Vic Vicari’s Sonex
My Sonex first flew on August 15, 2011. The flight went well, and I was surprised at how gently the plane landed. This trigear Waiex (Y-tail Sonex) has a dual stick and is powered by a 3300 Jabiru with an AeroCarb. I added an Enigma EFIS, and a Microair radio and transponder.
I would like to thank Robert Eley for his support, Kerry Fores for all the technical assistance and the guys in EAA Chapter 277 who lent a hand or gave advice when I needed it. Also, thank you to the helpful fellows on the Sonex site, and to Matt at MGL Avionics. Lastly, I’m grateful to my wife, Gina, for all the work on the interior.
Goreville, Illinois
vic639@frontier.com
Mark Swalley’s Zenith CH 701
In May of 2007, N701V received its airworthiness certificate, but it was damaged in September 2009. After a rebuild and new paint, it emerged as Jiminy Cricket in May of 2011. I built all of the parts from plans in nine months and finished assembly in another 33 months. The only parts I didn’t make were the cowling and engine mount, and the fiberglass wing, slat and flaperon tips.
Jiminy is outfitted with a Rotax 912 ULS, a 72-inch Warp Drive propeller, Dynon FlightDEK-D180, Garmin GTX 320 and Xcom radio. It weighs 653 pounds and has a 1160-pound gross weight. It can easily cruise at 90 mph IAS using 5 gph.
Gig Harbor, Washington
pistolwhipvideo@yahoo.com
Bob Babler’s Van’s RV-7
My newly built Van’s RV-7 lifted off on its first flight on March 23, 2011, at 3W7 in Electric City, Washington. The slow build, pay-as-you-go project was completed after 71⁄2 years and 3300 hours of work in my garage. It is 100% owner built, including the paint. It’s powered by a 195-hp Aero Sport Power IO-375 engine and WhirlWind 200 RV prop. Other features include inverted fuel and oil with a smoke system. A custom instrument panel includes a Dynon FlightDEK-D180, HS34 and AP74, and Garmin SL40 and GTX 327. The first 40 hours were completed in time to take it to the 2011 Arlington Fly-In in Washington, where it took Grand Champion, Custom-Built Kit. Then it was off to Oshkosh in July where it received a Bronze Lindy Award in the Kit-Built Category. Special thanks to my wife, Diane, for all of her assistance pounding rivets, and to Van’s for designing a great plane and offering excellent customer support throughout the build. I also appreciate all the help I received through Van’s Air Force forum contributors.
Grand Coulee, Washington
bobndian@gmail.com
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