Start here
A few places to begin, from the aircraft’s story to the people who fly it.
Meet the aircraft
The Long-EZ places a small lifting surface ahead of its main wing and the propeller behind the cabin. VSKYLABS describes using the original 1980 plans and pilot handbook as references for its homebuilt-aircraft simulation. The current X-Plane 12 product includes a standard aircraft and extended-range configurations.
Aircraft background
VSKYLABS · Read more ↗Standard and extended-range Long-EZ models
The current X-Plane 12 package includes standard analog and G1000 aircraft plus an analog extended-range model. The ER version adds ferry tanks and transfer systems; the separate X-Plane 11 product should not be assumed to contain every later XP12 update.
Long-EZ · VSKYLABS · X-Plane 11 · X-Plane 12
VSKYLABS · Read more ↗Into the cockpit
YouTube The Weekly Departure · 1 min ·
Exploring The Cockpit: A Look Inside RUTAN 61 LONG EZ PLANE | Ultralight Homebuilt Aircraft Design
A tour of the cockpit in a 1988 Long-EZ homebuilt.
Real aircraft · Rutan Long-EZ
Watch on YouTube ↗Preview images are served by AirframeDB. Videos open on YouTube only when you choose to watch.
Meet Rutan Long-EZ
The Long-EZ places a small lifting surface ahead of its main wing and the propeller behind the cabin. VSKYLABS describes using the original 1980 plans and pilot handbook as references for its homebuilt-aircraft simulation.
The current X-Plane 12 product includes a standard aircraft and extended-range configurations. Those add ferry fuel and transfer systems inspired by long-distance flights; the developer documents those modifications separately from the original plans-built layout.
Rutan Long-EZ
Rutan Aircraft Factory → · Explore the family →
Rutan Long-EZ
VSKYLABS · VSKYLABS Aerospace Simulations Aircraft Center: VSKYLABS Rutan LongEZ ↗Long-EZ standard analog
VSKYLABS · VSKYLABS Aerospace Simulations Aircraft Center: VSKYLABS Rutan LongEZ ↗VSKYLABS · X-Plane 11 · X-Plane 12 →Long-EZ standard G1000
VSKYLABS · VSKYLABS Aerospace Simulations Aircraft Center: VSKYLABS Rutan LongEZ ↗VSKYLABS · X-Plane 11 · X-Plane 12 →Long-EZ extended-range
VSKYLABS · VSKYLABS Aerospace Simulations Aircraft Center: VSKYLABS Rutan LongEZ ↗VSKYLABS · X-Plane 11 · X-Plane 12 →Aircraft type designators
Use the code for the model you are flying. The linked authority lists the applicable aircraft.
History & design
A homebuilt introduced in 1979
Burt Rutan’s Long-EZ became one of the best-known plans-built designs from Rutan Aircraft Factory. Pima’s example was built by John R. Stitt between 1981 and 1983 and donated by his family in 1987, illustrating the aircraft’s individual-builder history.
Pima Air & Space Museum · Rutan Model 61 Long-EZ ↗Rutan Long-EZ; individual builder and simulator variants
The long-range interpretation
VSKYLABS bases its standard model on the prototype and adds an extended-range version inspired by Dick Rutan’s N169SH, Old Blue. The ER simulation includes auxiliary fuel and transfer systems for an endurance mission; those additions are not standard equipment on every Long-EZ.
VSKYLABS · VSKYLABS Aerospace Simulations Aircraft Center: VSKYLABS Rutan LongEZ ↗Rutan Long-EZ; individual builder and simulator variants
Systems & details
Canard, rudders and brakes
The add-on incorporates a Roncz canard and enlarged rudders. It also distinguishes the belly airbrake from its experimental dual-rudder braking arrangement. The ER’s fuel transfer affects loading, while the standard variants model an automatically varying Aeromatic propeller. These builder-style changes help explain why one generic Long-EZ equipment list would be misleading.
In your simulator
Systems, equipment and documentation for each developer’s aircraft.
