LongEZ transition training?

[Chairboy]

Hello!

I'm one of the eternal builders, working slowly on my Cozy, sometimes with months between tasks. It'll fly, eventually, but the US president at the time might be someone who is in college right now.

In the mean time, I'd like to purchase a LongEZ. I'm about to get some money from the sale of a business that I'll use to buy one, but I'd like to get some time with someone who's experienced first, both so I can get insurance right off the bat when I buy and so I have a good solid grounding in what to expect in terms of flying qualities. David Orr took me for a quick demo flight back at Canards De Mayo but I didn't have time to do more than marvel at how fantastic the plane was, so I forgot to ask for some stalls and to pay attention to the landing method and so on.

Is there anyone in the Pacific Northwest of the US who might be able to assist? A CFI would be fantastic, because then I could have some dual time on the books. I can drive anywhere between Seattle and Medford (I'm in Eugene, OR) and I'll cover all costs as needed.

I'm 270lbs and 6'2, so it'd probably be difficult to fit into the front seat C/G of a Cozy IV (unless the other pilot was wafer thin or the plane had an extended canard or whatnot), but either Cozy or LongEZ instruction would be fantastic if possible. Not sure I could fit into a VariEZ or Cozy III without amputation, the back seat of the LongEZ was a bit tight.

Message me here or at ben@vipmail.com.

Thanks!

PS, I'm a 90 hour pilot who's a bit rusty, but I'll plan on punching some holes in the sky in a Cessna before tackling the LongEZ. I'm not shy about taking a CFI sight-seeing when I haven't flown in a few weeks.