I could try to say something of value to add to this incredible video... but I don't see that making your experience with it any better. I do suggest selecting HD, going full screen, and don't question anything. Just watch, listen, and see another vivid example of why we fly.
Here's Aaron's video description from youtube:
My July 2014 Sonex trip to the Yukon Rockies & Denali Alaska. 14.5 hours of HD handheld & wingcam video condensed down to 5.5 minutes of Epic Insanity & a perfect film score. 7000+ miles, 80+ hours, in only 8 days!
Psalm 36:5-6 - Your love, Lord, reaches to the heavens, your faithfulness to the skies. Your righteousness is like the highest mountains, your justice like the great deep.
Stars and stripes! Close-up of Dick Rutan's beautiful Berkut (photo:Craig Spirko)
(click any pic to enlarge)
The Mojave Experimental Fly-In last Saturday drew a diverse collection of aircraft under a typical sunny desert sky. It's pretty cool to see these aircraft gathered in front of the hangars of some of the most cutting-edge experimental aerospace companies in the world!
I wasn't able to attend the event as I had hoped, but AirPigz follower Craig Spirko did and shared some pix of the event for y'all to see. I've included a couple images from the official Mojave Fly-In website as well... there's a nice post there too you might wanna check out.
(click any pic to enlarge)
Wide view of the Berkut and its awesome paint (photo: MojaveFlyIn)
I think this one is self-explanatory! Scaled.com/careers (photo: Craig Spirko)
Lots of windmills, and a little Christen Eagle (photo: Craig Spirko)
It's a pretty universal dream: a tiny little jet that feels like it has become a part of you... you think it, and it does it... the perfect dream machine that'll do pretty much anything you can think of. If you really love flying and you haven't had that dream yet, I'm guessing it's just a matter of time. It's a dream first made real by Jim Bede back in mid 70's with the BD-5J: as in J for 'jet'. And now, just about 40 years later, we've got two recent videos worth watching of two airplanes that are born, to one degree or another, out of Bede's original dream machine.
The FLS Microjet looks like a BD-5J, and mostly it is. But it's been updated, modified, and is actually available as a kit (with builder assistance) for $189,500 from bd-micro.com. The video above gives a very nice overview of the BD-5J and the updated FLS Microjet as presented by AOPA Pilot Magazine. Their full December 2012 article is here: Micro. Little jet, big impact. I very much enjoyed the article on FLS Microjet as well as the video above... especially the pic on the left side of the screen starting at 1:05. Yeah, that's a pic either me (as an 11 year old) or my dad took at the Bede factory in 1972 that shows both Burt Rutan and test pilot Les Berven (see the full post on AirPigz here). It was pretty cool to see the pic in that AOPA video, tho it would have been nice if they woulda asked instead of just lifting it from AirPigz.com. Oh well, welcome to the internets.
And then we have the second video below from Sonex Aircraft and their sorta pre-prototype SubSonex itty bitty jet. The SubSonex JSX-1 uses the same PBS JT-100 turbine engine that powers the FLS Microjet and winds up having size and performance numbers that are remarkably similar. They have the same 416 pound empty weight, with the Microjet having a gross weight 10 pounds higher at 860 pounds. The Microjet has a slightly higher cruise speed (183mph) and a slightly higher Vne (288 mph). What you get in a big way with the Microjet is beauty. The SubSonex looks nice but it can't begin to compare with the flowing compound curves of the BD-5J / FLS Microjet. And you'd expect that cleaner look (and fully retractable landing gear on the Microjet) to yield higher speeds, but the SubSonex (with only a retractable nose gear) runs a very close second in this race.
You can learn much more about the SubSonex here on their Hornets' Nest SubSonex page (most recent update on the project posted today, 11-30-12), and also in this December 2012 AOPA Pilot Magazine article: Jet in a box.
SubSonex JSX-1 single seat jet from Sonex Aircraft (photo: Sonex Aircraft)
What remains to be seen is whether the SubSonex progresses to the point of actually becoming a kit aircraft, and if so, what kind of cash would a fella have to lay down to get one in the air. In theory, it's far simpler construction should make for a more affordable airplane that still brings some seriously large smiles to the guy with the side-stick controller in his right hand... but it's gonna be hard to see ANY airplane ever look as cool as the BD-5J / FLS Microjet!
I've been a fan of the Sonex Onex since it was just a concept... and as this video shows, the little single seat Onex has a long list of enticing qualities. With the first two of customer built Onex's now listed on the Sonex Aircraft completions page, we can expect a steady stream of additional completions to begin taking to the sky.
The affordable base kit price of $12,995 (without engine) means a completed aircraft can be in the air for just a little over $25,000 when you include a brand new 80hp AeroVee engine. Check out the Sonex Aircraft kit pricing page for more info - scroll down the page for the Onex kit pricing info and options.