Compare simulator versions →X-Plane 11 · X-Plane 12Long-EZ
VSKYLABS · Released
Long-EZ
VSKYLABS · Released
MSFS 2020 · MSFS 2024 (changelog-supported compatibility)Rutan Model 61 Long-EZ
IndiaFoxtEcho · Released
Rutan Model 61 Long-EZ
IndiaFoxtEcho · Released
Manuals & resources
Find your next read
Choose a topic for a short introduction and a link to the original source. Simulator references identify the developer and edition they cover.
Simulator documentation
Standard and extended-range Long-EZ modelsLong-EZ · VSKYLABS · X-Plane 11 · X-Plane 12
The current X-Plane 12 package includes standard analog and G1000 aircraft plus an analog extended-range model. The ER version adds ferry tanks and transfer systems; the separate X-Plane 11 product should not be assumed to contain every later XP12 update.
Official developer / designated-store reference · checked 2026-09-14
VSKYLABS · Read the source ↗Developer documentation
Rutan Model 61 Long-EZ — product listingRutan Model 61 Long-EZ · MSFS 2020 · MSFS 2024 (changelog-supported compatibility)
Product listing captured 2026-09-24; edition scope from the reviewed catalogue
IndiaFoxtEcho / publisher · Read the source ↗Rutan Model 61 Long-EZ — product listingRutan Model 61 Long-EZ · MSFS 2020 · MSFS 2024 (changelog-supported compatibility)
Product listing captured 2026-09-30; edition scope from the reviewed catalogue
Just Flight Support · Read the source ↗Read the original documentation from the people who created it. Manuals open on their publisher’s website.
Developer documentation
VSKYLABS Aerospace Simulations Aircraft Center: VSKYLABS Rutan LongEZVSKYLABS · Official developer / designated-store reference · checked 2026-09-14 VSKYLABS Rutan LongEZ. Highly Engineered LongEZ Simulation for X-Plane.VSKYLABS · Official developer / designated-store reference · checked 2026-09-14Type designator
ICAO Doc 8643 — aircraft type designatorsInternational Civil Aviation Organization · Public search data retrieved 2026-09-14; authority update 2026-09-03Product
Rutan Model 61 Long-EZIndiaFoxtEcho / publisher · Product listing captured 2026-09-24; edition scope from the reviewed catalogue Rutan Model 61 Long-EZ (MSFS) Changelog : The Spirit of Flight SimulationJust Flight Support · Product listing captured 2026-09-30; edition scope from the reviewed catalogueAircraft documentation
Rutan Model 61 Long-EZPima Air & Space Museum · Museum N82ST dimensions and builder history; questionable listed loaded weight excludedBuilt-in force-feedback profiles
Read the documentary basis, editable starting settings and remaining questions for the aircraft you fly. Each explanation refers to the exact profile revision shown.
Catalogue programme-20261022-v1 · 4 profile choices
IndiaFoxtEcho Rutan Long-EZ
IndiaFoxtEcho · Free and Pro · Revision 3 · Inherited starting point
MSFS 2020 · MSFS 2024
IndiaFoxtEcho Rutan Long-EZ: The profile supplies reversible resistance around canard pitch and rear-wing roll control.
VSKYLABS Rutan Long-EZ
VSKYLABS · Free and Pro · Revision 4 · Inherited starting point
X-Plane 12
VSKYLABS Rutan Long-EZ: The profile supplies reversible resistance around canard pitch and rear-wing roll control.
VSKYLABS Rutan Long-EZ ER
VSKYLABS · Free and Pro · Revision 3 · Inherited starting point
X-Plane 12
VSKYLABS Rutan Long-EZ ER: The profile supplies reversible resistance around canard pitch and rear-wing roll control.
Rutan Long-EZ
Free and Pro · Revision 1 · Partial review
X-Plane 12 · X-Plane 11
Rutan Long-EZ: The profile supplies reversible resistance around canard pitch and rear-wing roll control.
VSKYLABS Rutan Long-EZ ER
VSKYLABS Rutan Long-EZ ER: The profile supplies reversible resistance around canard pitch and rear-wing roll control.
