Sonex Aircraft, LLC passed a major benchmark this week, as news was received from Christopher Madsen of Huntsville, Alabama that his AeroVee powered, Standard Gear Sonex flew for the first time on September 23rd. The addition of Chris’s aircraft brings the company’s database of completed and flown aircraft to 500 reported first flights!
“While we know there are several more aircraft flying that have never been reported to us or who, like Chris, will pass along news of their achievement to us at a later date, reaching 500 reported completions in our Sonex Builder Database is a major milestone for the entire Sonex Aircraft community,” writes Sonex General Manager Mark Schaible. “This is an achievement not only for our company, but also for each and every Sonex Aircraft builder who has added a first flight to this database, beginning with the very first customer Sonex completion by Tony Spicer, which took flight on June 2nd, 2000!”
“I’m extremely pleased with the performance and the economy and am enjoying the adventures I’ve had in the 22 hours I’ve flown so far,” writes Chris Madsen. “The [Sonex T-Flight] transition training was great and helped me feel comfortable with the controls, sight picture, and take-off and landing from first flight on,” continued Chris in-reference to his experience with the Sonex T-Flight Transition Training program offered at Sonex factory headquarters in Oshkosh, WI.
The T-Flight program celebrates a milestone of it’s own this Fall, surpassing 100 students since the program’s founding in May, 2013. The count currently stands at 115 students, accounting for 189 hours of dual instruction and 127 hours of ground. The T-Flight program was established at Sonex Aircraft, LLC in response to FAA, NTSB, EAA and AKIA initiatives to increase the availaibility of type-specific transition training in experimental aircraft. As the Sonex Aircraft fleet continues to grow, so does the demand for transition training from original builder/pilots and pilots of pre-owned aircraft alike.
“With the company’s founding in 1998, seeing 500 examples of our designs fly over a 14 year period is impressive by any measure in the homebuilt aircraft industry, and we currently receive approximately 50 first flight reports every year,” remarks Mark Schaible. “Sonex Aircraft commemorates every first flight by issuing our Gold Wings pin exclusively to builders who have completed and flown their own aircraft.
Visit www.SonexAircraft.com for more information.
