The Long EZ to Rocket to Virgin Galactic! The Rutan Brothers Story [Specs, Records, Safety, Design]

Long EZ distance records, Rocket Racing and Spaceflight. The Long EZ is an incredible canard aircraft invention from the Rutan brothers. Find out the evolution of the Long-Ez in this video.
The Rutang Long-EZ has its roots back from the VariEze designed by Burt Rutan. The VariEze it self was an evolution of the Rutan VariViggen Bert wanted to design an aircraft that could resist Stalls and spins. The VariViggen took its first flight in 1972. Burt’s VariEze first got airborne on 21st May 1975. Dick Rutan, Burt's Brother piloted it to set a distance record for under 500kg aircraft at 1,638 miles Dick wanted to improve on his brothers design by pushing it to the limits. He was able to break world records and to fine tune it to the rockets sporting distance setting incredible aircraft it is today. The Long-EZ has an incredible range of 2010 miles! Burt Rutan has gone on to help design the Spaceship one and two for Virgin Galactic.

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Footage links:
Dick's emotional story of the Voyager flight

AirshowStuffVideos
Long EZ Aerobatics - EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2018

Bill Whittle
LONG EZ FIRST FLIGHT

Long EZ Pilot
Long EZ 3-ship Formation Flight, 21 Nov 2020

TheFlyboy023
Long EZ Adria Air Race

The Aviation News Channel
In-flight Break up of Amateur Built JETEZ September 2018 (NTSB Reports)

Chris and Dotty Anderson
Jet converted Cozy Visit

Ary Glantz
The Long-EZ Build: Chapter 12 - canard install

rocketracingleague
Rocket Racing League Inaugural Flight - July 29, 2008

1spritch
Rocket Racing League - Tulsa, OK - 2010

rocketracingleague
Rocket Racing League Teaser

Dark Skies
F-100 Super Sabre - Supersonic Close Air Support in the Vietnam War

Mike Josi
VariEze NJ Shore Flight Short Version - 20130215 Teaser

Brian Ashworth
Ken McConnell VariEze Flight

Alejandro Irausquin
Rutan Voyager - Letting go...

Virgin Galactic
Virgin Galactic In Space For The First Time

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[kyuhotae]

Have long been a fan and admirer of the Rutan Brothers…!

The fact that Burt had first worked for James Bede is also to be remembered, as it says a lot about James Bede as a pioneer in his own right!

Though not exclusively American, we owe a lot to such pioneers and entrepreneurs who, for the most part, flourished especially more in America! All the greats from Juan de Cierva to Sikorsky and so on all adorn the annals of history. We salute them all!

[willcall]

Both Ez aircraft the Varieze and long Ez are very efficient. I purchased a started Eze project from a gentleman back in the 90s finished it and flew it for 500 hours. As an engaged young man my girlfriend and I ( now my wife) would take trips all over the western United States. My folks lived in central Oregon and Often times we would fly there from socal and make a fuel stop in red bluff. By myself I could fly non stop 742 nm on 24 gallons. Incredible efficiency. I miss it . I would love to find a cozy project that needs completion.

[sijcalv]

My dad went to America in 1977 and met Burt and Dick.
They allowed him to fly their planes a defiant and a long eze and let him borrow another plane to take his business friends on a site seeing tour.
My dad being a little bit of a lad decided to cut across some restricted aerospace to save some time and was promptly engaged by some us air force jets that questioned his position and intent, my dad told them in his British accent who he was and he was visiting Burt and Dick, they radioed it all through and then escorted him over the space shuttle to ensure his trip wasn't wasted, this saved 2 hours of his journey, have all the pics..
My dad then came home with plans to make a vari eze of his own designed by Burt and Dick.
He built it with 3 friends.
Subsequently it was the 1st homebuilt of its kind in Europe.
My dad went on to set 2 world air speed records with it for its class and won the London to Malta air rally in it...
RIP Peter Calvert 1943 - 2019

[bx]

I've built two Long EZ's and flew them over 2, 000 hours. I also put 18 air racing trophies on my "I love me" wall with the first one. Early on the standard engine was a 110 HP Lycoming. The performance was good but not great. Most of them built in the last 30 years have 160 HP Lycoming's and a few have 180 HP ones. My second one has a 180 HP 360 cu. in. hopped up to 215 HP. Economy cruise (above 14, 000') is 200 MPH burning 5.6 gallons per hour. I flew my first one, with a 290 cu. in Lyc hopped up to 170 HP From Hood River, OR to Oshkosh, Wis. 1610 miles in 7.5 hours nonstop.