The combination of affordable cost, fast-to-build 'matched hole' prefabricated parts, folding wings for storage in small places, and truly sport-fighter performance in the air makes the Onex a truly remarkable aircraft! I think we should all have at least One[x] : )
Bill Fisher and his 'first customer-built Onex': first flight was yesterday! (photo: Sonex)
Thursday May 10th 2012 was a big day for the little single seat VW powered freedom machine known as the Onex... the first customer-built airplane made its first flight! I think this is the start of a quiet revolution for the homebuilt aircraft world. The Onex from Sonex Aircraft represents the most affordable, practical and desirable combination of design and function that I've ever seen in a homebuilt aircraft. I'm sure there are those out there who don't agree or aren't attracted to the Onex, but I believe that this little airplane offers more fun and realistic ability to reach completion for the average pilot than anything else that's ever been available. Learn more about the Onex kit at the Sonex website.
Congrats to Bill Fisher from Jackson Tennessee for making the first flight on the first customer-built Onex! From these pictures (from the Sonex website) it sure looks like he's done a great job putting the little cutie together... and if you know anything about me, you know I couldn't be happier that the first one done is a taildragger!
The affordable single seat sports car of the air - Onex from Sonex. (photo:Sonex)
As you can see from the video below from the first flight (which really just shows a nice fly by), the VW engine has finally found the perfect home in the sky. The performance with the AeroVee engine is excellent... and the affordability and low operating costs only make it all the more attractive.
Plus, the roomy cockpit, the folding wings, and the simplified kit, which includes more pre-formed parts and matched-hole assembly, means that there's very little compromise in the Onex package. I stand by my assessment that the Onex is the closest thing to the homebuilt grand slam that we've ever seen. I think you can expect to see these little machines popping up all over the place! If I wasn't still struggling just to survive financially, you can be sure there'd be one of these in progress out in my garage : )
The roomy cockpit of Bill Fisher's 'first customer-built' Onex kit (photo: Sonex)
This recently uploaded video from youtuber tomhuebbe is cool on many levels... beautiful aircraft, excellent video with great editing, and a really sweet smoke system on that tri-gear Sonex! The only way it could've been better was if it was a taildragger with a Y tail, a la Waiex.
(disclaimer: this statement reflects my own personal bias toward aircraft that have their landing gear configured in the old fashioned, out dated, difficult-to-fly, and obviously much more beautiful 'taildragger' arrangement. This opinion is my own and is not meant to belittle or in any way put down a pilot or builder who chooses the easy way out and drags his pitiful little nose. I also have an extreme fondness for aircraft with unique and exciting design components, and a Y shaped tail with a really small little rudder placed at the end of the fuselage wins out over a run-of-the-mill, uninspired, plane-jane standard tail any day. But again, I don't mean to snub anyone who chooses to tip toe down the middle of the road and selects a boring tail on their aircraft. It is still a free country... for now anyway : )
Screenshot from this awesome video of a smoke-system equipped Sonex
Even tho Sunday is still a day before Oshkosh officially begins, there's still a ton of things to see and do. One that's always interesting to check out is the Sonex open house over on the east side of the airport at Sonex headquarters. I ran over there at 10am when things got started to see what I could find out about the Onex. As these first two pix show, the Onex is all prettied up for OSH11 with (surprise) yellow paint. I found out that the airplane is still short of 40 hors total time but that flight testing has progressed nicely.
Initial kits components for the Onex are just beginning to ship to customers, tho the Sonex team is still finishing up the complete package. The good news however is that Onex airplanes will soon be under construction, and there's every reason to think that the follow-on components will be fully prepped soon to keep these builders moving forward. As expected, the prototype Onex was drawing a lot of attention at the open house, and I'm sure it'll be heavily gawked during the week!
Inside one of the hangars was a second Onex aircraft still under construction, and as you can see, it's a trike version. The airplane looked pretty decent, but in my mind, there's never been a tricycle version of any airplane that looks anywhere near as nice as the taildragger version. However, the already more pleasing lines of the Onex over the Sonex translate to a good looking little airplane, even without paint.
I first brought up the idea of a Grand Slam homebuilt airplane in the middle of last year. It's the idea of a homebuilt that could very effectively capture four important elements: Affordable - Great Performance (but not too hard to fly) - Easy To Build - Electrifying Looks. The good ole BD-5 was supposed to be that airplane 40 years ago, but a variety of obstacles got in the way. And in my mind, the definitive Grand Slam homebuilt has still never materialized. But now, the Onex from Sonex is beginning to show signs that it's aiming for the fence with the bases loaded!
