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Richards Web Site
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Date: 7-10-2007
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Number of Hours: 1.00
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Manual Reference:
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Brief Description: 1st Flight!
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N583SX slipped the surly bonds of Earth at 7:45 AM today at Winder Airport (WDR) near Atlanta. There were no surprises with the plane, and it flew just great. There were some surprises with the weather when a scattered layer of clouds moved in at 800' AGL -- making the initial flight even more exciting -- so the flight was only about 20 minutes.
I don't have any numbers to report yet as I was too busy flying the plane, but temps on the Aerovee with the new baffles were all well below limits (the OAT was 75 degs.) When it was time to land I made a low pass over the runway to get the feel of things, re-entered the pattern and came back over the numbers at about 60mph with 1 notch of flaps (per the recommendation of a couple of experienced Tennessee Sonex drivers -- thanks John and Robert!) The landing was nothing to write home about....but the gear soaked it up with nary a complaint. I'll work on my landing technique -- including more flaps -- over the next few weeks.
My tri-gear Aerovee powered Sonex project was started almost exactly 4 years ago. It's plans built, save for the usual exceptions of the welded parts, spar extrusions, formed aluminum surfaces, canopy, and fiberglass parts. It took a total of 1868 hours, due to my inexperience and penchant for adding "features" such as strobes, luggage compartment, tow bar hook, removeable panel, water bottle holders, transponder, fuel shutoff, and a 3-part cowling incorporating a removable top. I'm waiting for a call from the "Pimp my Sonex" show. It's also polished, so I've now met the "one polished plane per lifetime" quota.
There were days over the last 4 years when I felt like throwing in the towel on the project, but thankfully they were few. To those current builders out there who may encounter similar days, my advice is to persevere, as the feeling you get when it's all done is well worth it!! I'd like to also thank John Monett & company for designing and supporting a great little plane, and last but not least, my wife for putting up with it all.
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