 Will Oullettes Sonex The first flight of my Sonex #747, N171FS, was in December 2007.Swinetrek (the planes name) flew exactly as expected. Its a hot airplane with a fighter attitude. Thanks John Davis and Robert Ely for all of your help. Kudos to Frank Beeler, EAA Tech Rep for his eyes. Thanks to Pamela for her support and encouragement! And thanks to Sonex for the design, kit and tech help. You da man, Kerry. Maryville, Tennessee |
 Paul Hoves Vans RV-7A RV-7A (#70345) N347RV received its airworthiness certificate on June 23, 2007. Test pilot Doug Weiler flew its initial flight on June 26th. The plane flew straight but had a heavy right wing. Adjusting the right aileron 3⁄4 inch corrected the problem, and it now flies hands off without any trimtabs. The plane has 105 hours on the tach and is an absolute dream to fly. The plane sports a powerful Dons Dream Machines Lycoming IO-360-EXP with 9.2:1-compression pistons, a Phase III cam, fuel injection, ram air induction, custom intake tubes and custom Vetterman exhaust. It swings a Hartzell blended-airfoil constant-speed prop. The panel hosts a Dynon EFIS-D10A and EMS-D10 engine monitor, a Garmin 296 GPS, Icom A200, GTX 327 transponder, and a Navaid two-axis autopilot. The upholstery was sewn by Flightline interiors in Wind Lake, Wisconsin. Being an aircraft based in Lake Elmo, Minnesota, it also features heated seats! The paint scheme is by Trick Communications of Hudson, Wisconsin, and was professionally shot by Pirate Air Aircraft Painting of Cambridge, Minnesota. Special thanks to my good friend Ron Voelker, who stopped by almost every week and served as a mentor and advisor in the build. St. Paul, Minnesota |
 Jay Bannisters Zodiac CH 601XL My Zodiac CH 601XL, N2630J, Lil Bruiser first took to the air October 27, 2008. The engine is a William Wynne-built Corvair 2700. The panel includes a Dynon EMS-D10, TruTrak single-axis autopilot, Garmin 296 GPS, Icom IC-A200 transceiver, Narco AT50A transponder and Softcomm ATC-2P intercom. It is registered Experimental/Amateur-Built, but will be flown as Light Sport. I began building in December 2005. Along the way, I had cataract surgery, a detached retina, another cataract surgery, diverticulitis with double blood infections, crushed first two fingers of my right hand and suffered multiple injuries in an airplane crash. Moral: Don’t let adversity keep you from realizing your dream of completing and flying your homebuilt airplane. Keep at it, and you can make it happen. My thanks to EAA technical counselor and DAR Mel Asberry, Bob Tezyk, Doug Eady, Jon Burns, Brad Roberts, Michael Stephan, Ken Parent and all the listers on the Matronics Forum. Dallas, Texas |
BUILDERS SHARE THEIR SUCCESSES
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