I am new to this forum . Currently getting back into GA after a 35 year absence. I was flying for the airlines during that time. I have a Kolb Twinstar mk2 with a Rotax 503. It is enjoyable early morning/or evening, but not pleasant during mid day with thermals. I know the Sonex is still relatively light/low mass, but the wing is much smaller. I also realize it also has nuetral dynamic stability like the Kolb. Will this aircraft cut through the bumps better or is it still too light/low mass? Thank you all. Mike C Genoa, IL.
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Hey Mike,
Welcome to the forum! Here in Illinois, if you don’t fly when it’s windy or bumpy, you don’t fly! We fly in lots of bumps. The Sonex has to be better than the Kolb, but not as good as some of the heavier aircraft with high wing loading. If it’s really rough we throttle back a little and it helps.
Edit: Genoa is pretty close to Poplar Grove, C77 where we are based.
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Hi Mike, welcome to the forums!
I agree with Bryan on this one: a Sonex will better than you Kolb, but there’s only so much you can expect with an 1100 lb airplane. Its also a very solid airplane which is comforting that it’s not going to come apart, but there is no airframe flex or “give” like you probably had with your airliners.
It’s also much faster than your Kolb, which is always nice!
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Thanks guys. I did suspect that. My Kolb is at Beloit, 44C
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Depending on how much you weigh, we could take you for a ride and you can see yourself. One of the guys here is selling his Sonex over at Bigfoot. It’s still in phase 1 but I bet 44C is within the flight test area.
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I will keep that in mind. I appreciate the help. Thanks! That was my first flight in the Kolb. Deer Creek. IL May 2026. First time solo in a small plane since 1991(Citabria) It was interesting
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PS I like to go to Bigfoot early morning to do touch and go’s They have a nice smooth grass runway
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Nice! How does the V tail fly vs the regular? I weigh about 170lbs with clothes
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I only have one flight in a conventional tail Sonex, and it was years before ours flew. So I can’t really say. Some really knowledgeable Sonex folks like Joe who flew for Sonex says they are the same. The one thing is I wish for is more rudder power for crosswinds. At 170 lbs, you are perfect for a Sonex. We can basically take 400 lbs of people and partial fuel, and I’m around 200. But not 400 lbs of people at short grass strips! Those are solo missions for us.
Edit: it does fly great, both for cruising and aerobatics.
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I flew a Challenger ll CWS for a number of years. If you are familiar with them then you know they have two vertical tubes behind the windshield. Many of us used to joke about having held on tight enough to the left side tube to bend grip marks in it.
Yes, the Sonex is much better but as you guessed it is a light plane and mid-day does require cinching up the belts and hanging on a bit. I went flying this morning as I made it a point to get airborne pretty early. It was near 80ºF but smooth as glass and the airplane performed flawlessly (I’m still doing a bit of testing after some ignition work - full story here: Sometimes bad isn’t bad - (ETA) Corvair EP/EPX Distributor Service - General - SonexPilots.org )
I see that Mr. Cotton has offered you a ride. Take him up on that offer. There is nothing better than one Sonex owner “setting the hook” for a future Sonex owner. These planes are a blast to fly …
Dale
3.0 Corvair/Taildragger
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One of you very smart engineers need to adapt this system to our Sonex aircraft …
Dale
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Despite my checkered past as a helicopter FBW guy, I have no desire to implement FBW of any sort on the Waiex!
If Wes tries to, I’ll talk some sense into him.
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dang…is that you dale???
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I bought my Onex as a third hand kit. Somewhat of a basket case. In one of the boxes of parts, I found this:
I have long pondered how I would use the servo to enhance the stability of my Onex. Now, like a bolt from above, Dale has given me my answer.
Bryan, as a former Sikorsky employee, you are probably familiar with the UH‑60 Stability Augmentation System (SAS).
I just talked with my Business Development guy. We’ll call it the SASsy Sonex.
There are a couple of projects ahead of this, but stay tuned …
All you gota do is …
Thirty minutes tops …
Piece of cake …
Wes
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Yeah, my dad holds a bunch of Sikorsky flight controls patents. Not only SAS but the UH60 stabilator as well.
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I’m certain that between Wes & Bryan this can get done pretty quick. Wes can engineer and Bryan can flight test …
Dale
3.0 Corvair/Taildragger (awaiting experimental Turbulence canceling unit)
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Hi Mike -
Sean from Bigfoot here - let me know if you’d like to inspect mine (Legacy Sonex TD with normally aspirated AeroVee) after Bryan gets you up for a hook-set flight.
Thanks for the mention Bryan - I hope to see you again at the annual C77 this Sunday if I can make it.
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I hope we have the weather for it!
Lynn and I will be there, weather permitting.
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