A few important points here first. There are some really good 2-place homebuilt airplanes that offer great value, performance and looks. You can go way back to the days of the Long-EZ or early Glasair or Lancair designs, or maybe the RV-4 or 6... but bigger airplanes with bigger engines, or maybe relatively high kit cost make all those airplanes either pretty expensive to complete or complicated to build, or maybe both. In my mind, the real Grand Slam is almost surely a single seat airplane cuz that's how you're really gonna keep the costs down. And while there have been many great airplanes that are affordable and maybe easy to build, the ones that combine all four of the elements above are either hard to find or simply don't exist. Of course beauty is in the eye of the beholder, so you may not agree with my opinion on the looks side of things, but I honestly believe that the Onex from Sonex comes closer than any homebuilt to being that special combination that can be considered a Grand Slam.
The Onex on its first flight on January 27, 2011
And even tho the Onex is still just a prototype, the more I'm seeing about the details of this little 'sport fighter', the more I'm impressed. The video below from a few weeks back (shot from the cockpit) really helps to point to the Onex's game winning plans.
With extremely simple structural design that borrows from the very successful Sonex line, and the overall small size of the airplane, you get affordable knocked out pretty quickly. It's looking like a completed airplane should be possible at about 20K without any hardcore scrounging. The AeroVee (VW derived engine) making 80hp for just under $7,000 goes a long way toward making the airplane both affordable and a great performer. Even tho straight and level cruise is around 135 mph, the Vne on the Onex is 216 mph! And when you take those pleasing lines and great proportions and add some flashy paint like my drawing above, and you've got one hot looking little flying machine.
So watch the video from inside the cockpit and imagine yourself out having some cheap fun on a sweet sunny day. And keep watch for info from Sonex on exact kit pricing and availability... cuz when this Grand Slam clears the fence, avgeeks all over the world will be the winners!
Click pic to go to the EAA page on the Electric Flight Prize
And ladies too… the EAA’s 2011 $60,000 Electric Flight Prize is for men and women of course, but it’s not for the internal combustion engine - electric only need apply. And if you’ve got a great flying electric airplane (or one in the works) then you’ll wanna be applying to see if you can snag some of that prize money! It’ll all be here before you know too as the deadline for applications is July 1, 2011 and the actual competition will take place during Oshkosh (July 25-31) from Tuesday July 26th thru Friday July 29th. You can get full details and apply via this EAA page on the Electric Flight Prize.
Electric propulsion systems are advancing rapidly, and a competition like this is sure to help push that advancement along. Only the 12 most viable entrants will qualify to compete for the Electric Flight Prize… and while there might not even be 12 entrants stepping forward, I’m hoping that there are more projects in the works than we might think. This is such a great opportunity for even the little guy to wow the world with some great and innovative ideas. The competitions are open to anyone with an electric powered aircraft who has flown at least 40 hours and has an airworthiness certificate.
The competition will include four different categories:
Endurance - A timed event to determine which aircraft can stay aloft for the longest time in standard configuration (i.e., without additional battery packs). The clock will start when the aircraft crosses a defined start line, and will end when the pilot taxies across a finish line (locations of start and finish lines will be confirmed at pilot briefing). Competitors will be expected to land with a 10% battery reserve, and anyone unable to taxi across the finish line will be disqualified. All takeoffs will establish aircraft in a racetrack pattern above Wittman Regional Airport at a constant altitude. (Event to be held Tuesday, July 26)
First flight of the Sonex Aircraft 'Onex' took place on January 27, 2011 (photos: Sonex)
(6 pix and 1 video)
Looking and feeling like a sport fighter, the Onex single seat VW powered homebuilt prototype made its first flight out of Wittman Regional Airport in Oshkosh, Wisconsin on January 27, 2011. The enthusiastic thumbs up from Sonex CEO, Onex designer, and first-flight test pilot Jeremy Monnett revealed that the initial impressions are already living up to the expectations of many, including me. The little all-aluminum LSA has the added benefit of wings that can be folded very easily to allow for a quick and simple way to store the aircraft in a really small space. In my opinion, the 80hp AeroVee Volkswagen powered Onex ushers in a new world of VW powered paradise for homebuilders. Never before has such a simple, clean and great performing airframe been mated to the simple and efficient VW based engine. I'm predicting a real V-dub paradise with this airplane! Watch the first flight video below and listen to how strong that AeroVee sounds!
I also made a bold claim that the Onex just might be able to save General Aviation as we seem to be stumbling into an uncertain future for flying in America. Whether this affordable, easy-to-build, VW powered sportster that has great lines can really have a direct impact on the larger world of GA is uncertain, but I can say with a great deal of confidence that this airplane holds greater promise to draw more people into sport flying than anything we've seen a quite a while.
Saturday, August 30, 2014 at 10:57PM 
Video screenshot: wow.
