Sonex Aircraft Accepts AeroVee Turbo
Sonex Aircraft announced at a press and customer briefing this morning that
orders are now being accepted for the long-anticipated AeroVee Turbo, with
deliveries to commence in the fourth quarter of 2014. The AeroVee Turbo is
rated as a 100 horsepower engine at sea level, and yields significant
performance enhancement to the Sonex line of aircraft without breaking the
bank. Price of the AeroVee Turbo is $10,995, and an AeroVee Turbo Upgrade
package is being made available for installation with existing AeroVee
Engines, even those already installed and flying, at a price of $3,995.
“The Sonex Aircraft research and development team has been working on a
turbocharged AeroVee since our first installation in mid-2010. Many other
projects have competed for our time but our customers were consistent in
their desire to have as close to a ‘plug and play’ turbo installation as
possible” said Sonex CEO Jeremy Monnett. “The package we are unveiling today
has been thoroughly designed, engineered, and tested in typical Sonex
fashion. It has met or exceeded our performance expectations having been run
in our engine test cell from May of 2013 thru March of 2014 and flown these
past 5 months in Sonex Sport Acro N123SX. I am having am absolute blast
flying it!”
An AeroVee Turbo Press Event preview video released earlier this week was
shown to the crowd to kick-off to the event ( http://youtu.be/UZDm9tzqu5U )
as an AeroVee Turbo display engine was unveiled. A full Sonex/AeroVee Turbo
Video Tour was uploaded to YouTube this morning, demonstrating the
performance of the Sonex with AeroVee Turbo installed. (
http://youtu.be/AG3AmNn5CtY ). In a Sonex Aircraft, the AeroVee Turbo will
yield a rate of climb up-to 1300 fpm, and a TAS at 8000′ of 175 mph.
Specifications of the AeroVee Turbo and Sonex performance specifications
with the AeroVee Turbo installed may be downloaded from Sonex Aircraft¹s
AeroConversions web site: http://www.aeroconversions.com
Two Sensenich fixed-pitch propeller options are being offered for AeroVee
Turbo installations on Sonex Aircraft. A 54″ diameter x 50″ pitch prop is
intended for those wishing to maximize climb performance while still
retaining a very-respectable 170 mph TAS cruise capability at 8,000′. A 56″
diameter x 52″ pitch prop will maximize top-end speeds, measured as-high as
187 mph TAS using WOT at 8,000′ (38 in HG MAP) during Sonex/AeroVee Turbo
flight test. Designed with simplicity in-mind, the AeroVee Turbo is intended
for use with fixed pitch, or ground-adjustable propellers, keeping the
package Sport Pilot Eligible by not requiring a constant-speed propeller,
and with sea level cruise just under the Sport Pilot maximum speed at 135mph
TAS at the Max. Continuous RPM specification for the AeroVee Turbo under
5,000′ MSL, 3200 RPM.
The AeroVee Turbo is the result of an extensive R&D effort dating-back to
2010. After much refinement, the current version of the system fits all
propeller-driven models of Sonex Aircraft and has undergone significant
testing in Sonex Aircraft’s test cell facility and in-flight. “By far the
biggest surprise to me has been outstanding cooling performance of the
AeroVee Turbo,” remarked Jeremy Monnett. “The key engine parameters have
been running well within the green arc including CHT’s, EGT’s, Oil Temp, and
Oil Pressure.”
“The flight test team appreciated the North/South (18/36) Wittman Regional
Airport runway for this early testing,” said Sonex CEO Jeremy Monnett. “The
Wittman Control Tower staff was very helpful and accommodating to the
special requirements of these flights.”
The AeroVee Turbo is a pull-through turbo arrangement utilizing the standard
AeroVee-sized 32mm AeroInjector. As a “free-floating” system, boost is
controlled only by throttle setting limited by a fixed waste gate and power
still diminishes with gains in altitude, but losses are not nearly
as-drastic as those with a normally-aspirated engine. This allows the cruise
speed of an AeroVee Turbo in a Sonex Aircraft at-altitude to eclipse the
performance of the 120hp Jabiru 3300 engine.
Sonex Aircraft, LLC is a leader in the experimental kit aircraft industry,
providing a series of sport aircraft along with the AeroConversions line of
products, which include the AeroVee engine, AeroInjector and ancillary
aviation products. Sonex Aircraft’s Sonex, Waiex, and Onex sport planes, the
Xenos sport motorglider, and the SubSonex Personal Jet offer outstanding
performance in an easy to build, easy to fly kit package that can be
purchased and completed with full technical support at an unrivaled price.
Sonex and AeroConversions continue to invest heavily in developing new
products. Our team is committed to providing simple, elegant and low-cost
solutions for sport flying. Simply put, Sonex Aircraft and AeroConversions
products provide the Best Performance Per Dollar. Check us out at
www.SonexAircraft.com and www.AeroConversions.com
HIGH RESOLUTION IMAGES AVAILABLE FOR DOWNLOAD:
The AeroVee Turbo is a simple system requiring little change from the
normally-aspirated AeroVee.
http://www.sonexaircraft.com/press/images/hi-res/AeroVee_Turbo_5771.jpg
A full-lengh YouTube video, Sonex AeroVee Turbo Video Tour with Jeremy
Monnett, has been released this morning illustrating the Turbo’s performance
in a Sonex.
http://www.sonexaircraft.com/press/images/hi-res/Turbo_Video_Tour.jpg
AEROVEE TURBO PRESS CONFERENCE PREVIEW VIDEO:
AEROVEE TURBO VIDEO TOUR (FULL-LENGTH):
AEROVEE TURBO HOME PAGE:
http://www.aeroconversions.com/index.html