[robertborchert]

Brilliant! It's a smaller world than you think. As a lad, I met Dick and Burt Rutan, my father aspired to build a VariEze in the early days.

Living in southern California, I visited their home base many times. We had a collection of original plans, and many parts from them. We had a complete landing gear hanging in the garage, lovely fiberglass arch.

As a lad, I loved holding the components in my hands, and comparing them against the plans.

The Rutans were very kind and friendly.

[lgwappo]

I worked at a very small airport years ago & a Rutan Long-EZ landed. I gassed it up & spoke to the pilot. Amazing plane to walk around & look at. I so badly wanted to fly one. Pilot took off, climbed quickly & banked right. Very fast plane.

[vaughnharris]

i owned longez 97wp for a decade and loved every second of it nothing flies like an

[larrysouthern]

My favorite design of all times....I love this aeroplane!!!! Thank You Mr. Rutan!!!

[larrysouthern]

The airplane of my



I❤it!!

[babyboomer]

Was also building a Vari Eze in Lancaster, Ca. Everybody into aviation in that area near Edwards Air Force Base. Lik3 other guys went to Mojave airport on Saturdays. Rutan used to give kids rides in N4EZE if I remember correctly. Most memorable was all the Edwards astronauts, etc. working on the shuttle. They had they’re classic planes they worked on, remember F104 Starfighter. F100 F86 WWII PLANES. One of the reasons LongEze was designed was the VarEze guys were trying to put O235 engines in their planes. Rutan specifically wrote in one of the newsletters not to ……varEze was designed for an 85hp engine!

[brianashworth]

Hello Pilot Mike, great video, thanks! Make more! I just bought a Long-EZ and I see you've used a few clips I took of G-KENZ. Great planes, great designer! God bless!

[free-birdrocker]

My pops had a Vari-Viggen, he had a couple of flights on it, tryed to have it restored, the mechanics gutted the thing with out labeling the parts removed and it became a boat anchor. Now its with somebody that will take care of it and restore it properly...

[electricaviationchannelvid]

Forgot to mention the most important design/engineering of the whole aviation history: Starship Beechcraft by Burt Rutan
1st carbon fiber construction a/c with lifetime guarantee...it was so good the lobby killed it...

[budokava]

Rutan's work with Virgin is super interesting. This was a good video, interested to see your take there...

[phillipzx]

I'll get blasted for this but as far as I'm concerned the Rutan Brothers added more to aviation history than did the Wright Brothers.

And it's just "Very easy, " not "Very easy E." :-)

[apacheinstructor]

I met both of the Rutan brothers when I was painting airplanes at the Mojave airport, I found Burt to be very personable and exceptionally friendly, he was genuinely interested in the work I was doing and seemed completely void of the kind of ego you would expect from such an accomplished engineer, Dick Rutan…not so much.

[rcketplumber]

The video at 0:38 is actually of the X-Racer, the second rocket plane we built at XCOR from a Velocity airframe. The aircraft at 2:21 is the A-Racer built by Armadillo Aerospace after Grainger Whitelaw refused to pay us for for the X-Racer.

[MarkShinnick]

Add to this Global Hilton: we launched 2-1998 a beautiful 8' diameter carbon roughly 1/10" thick pressurized RTW flight gondola from Fiesta Balloon park....but the lower gas cell of the 5000 lb Cameron envelope ripped it's bottom upon reaching float altitude. Dave, then Dick bailed over NM in a strong wind and the vehicle flew on over-the horizon and into a nighttime Texas power lines shower of sparks the nearby rancher claimed gave his best breeding cow a heart attack :) Dick had deployed the Helium vent at the top of the envelope, but everytime it hit the ground it lost some of its fuel tanks and zoomed again. At Albuquerque Center I asked them to ask AF to shoot it down, and I heard that Baron Hilton put in the request to Norad...too bad we couldn't save that poor cow :)

[johnsteichen]

You totally forgot the the many designs of Burt Rutan from the RAF. And then the later Scaled Composits. I personally built an early Vari Eze . I later built the outstanding Defiant. It was a twin engine push pull centerline design, 4 place canard. although only 176 sets of plans were sold. The builders who did complete the construction ended up with an incredibly safe traveling dream. I flew over 1700 hours in this amazing aircraft. Wish you had done more homework and was not in such a hurry to turn out a quicky you tube. Quicky was another of his eclectic designs for homebuilders.

[alanmydland]

That was great thank you. Always liked the airplane