     13.  Nose side panels
     14.  Rudder pedal installation    
     15.  Making the strut cover
     16.  F4.1 and forward nose strut ramp
     17.  Installing the SC strut cover and NB wheel cover
     18.  Forward nose assembly and bottom nose glass



Chapter 14 - Center-section spar
     1.   Overview
     2.   Building the spar jig
     3.   Bonding the spar foam panels
     4.   Spar interior layup
     5.   Spar lid (CS4)
     6.   Troughs and shear web
     7.   Top spar cap
     8.   Bottom spar cap     
     9.   Outside layup
     10. Forward face layup and end caps 
     11. Installing the center section spar 



Chapter 15 - Firewall and accessories
     Pending...


Chapter 16 - Control system
     1. Overview 
     2. Main control assembly
     3. Aileron controls 
     4. Elevator controls 
     5. Rudder controls   ::pending::


Chapter 17 - Roll/pitch trim system
     Pending...


Chapter 18 - Canopy and frame
     1.   Overview
     2.   Positioning and foam frame
     3.   Outside canopy frame layup
     4.   Bottom surface, inside aft nook, and rain lip
     5.   Hardpoints and interior layups
     6.   Canopy hinges
     7.   Cross brace and gas spring
     8.   Canard top cover
     9.   Nose hatch
     10. Nose hatch latch
     11. Avionics compartment and hatch
     12. Canopy latches
     13. Canopy / fuselage blend



Chapter 19 - Wings, wings installation, and ailerons

     Right wing (starboard wing)
     1.   Overview
     2.   Right wing foam cores
     3.   Inboard shell and wing attach pockets
     4.   Wing jigs and FC sections
     5.   Shear web layup
     6.   Leading edge and bottom spar cap
     7.   Bottom wing skin layup
     8.   Top wing spar cap
     9.   Top wing surface prep
     10. Top wing skin layup
     11. Forward inboard rib
     12. Aft inboard ribs



     Left wing (port wing)
     1. Left wing compilation



     Wing installation
     1. Installing the wings



     Ailerons
     1. Aileron cutouts and pockets
     2. Aileron leading edge and ribs
     3. Aileron hinges and install



Chapter 20 - Winglets and rudders
     1.  Overview
     2.  Winglet upper cores and surface layups
     3.  Winglet pre-installation prep work
     4.  Winglet inside layups
     5.  Winglet outboard bottom layups
     6.  Winglet inboard top layups
     7.  Winglet and rudder hinge pockets
     8.  Installing the rudders and hinges
     9.  Installing hidden rudder belhorns
    10. Wingtip layups 
    11. Rudder return springs
    12. Top rudder layups   ::pending::



Chapter 21 - Strakes and fuel tanks
     1.  Overview             
     2.  Fuselage cutouts 
     3.  Strake ribs and bulkheads
     4.  Strake bottom foam panels and inside layups
     5.  Fuel sight gauges
     6.  Vent lines and screens
     7.  Strake top foam panels
     8.  Fuel line outlets and OD ribs
     9.  Strake bottom outside skin layups
    10. Fuel sump blisters and interior stowage pockets
    11. Strake top outside skin layups
    12. Fuel tank pressure checks
    13. Strake leading edges
    14. Fuel lines   ::pending::




Chapter 22 - Electrical system
     Pending...

Chapter 23 - Engine
     1. Engine mount paint

Chapter 24 - Covers, fairings and consoles
     1. Overview
     5. Wing / center-section seal   ::pending::    

Chapter 25 - Paint and finishing
     Pending...

Chapter 26 - Upholstery
     Pending...




 ::Last updated on March 3, 2023::