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Sonex 1292
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Date: 1-13-2009
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Number of Hours: 0.00
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Manual Reference:
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Brief Description: Why a Sonex (continued)
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Why a Sonex (continued)
Another aspect of the Sonex that I really liked, and frankly would have been a deal-breaker for me was the aluminum skin as opposed to fabric. While I have no definitive, explainable rationale for not wanting fabric, it’s something that was a must for me. I also would not have accepted wood framing. Again, this is not something I can explain rationally, but having aluminum skin and framework were mandatory for any aircraft I build.
Although I was not that enamored with the looks of the Sonex initially, (there are some really cool looking airplanes out there) it’s performance really impressed me. The cruising speed of 150 mph (@8000’) coupled with a stall speed of 40 mph seems to be the best of both worlds: fun to fly, yet easy. Also, at cruising speed, the published performance of an Aerovee equipped Sonex is around 42 mpg, so it’s economical as well
One last item that Sonex is working on that really got my attention, (as an Electrical Engineer) was an all-electric version (battery operated). While they are a few years from making this a reality, I’ll be very interesting in this when they do.
A few of the things I was concerned about:
There is not a lot of room for two grown men to fly in a Sonex – it is tight (only 40 inches wide at the shoulders.) I do believe that if I fly with my wife, or either of my daughters, we would be fairly comfortable. I do think that, unfortunately, most of my flying will be solo.
I was also a little apprehensive concerning my flying ability (very low hours) with a low wing airplane with so much performance capabilities. I've been training in a high-wing, docile airplane.
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