by Andyrkett

The Rutan Long Ez is a unique aircraft in the world of General Aviation. One way to look at it is that everything is backward. The Engine is at the back, the wings are in the middle and the Elevator is at the front. The Front canard on these aircraft is also very unique but suffers from some aerodynamic problems especially in rain and water. One way to overcome this is to fit vortex generators along the top edge of the canard and this helps the flow of air over the canard and breaks up any water that accumulates on the upper edge.

These Vortex generators are hard to find and expensive, thankfully this is an Experimental aircraft so does not have to undergo the complex and stringent requirements to modify like a certified aircraft would.

I have modelled the vortex generators in size from 2 aircraft here in the UK and have put the designs up here for those of you who have access to a 3D printer who want to make your own. Its worth noting these vortex generators are very easy to break off when getting in and out of the cockpit therefore having a supply of spares if always going to be very handy.

My Plan is to refine the design to make it look better, smoother and generally blend better with the style of the aircraft, but for the time being these are simply a more practical solution if you've broken a few of yours off, and can't find replacements.

Print Settings

Supports:

No

Infill:

100

Filament_brand:

any

Filament_color:

White

Filament_material:

PLA ABS

Notes:

I recommend printing these in a fine resolution and with a little extra flow to make sure the layers stick well to one another and to make sure the finished item is nice a strong.