Posted: 10/19/2011 7:43:13 AM EDT
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Neat little jet.
Info, pics and vids at the links: http://www.sonexaircraft.com/research/updates/subsonex/subsonex_update_100711.html http://www.eaa.org/news/2011/2011-08-10_subsonex.asp |
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I love the idea. I would almost build one if i find the time and money. How do you almost build something? Do you buy all the parts, try to put it together and fail? That kind of almost?  Yup. Thats what 90 percemt of wanabee homebuilders do. But you cant go to EAA meetings and mumble endlessley about your 50 hours of flying experiance without a half built RV empanage kit in the garage. |
Meh!! It's an Ok first attempt, but needs to be made pretty!! As in sexy baby!! Needs a cowling for the turbine, and the rear wheels gotta go! Looks more like a flying riding mower. A few days looking at Scaled Composite models will set them in the right direction!
Also with only a few hundred lbs of thrust, the gross weight must be very low. I didn't see any disclaimers that pilots have to weigh less than 150lbs 
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Neat little jet. Info, pics and vids at the links: http://www.sonexaircraft.com/research/updates/subsonex/subsonex_update_100711.html http://www.eaa.org/news/2011/2011-08-10_subsonex.asp I spent a fair amount of time looking at this three years ago when they first showed it at Oshkosh, displayed prominently in their location near Van's. Two years ago it was there, different landing gear to deal with the stability issues, and last year I didn't see it at all. It is/was John Monnet's pet project and a cool one at that, but as his son Jeremy takes over Sonex, I expect the Subsonex will be shelved. Jeremy himself is much more interested in things like the Onex than something like the jet, which might be ok. It's interesting (and perhaps a bit scary) that no real training other than a PPL is required to fly it. Given that it's a single seater, no transition training will be possible - and since no turbojet rating would be required (per John Monnet, who has spoken with the FAA about this and gotten their confirmation - I don't know the details) I can just see Charlie Cessna or Peter Piper jumping into something like this and piling it in. Still, it's a neat design. I would *love* to build one; my RV will be done in less than a year and I'll need something to keep me out of the bars... |
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It's interesting (and perhaps a bit scary) that no real training other than a PPL is required to fly it. Given that it's a single seater, no transition training will be possible - and since no turbojet rating would be required (per John Monnet, who has spoken with the FAA about this and gotten their confirmation - I don't know the details) I can just see Charlie Cessna or Peter Piper jumping into something like this and piling it in. I'd think it would be simpler to fly - no P factor to compensate for. Just straight thrust. |
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If it isn't supersonic, what good is it? It looks like fun. Seriously, how many supersonic PPL/civilian aircraft are you aware of? That's what I thought....  Only one, and the prototype crashed, the BD-10. (I think) I was only kidding. At the rate at which general aviation pilots kill themselves with little prop planes, it would be horrendous with a high performance jet. |