Long EZ?

[GrauGeist]

Yesterday around noon, I was out back of the shop, and could hear an odd aircraft engine in the distance. After a heck of a search, I saw a little white dot directly above, so I grabbed my Pentax, which fortunately had my Sigma 70-300 lense and zoomed in on it.

After a little debate with the guys in the shop, it was decided that this had to be one of Rutan's Long EZ models.

Since there's some modern aircraft pros here, I thought I'd post two of the three photos I was able to get, and see if we were right.

The images haven't been enlarged, but actually cropped from 3000x2000 to 740x500 and look a little fuzzy because of the extreme range and the fact that I didn't have a tripod handy. Well, it would have been nice if they were at least a thousand feet lower, too...

 

[Graeme]

After a little debate with the guys in the shop, it was decided that this had to be one of Rutan's Long EZ models.

I'm with you and "the shop" Dave, the Long-EZ. An old design? (didn't Google). This is from 1981...

 

[Njaco]

Being no expert when compared with those other pics I think you caught the right one.

 

[evangilder]

Definitely a Long EZ. We see them quite often out here in California.

 

[FLYBOYJ]

Visit Mojave Airport, Rosemond Air park or Fox Field in the Antelope Valley on a weekend, you'll see many of them.

 

[SoD Stitch]

Look like a VariViggen from that angle; it is one of Burt's older designs from the '70's. I never understood why they didn't sell more of them, I always liked that design.

 

[timshatz]

Isn't that one John Denver was flying when he went in?

 

[FLYBOYJ]

Isn't that one John Denver was flying when he went in?

I think so...

 

[GrauGeist]

We have a fair amount of civil aviation here in Redding, both at Redding (RDG) airport, and at Benton Field (O85)...most of it is mainstream, although we have an active local EAA chapter and some interesting private craft at both.

There's also CDF and USFS facilities at RDG and during extreme fire situations, contracted helos will stage at O85.

The Long EZ was headed due north, over the I-5 corridor at around 6,000ft when I grabbed the shots.

We get a huge amount of north/south over-flight here, both military and civil.