Aircraft and simulator scope
- VSKYLABS Rutan Long-EZ ER · VSKYLABS · X-Plane 12 · Add-on starting point
The simulator model and controls
The Long-EZ places a small lifting surface ahead of its main wing and the propeller behind the cabin. VSKYLABS describes using the original 1980 plans and pilot handbook as references for its homebuilt-aircraft simulation.
This profile selects VSKYLABS Rutan Long-EZ ER for X-Plane 12.
How this profile feels
The profile supplies reversible resistance around canard pitch and rear-wing roll control. Spring resistance builds with the selected airspeed response. A separate aerodynamic term adds speed-dependent control load.
Pitch and roll trim use springs rather than conventional elevator tabs. Valid trim provides the configured pressure relief. Autopilot following is off.
Controls and trim
The Long-EZ uses manual canard controls and spring-based pitch/roll trim. Its pusher engine, fixed main wheels, retractable nosewheel and belly airbrake form a different configuration from a conventional flapped aeroplane.
The selected implementation
VSKYLABS supplies standard analog and G1000 Long-EZ cockpits plus an Extended Range model with slipper/rear-seat tanks and oxygen. Opposed rudders can act together as an airbrake; the belly brake remains separate.
About the values
The gains are normalized profile settings. They describe the chosen effect balance; hand force depends on the device and its output limits. IAS references are tuning values rather than operating limits. Physical acceptance of this revision remains pending.
Documentary review and sources
These decisions describe the documentary basis and remaining gaps for this revision. Aircraft documentation and a starting setting describe different kinds of evidence.
Aircraft and variant
InheritedThis profile selects VSKYLABS Rutan Long-EZ ER for X-Plane 12.
Flight controls
InheritedThe Long-EZ uses manual canard controls and spring-based pitch/roll trim. Its pusher engine, fixed main wheels, retractable nosewheel and belly airbrake form a different configuration from a conventional flapped aeroplane.
Trim
InheritedPitch and roll trim use springs rather than conventional elevator tabs. Pitch authority 0.3 provides load relief and permitted centre movement; roll authority is 0.12.
Autopilot and stability
InheritedAutopilot following is off; the configured spring and load retain the hardware feel.
Equipment
InheritedVSKYLABS supplies standard analog and G1000 Long-EZ cockpits plus an Extended Range model with slipper/rear-seat tanks and oxygen. Opposed rudders can act together as an airbrake; the belly brake remains separate.
Speeds and limits
InheritedThe indicated-speed references set the profile response scale; they are separate from aircraft operating limits.
Simulator integration
InheritedThe profile targets xplane12. Add-on-specific controls use only the supported references configured by this profile.
Force-feedback settings
InheritedThe settings define the profile’s effect balance. Device output limits affect physical hand force.
Starting settings and their rationale
These configured values are starting estimates. The explanations describe what each setting controls; physical validation appears separately below.
| Setting | Starting value | What it controls and why |
|---|---|---|
| Spring strength | Starting value0.74 | What it controls and whyThe profile supplies reversible resistance around canard pitch and rear-wing roll control. The baseline spring is 0.74. Its low-speed blend reaches baseline strength at 45 KIAS. |
| Master force gain | Starting value0.85 | What it controls and whyScales overall profile strength while preserving effect balance, subject to device and output limits. |
| Profile force gain | Starting value0.8 | What it controls and whyThe aerodynamic-load gain is 0.8 with an indicated-speed reference of 140 KIAS. This supplies speed-dependent loading alongside the spring. |
| Force tuning speed/reference | Starting value140 kt | What it controls and whySets the IAS reference for aerodynamic loading. It is an estimate, not published cruise TAS or a flight limit. |
| Spring response reference speed | Starting value45 kt | What it controls and whySets the IAS where the low-speed blend reaches baseline strength; high-speed stiffening also uses it. |
| Aileron force scale | Starting value0.72 | What it controls and whyRoll and pitch aerodynamic scales are 0.72 and 1, respectively. They set the aerodynamic axis balance. No custom spring-travel curve is enabled. |
| Elevator force scale | Starting value1.0 | What it controls and whyScales pitch aerodynamic loading; pitch spring travel and trim responses are separate settings. |
| Trim feel | Starting valueDisabled | What it controls and whyRetained for compatibility and group membership. Trim relief, rather than this flag, controls centre movement. |
| Trim relief | Starting valueEnabled | What it controls and whyAllows trim relief with supported control law and valid telemetry. Axis authorities set its amount. |
| Autopilot follow | Starting valueDisabled | What it controls and whyAutopilot following is off; the configured spring and load retain the hardware feel. |
| Autopilot neutral hold | Starting valueDisabled | What it controls and whyPermits centering hold during a supported AP state, separate from following a moving target. |
| Output force limit | Starting value0.55 | What it controls and whyCaps directed-force output. Native spring effects and device limits remain separate. |
All 44 starting settings and their rationale
The settings define the profile’s effect balance. Device output limits affect physical hand force.
