Landing gear mod

[BlackRain]

Hey Shannon.... thanks for all the pics and info. , really helpful. I will definitely be putting it to use. With the floats added what kind of weight does this put onto the plane itself? What is the max weight for the lazair? I am not a small person, standing 6'5" and 290 lbs generally puts me a tad larger than your average bear so to speak... lol.
I would like to ultimately lengthen the cockpit area to accommodate my tall frame by a foot. My thinking is that this could change the center of gravity and would need to be offset by adding some weight to the back end. Is there a specific formula I should follow to accomplish this or just play it by ear so to speak?
Sorry for all the questions, I have tried to research as much as possible but it is hard to find specific answers to some of the questions.

Thanks again for the great pics and info. it is greatly appreciated.

Regards,
Chad
aka BlackRain.

[JPXman]

did you buy the lazair or still gathering information?

Tyler
6'7" 270 lbs
stock lazair III with JPX engines

[Shannon]

Hi Chad, to be totally honest you need to be looking for an Elite with more power or even a different type aircraft with more hp. Ideally with Rotax 185s pilot weight needs to be around 170lbs. This is especially true for float operations where the weight is increased by approx 40+ lbs and you have increased drag. On wheels a 185 equipped plane will fly acceptably with a 225+lb pilot but performance begins to get marginal beyond that. The stated useful load is 190 if I recall. Weight and balance adjustment as advised by the factory is accomplished by moving the seat a prescribed amount for a given pilot weight. There's a chart on the site somewhere for Elites if I recall.

There's a Solo 210 powered Elite for sale on Barnstormers right now.
http://www.barnstormers.com/cat.php?mode=search

[BlackRain]

Hey Tyler...I am buying it... will be picking it up next week if the trailer gods are kind to me...lol. Nice to see the tall folks are still around... lol... not too often I have to look up at someone...lol.

Shannon.... I took a look at that one on Barnstormers and it's a bit more than I really want to spend. I was really looking for a project to keep me busy during the winter months to be honest.. but thanks for posting up the link. I would find it easier just to loose some weight lol.... probably make the wife happy with that choice as well...lol.
Seeing as how the one I am buying comes with 3 engines with very low hrs I can see selling them after a rebuild to finance upgraded engines.

Thanks,
Chad.

[Shannon]

Hey I say go for it. If you can get the plane going and loose some weight it would definitely be a win win. A light Series 2 with good strong engines, pod, and P-tips would have enough performance with a larger guy. Much like Tyler however you have the leg and headroom issue. The Lazair was design and built by a couple of skinny limber kids and a short college professor. Creature comfort for "normal" size guys was never addressed. This is why you see a few planes that were modified by customers to give a bit more leg room.

[JPXman]

peter thissen built that lazair. he built about 15 lazairs himself back in the day and was a dealer for a short time in the county. if it is undamaged, you have a nicely built machine on your hands. its a good place to start!

[bdiedenhofen]

Everything that you need for the engines is available from "Wildfire". I just ordered two carb kits myself. Just look up parts for their Mark III pump.
Brian D.l

[BlackRain]

Just sent an email to Wildfire for the carb rebuild kits, thanks for the info. I am looking forward to getting started on my project.

Cheers,
Chad.

[ozzie]

have you seen this for wide gear

[BlackRain]

Must have missed that one... looks pretty straight forward. Not too sure about a commercial mandrel bender around my parts though.

Cheers,
BlackRain.