My first solo in a Long EZ

Say whaaat?!

Well, if you were following me on YouTube you would have already known, but since "the cat is out of the bag" I might as well make it official...

I have purchased a beautiful flying Long EZ, and made my first solo flight with it this past week.

Marco's new Long EZ

Before I go too far talking about it, let me just explain that nothing else has changed, I am still building my own Long EZ, perhaps with more gusto now. As a matter of fact, I have been putting quite a few hours in the shop lately, but this time I did it because I wanted to, not because I needed to.

I went to look at this plane with Wade Parton for Chris, a friend of mine who was interested in purchasing it. Wade and I were the "experts" on Long EZ construction. 

Wade, Chris, and me checking the plane out.

I loved the plane at first sight, and the closer I looked at it the more I liked it. Wade loved it as well, and we both told Chris to absolutely buy this plane. 

Talking to Chris the next day, I found out that he had decided not to purchase it. I think his wife was looking for something with more seats. Well, you can guess what happened next... rationalization is a powerful mental mechanism, and I fell for it head first.

"Darn it!"  ;-)

To get ready for my first flight I flew a few hours in a Diamond DA20, and a few more in a 200hp RV6A, all of them with flight instructors.

I really liked the DA20

First time in a small airplane in 20 years

This is one powerful aircraft!

I totally credit my easy solo flight in the Long EZ with the time taken to fly these two very different airplanes.

Because I am used to how a Boeing 767 lands, I needed the most help and practice in judging the last 20 feet of altitude more than anything else. 

I am very thankful to my patient flight instructors for putting up with me in the 110ºF heat-index weather. 

Let me take you with me now on my first solo flight in the exquisite Long EZ Terry Lamp built. 

By the way, this video was not staged, I just thought of turning my iPhone camera on half way through the downwind leg, so please excuse the camera angle, perhaps you might see forward a little bit in my sunglasses.

Marco's first long EZ solo flight

The flight went great, and I had a lot of fun despite the heat.

I'm not sure whether or not I should feature this plane in the blog in the future. Perhaps many of the lessons Terry learned that are embedded in this plane will find their way into mine, and then it will make sense showing them.

Let me know what you think.