SonexFlight

More interviews as the SonexFlight gang makes our way around the show. There are so many people to talk with, and lots of great stuff for our planes!

Monday is the official start of the show, and it's on! With so many interesting things to see and people to talk to, we grabbed a few of the highlights to give a taste of the variety.

AirVenture 2018 is here, and the SonexFlight gang made it into Camp Sonex. Join us for a sampling of what Day Zero brought, and what you can expect at the big show!

Flying to AirVenture in Oshkosh, WI in your own airplane is one of the great privileges and thrills that pilots have, and to arrive in a homebuilt plane is even better. AirVenture (or just “Oshkosh” to most EAA’ers) is a bit overwhelming to a newcomer, especially those that plan to fly in or camp on the grounds. We discuss our best tips to make the planning and execution of your trip run smoothly, and help you navigate the experience like a seasoned AirVenture attendee.

Corvair conversions continue to find favor with experimental aircraft builders, and a growing number of Sonex pilots are now flying behind Corvair power plants. We speak with a builder about his decision making process that led him to an alternate engine, and hear about his experience building and flying behind a Corvair engine.

The AeroVee engine is a great, affordable engine option for your Sonex project. The AeroVee is an “engine kit” and requires builder assembly. A detailed assembly manual and video walk the builder thru this process, but there are areas that may be overlooked, done incorrectly or simply under-appreciated in their significance. We discuss these areas with several experienced AeroVee engine builders and pilots, and present tips to ensure your engine is built right and performs reliably for years to come.

Traditionally, the choice of Sonex finishes has been paint or polish, and each has their own merits. However, there is a new option that is lightweight, cost effective and fairly simple, using adhesive vinyl sheeting. Several Sonex airplanes sport this finish, including both John Gillis and Mike Neidenthal. John is a certified 3M applicator, and will tell us all about using vinyl wrapping on your project.

Our friends in Australia are busy building and flying their Sonex aircraft, and are doing some pretty interesting things. Although the one hundred or so builders are spread across a very large country, there are definite "hot spots" of Sonex activity. In Part 2 we speak with Chris Dearden and Peter Anson and hear about their challenges and experiences building so far from Oshkosh.

Our friends in Australia are busy building and flying their Sonex aircraft, and are doing some pretty interesting things. Although the one hundred or so builders are spread across a very large country, there are definite "hot spots" of Sonex activity. In Part 1 we speak with Peter Henry and Chris Bishoff and hear about their challenges and experiences building so far from Oshkosh.

One area that requires a bit of builder finesse is fitting the turtle deck skin to the fuselage bulkheads. There are some simple techniques that will allow that skin to lay perfectly flat on the bulkhead flanges, and produce a smooth, dimple-free surface. We’ll describe how to make your turtledeck look like it was built by a pro.

The Xenos is Sonex Aircraft’s long-wing motor glider, a derivative of the basic Sonex design. It sports a 40 ft wingspan, longer fuselage with Y-tail, and a flapless-wing with ailerons and spoilers. The Xenos is designed as a touring motorglider, and has found a small but loyal following among Sonex pilots. Our guest Dave Dooley tells us all about his Xenos and how he enjoys flying the mountains of Colorado.

2017 is in the books, and there were a number of things that stand out. We look back at some of the more significant things to occur, review a few of the popular topics we covered on the podcast, and discuss the results of the 2017 Listener Feedback Survey. Lastly, we look ahead at a preview of the year we have planned for the podcast, and finish up with our thoughts on a “Most Wanted List for 2018” of things that we’d like to see Sonex Aircraft do, initiatives to focus on, or products to develop.

Regardless of engine choice on your Sonex you’re going to need a prop to go with it. There are many choices, but the goal is the same – to get an efficient, durable, good looking prop for a reasonable price. Prince Aircraft Company is one of the best respected propeller brands available for the Sonex. Lonnie Prince tells us about his prop and how to create speed out of thin air.

Every pilot dreams of flying their own jet, especially one that is small, fast and maneuverable. Sonex Aircraft has fulfilled that dream for a handful of customers, but there’s much more potential for others to join the ranks as well! John Corneal is an early SubSonex builder and talks about how a “regular guy” was able to pull this off.

Fall is here, and for many people that means flying is slowing down and it’s time to conduct the annual condition inspection. We’ll review the areas typically inspected during a good condition inspection, and go over our best practices for Sonex-specific items that should be on your checklist.

"Camp Sonex" was formed once again, this time at the 31st Annual Fly-in at the Flying-M Ranch in Reklaw, TX! This gathering is a special event, and it's hard to describe why it's so loved by those who attend. The cast and attendees attempt to put the magic of Reklaw into words as we catch up around the camp fire.

Captain Mike "Caveman" Neidenthal joins us again as we attempt to describe the feel and personality of flying a Sonex, and to give some insight to why Sonex has such a loyal following of pilots. Simply put, we love the way they fly, and we’re going to tell you all about it!

We discuss an alternate way to bend the leading edge skins using an ordinary shop vac, rather than the complicated process of press-bending the skins. The vacuum bending technique is great for scratch-builders, or for those kit builders that have to replace their leading edge skins and want to avoid the cost of buying (and shipping) pre-fabricated skins from the factory.

Waiex builder Jim Hicke is back from his 3-week Alaska trip. This was an epic trip, filled with spectacular sights and video, unexpected rewards, and a few unpleasant surprises. We discuss Jim's highlights and his challenges, the planning involved, and lessons learned from making a big trip in a Sonex.

The process of moving from Interested Outsider to Full-fledged Builder can be intimidating as the would-be-builder conducts research, builds support for the project, and works up his or her budget. Our guest this episode did just that and recently took the plunge into building.