View source for Rutan Long-EZ

{{Aircraft infobox
| name = Rutan Long-EZ
| image = NOAA-Long-EZ.jpg
| caption = Rutan Long-EZ. Photo: NOAA, Public domain, via [[commons:File:NOAA-Long-EZ.jpg|Wikimedia Commons]]
| make = Rutan
| type = Homebuilt aircraft
| origin = United States of America
| first_flight = June 12, 1979
| faa_registered = 419 (FAA register, October 30, 2026)
| seats = 1 pilot, 1 passenger
| engine = Lycoming O-235, 115 hp
| cruise = 144 mph
| range = 2,010 mi
| ceiling = 27,000 ft
| gross_weight = 1,325 lb
| category = Light-sport and kit aircraft
}}

The '''Rutan Long-EZ''' (Model 61, said "Long-Easy") is a two-seat homebuilt airplane designed by Burt Rutan. It has a canard up front, a swept wing with rudders at the wingtips, and a pusher engine at the back.<ref name="wp"/> The prototype, N79RA, first flew on June 12, 1979.<ref name="wp"/> The FAA register lists 419 under Long-EZ model names with a valid registration today.<ref name="faa"/>

== History ==
The Long-EZ is a larger redesign of Rutan's VariEze, whose plans first went to homebuilders in 1976. It was made to use common Lycoming aircraft engines instead of the Volkswagen-based or hard-to-find small Continental engines the VariEze needed.<ref name="wp"/> It got a bigger main wing with less sweep, larger strakes holding more fuel and baggage, and a slightly wider cabin. Plans were sold from 1980 to 1985.<ref name="wp"/>

The main wheels are fixed in streamlined spats, and the nosewheel retracts.<ref name="wp"/> Wikipedia counts about 700 FAA-registered Long-EZs in 2005 and 833 in 2021.<ref name="wp"/>

== Famous offshoots ==
* '''EZ-Rocket''': XCOR Aerospace replaced a Long-EZ's engine with two liquid-fueled rocket engines as a test vehicle.<ref name="wp"/>
* '''Twin-EZ''': a Long-EZ converted to two wing-mounted Wankel engines by Ivan Shaw, who later designed the Europa kitplane.<ref name="wp"/>

== Registered in the United States ==
The FAA register lists '''419''' of these airplanes with a valid U.S. registration. Here they are by the model name the FAA uses.<ref name="faa"/>
<div class="aw-wide">
{| class="wikitable sortable"
! FAA model name !! Registered
|-
| LONG EZ || 155
|-
| LONG-EZ || 137
|-
| LONG-EZE || 22
|-
| LONG EZE || 20
|-
| RUTAN LONG EZ || 18
|-
| LONGEZE || 14
|-
| RUTAN LONG-EZ || 13
|-
| LONGEZ || 9
|-
| RUTAN LONG EZE || 6
|-
| LIMA ZOO LONG-EZ || 1
|-
| DB LONG EZ || 1
|-
| LONG-EZ INVICTUS || 1
|-
| LONG-EZ-B || 1
|-
| RUTAN MOD 61 LONG EZ || 1
|-
| LONG EZ SAARUS || 1
|-
| LONG-EZE SP || 1
|-
| JACK DAY LONG EZE || 1
|-
| JEWETT LONG EZ || 1
|-
| BURTON LONG EZ || 1
|-
| RUTAN LONG EZE 61 || 1
|-
| ''14 other model names'' || 14
|}
</div>

== Specifications ==
<div class="aw-wide">
{| class="wikitable"
! Item !! Rutan Long-EZ
|-
| Crew || 1 pilot
|-
| Passengers / capacity || 1 passenger
|-
| Length || 5.12 m
|-
| Wingspan || 7.96 m
|-
| Height || 2.40 m
|-
| Wing area || 81.99 sq ft
|-
| Empty weight || 710 lb
|-
| Maximum takeoff weight || 1,325 lb
|-
| Fuel || 52 US Gal (197 L)
|-
| Engine || Lycoming O-235, 115 hp (air-cooled flat-four engine)
|-
| Maximum speed || 185 mph
|-
| Cruise speed || 144 mph
|-
| Range || 2,010 mi
|-
| Service ceiling || 27,000 ft
|-
| Rate of climb || 1,750 ft/min
|}
</div>
Figures as given in the Wikipedia article and its sources.<ref name="wp"/>

{{Owner notes}}

== Photos ==
<gallery mode="packed" heights="170">
File:Rutan.long-EZ.g-wily.arp.jpg|Rutan Long-EZ 160 (UK registration G-WILY) taking off at Kemble Airfield, Gloucestershire, England. Photo: Arpingstone, Public domain
File:ElectricLongEZ.jpg|Rutan Long-EZ with electric powerplant. Photo: FlugKerl2, CC BY-SA 3.0
File:Rutan Long-EZ home built aircraft.jpg|A Rutan Long-EZ home built aircraft flying at the AERO INDIA 2013. Photo: Sonutn, CC BY-SA 3.0
</gallery>
All photos are from [[commons:Main Page|Wikimedia Commons]]; click a photo for its full credit and license.

== Buying a Rutan Long-EZ ==
{{For sale soon}}

== Sources ==
<references>
<ref name="wp">Wikipedia, "[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rutan_Long-EZ Rutan Long-EZ]", read November 1, 2026. Airplane Wiki's text is written in its own words; facts are checked against this article and its sources.</ref>
<ref name="faa">Federal Aviation Administration, [https://www.faa.gov/licenses_certificates/aircraft_certification/aircraft_registry/releasable_aircraft_download Releasable Aircraft Database], file dated October 30, 2026. Valid registrations of fixed-wing airplanes whose FAA maker and model names belong to this family. Airplane Wiki uses only counts from this file, never owner names or addresses.</ref>
</references>