I’m one of those rusty pilots.

I last flew 21 years ago. When I sold my shares in a 1964 Mooney M20B I promised myself I would get back into it.
Last year I started investigating options an about died of sticker shock. Yes I maintained my AOPA membership and went to Airventure a couple times but didn’t really pay much attention to the pricing as I wasn’t in the market.

I learned to fly in a Cessna 140, then upgraded to the Mooney and travelled the US and Canada, mostly pre 911 (I was working on my commercial ticket and in the air on 911, ask me about it sometime).

During my time away from airplanes, I got into motorcycling and again travelled the US and Canada on the ground. My work situation changed and my traveling has slowed down somewhat. Our son got us into dirt biking about 6 years ago and I’ve been putting in 200 plus hours of riding per year (that excludes wrenching and traveling time) so I figured with a little focus and dedication in the right direction I have the time to build a plane.

The Cessna 140 was light, nimble and economical, the Mooney was fast, sleek slippery and a great cross country airplane. I know I won’t get both in a Sonex but I look forward to something of both with straight tail and conventional gear.
I really liked the looks of the Waiex and ordered that initially, but after a 2nd visit to the factory I opted for the Sonex due to the it’s additional crosswind component capability. The 140 had a massive rudder and I learned how to use it, the Mooney rudder was small in comparison and things could get tricky at slower speeds for which the tricycle gear helped once you had the nose wheel on the ground.

So I started researching after Airventure 2024, ordered my kit in January of 2025, it arrived in July (right on schedule) and I’ve been working away since it arrived. You can check out my build log on EAA builders log.

See you online and in the air (in due course) !!