For Arthur (Art) Grantz, the sky was never the limit growing up.
“All through my teenage years, I would fly with my dad (Walter),” shared Grantz, who earned his Ph.D. in aerospace engineering from NC State in 1989. “The love for flying and aircraft is one of the reasons I went into aerospace engineering and ultimately earned my own pilot’s license.”
Walter Grantz’ passion for flying led him to building his own Long-EZ aircraft — a tandem two-seater with a swept main wing with root leading-edge strakes and winglets, foam-fiberglass sandwich composite structure and a “canard” front wing that makes the plane stall resistant. Powered by a Lycoming O-235 engine, he completed the aircraft in 1991.
“The Long-EZ appealed to my dad because it had great cross-country speed, range and was affordable to build. He researched it very carefully and went to the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) Airshow at Oshkosh, Wisconsin, to see them in person before starting on his own project,” Grantz said. “After it was finished, I did get the chance to fly with Dad in the Long-EZ and in the early 1990s, we flew into the Oshkosh EAA Airshow together and got to park the airplane among the many other Long-EZ’s and Rutan designed aircraft.”
Walter Grantz passed away in 2018 and requested the plane be donated to a university to help inspire other young engineers. Art Grantz and his mother Barbara asked Srinath Ekkad, head of the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering (MAE) if the department would be interested. He accepted enthusiastically.
In collaboration with the NC State Public Art Committee, University Communications, University Facilities and MAE, the aircraft was installed in between Engineering Buildings II and III on Centennial Campus. With a new NC State red and white branded wrap, the Long-EZ aircraft brings students, alumni and visitors an opportunity for a closer look at aviation.
“We hope to use the airplane to demonstrate pilot controls and control surfaces to students starting in aerospace engineering,” said MAE Professor Ashok Gopalarathnam, who helped facilitate the donation. “The Long-EZ is also a unique airplane in terms of its aerodynamic configuration. Students will be able to learn about the canard configuration and winglets by examining this airplane.”
As the first full aircraft donated to MAE, Gopalarathnam and Grantz hope students take advantage of the educational experience to see first-hand an experimental aircraft that is similar to the rapid prototypes of aircraft and subsystems they will eventually build.
“Barbara and I are very happy with the care that NC State has taken in displaying the aircraft and hope that it is enjoyed by the students as much as it was enjoyed by my father.”
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