| Setting | Starting value | What it controls and why |
|---|---|---|
| Spring strength | Starting value0.74 | What it controls and whyThe profile supplies reversible resistance around canard pitch and rear-wing roll control. The baseline spring is 0.74. Its low-speed blend reaches baseline strength at 45 KIAS. |
| Spring deadband | Starting value0.04 | What it controls and whySets travel around the centre before the baseline spring resists. Smaller values engage it sooner. |
| Profile force gain | Starting value0.8 | What it controls and whyThe aerodynamic-load gain is 0.8 with an indicated-speed reference of 140 KIAS. This supplies speed-dependent loading alongside the spring. |
| Master force gain | Starting value0.85 | What it controls and whyScales overall profile strength while preserving effect balance, subject to device and output limits. |
| QBlend Enabled | Starting valueEnabled | What it controls and whyAllows baseline spring strength to rise with indicated airspeed where the control law permits it. |
| QSpring Minimum Factor | Starting value0.55 | What it controls and whySets low-speed spring strength as a fraction of baseline when blending is enabled. One keeps full strength. |
| QSpring Start Knots | Starting value10 kt | What it controls and whySets the IAS where the low-speed spring blend starts rising. This is a feel threshold, not a flight limit. |
| Spring response reference speed | Starting value45 kt | What it controls and whySets the IAS where the low-speed blend reaches baseline strength; high-speed stiffening also uses it. |
| Force tuning speed/reference | Starting value140 kt | What it controls and whySets the IAS reference for aerodynamic loading. It is an estimate, not published cruise TAS or a flight limit. |
| Airspeed spring stiffening gain | Starting value0.15 | What it controls and whyThe high-speed spring-stiffening gain is 0.15. It strengthens the permitted spring response above 45 KIAS, with the squared-speed ratio capped at 5. |
| Airspeed spring stiffening limit | Starting value5 | What it controls and whyLimits the squared airspeed ratio used for high-speed spring stiffening; it is not a device-force cap. |
| Aileron force scale | Starting value0.72 | What it controls and whyRoll and pitch aerodynamic scales are 0.72 and 1, respectively. They set the aerodynamic axis balance. No custom spring-travel curve is enabled. |
| Elevator force scale | Starting value1.0 | What it controls and whyScales pitch aerodynamic loading; pitch spring travel and trim responses are separate settings. |
| Output force limit | Starting value0.55 | What it controls and whyCaps directed-force output. Native spring effects and device limits remain separate. |
| Trim feel | Starting valueDisabled | What it controls and whyRetained for compatibility and group membership. Trim relief, rather than this flag, controls centre movement. |
| Trim relief | Starting valueEnabled | What it controls and whyAllows trim relief with supported control law and valid telemetry. Axis authorities set its amount. |
| Elevator Authority | Starting value0.3 | What it controls and whyPitch and roll trim use springs rather than conventional elevator tabs. Pitch authority 0.3 provides load relief and permitted centre movement; roll authority is 0.12. |
| Aileron Authority | Starting value0.12 | What it controls and whyScales supported roll-trim relief and permitted centre movement. Zero removes roll response. |
| Force Trim Enabled | Starting valueDisabled | What it controls and whyEnables local force trim, separate from aircraft-owned trim and add-on integration qualification. |
| GLoad Enabled | Starting valueEnabled | What it controls and whyAllows load-factor changes to modify permitted spring laws. Passive fly-by-wire feel can suppress it. |
| Rate Damping Enabled | Starting valueEnabled | What it controls and whyEnables rate damping with the configured coefficients and control law. |
| Autopilot follow | Starting valueDisabled | What it controls and whyAutopilot following is off; the configured spring and load retain the hardware feel. |
| Autopilot follow authority | Starting value0.1 | What it controls and whySets admitted AP-follow gain, not a percentage of travel. Runtime ownership and input limits still apply. |
| Autopilot neutral hold | Starting valueDisabled | What it controls and whyPermits centering hold during a supported AP state, separate from following a moving target. |
| Autopilot neutral hold strength | Starting value0.6 | What it controls and whySets admitted AP neutral-hold strength; inactive while neutral hold is disabled. |
| Enabled | Starting valueEnabled | What it controls and whyEnables aerodynamic cues; each still needs nonzero strength and its simulator conditions. |
| Gain | Starting value0.35 | What it controls and whySets stall-buffet strength. Zero removes the cue without changing simulator stalls or warnings. |
| Gain | Starting value0 | What it controls and whySets high-Mach buffet strength; onset and full-strength thresholds are separate. |
| Gain | Starting value0 | What it controls and whySets flap buffet at the configured position and speed gates. Flap movement texture is separate. |
| Maximum flap index | Starting value3 | What it controls and whySets the final flap index for detent normalization. UP plus three detents uses maximum index3. |
| Minimum flap index | Starting value2 | What it controls and whySets the first flap detent that admits buffet; this is a handle index, not degrees. |
| Gain | Starting value0 | What it controls and whySets gear aerodynamic buffet; movement and ground-contact cues are separate. |
| Shaker Enabled | Starting valueDisabled | What it controls and whyPermits shaker at supported warning conditions; the switch does not establish aircraft equipment. |
| Stick shaker amplitude | Starting value0.5 | What it controls and whySets triggered shaker strength; inactive while the shaker feature is disabled. |
| Enabled | Starting valueEnabled | What it controls and whyEnables ground effects; each still needs its own strength and contact or motion telemetry. |
| Gain | Starting value0.4 | What it controls and whySets rolling texture strength, modified by speed, surface and undercarriage configuration. |
| Gain | Starting value0.25 | What it controls and whySets gear-bump texture during ground motion, separate from touchdown impact. |
| Gain | Starting value0.65 | What it controls and whySets landing-impact strength; landing telemetry and response shape determine the pulse. |
| Gain | Starting value0 | What it controls and whySets reverse-thrust vibration with valid reverser and engine conditions. Zero removes the cue. |
| Enabled | Starting valueEnabled | What it controls and whyEnables engine cues with nonzero settings and valid running-engine telemetry. |
| Gain | Starting value0.12 | What it controls and whySets estimated engine vibration using configured telemetry and response, not measured cockpit vibration. |
| Enabled | Starting valueEnabled | What it controls and whyEnables accessory cues with configured strengths and observed accessory movement. |
| Gain | Starting value0 | What it controls and whySets texture from observed flap movement; a command without movement does not establish the cue. |
| Gain | Starting value0.025 | What it controls and whySets texture from observed gear movement, separate from aerodynamic and touchdown effects. |
Limits and open questions
- Developer ER is a mission-profile tribute to Old Blue, not an exact historical replica. Fuel/CG effects stay in simulator; no extra tank-transfer force. No private AP or belly-brake output qualified.
- Physical and installed-aircraft acceptance deferred. Force values and indicated-speed reference are estimates.
- No unqualified AP following, dynamic configuration recognition, trim-actuator demand or add-on failure integration.
Physical validation
No physical force validation is recorded in this public catalogue for this revision. Documentary review and software checks do not establish how a particular device feels.
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