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Post by maddog on Aug 25, 2011 18:46:27 GMT -5
I made my first,second and third unassisted take off and landings this morning... Seems slightly ironic that all went without a hitch. Now I am running out of excuses to building a Sonerai!!! So far I have the plans, the table, and the desire. All that is left is priceless.  mb |
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Post by schrome on Aug 25, 2011 19:37:32 GMT -5
Congratulations, maddog! Are you learning in a Cessna? When you finally fly your Sonerai it will be much more fun.
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Post by n3480h on Aug 25, 2011 20:40:50 GMT -5
Congratulations maddog! This is always a significant life event and one you should be proud of. Hope you enjoy a lifetime of flight.
Tom
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Post by maddog on Aug 25, 2011 21:42:27 GMT -5
No, not in a Cessna. It is a Zenith 601 XLB.
I am going for my Sport pilot licence first, then maybe more if needed.
I am hoping to build a SII LTS and fly it off a grass field, so i would need a climb prop anyway (and no wheel pants), which would get me closer to an LSA.
mb
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pttim
New Member
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Post by pttim on Aug 26, 2011 11:23:36 GMT -5
Congrats! Maddog!
Coolest feeling in the world executing a controlled collison with a moving planet.
;DTim
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Post by racegunz on Aug 26, 2011 12:43:33 GMT -5
Congrats Maddog, I went Sport pilot in a Champ/Cub then this summer upgraded to Private, that is the way to do it for sure. After Chuck gets me checked out in his Sonerai my excuse will be the Wagabond is eating all my free time and money. two planes are for the retired or the rich,(maybe both). Good Luck in your aviation endeavors.
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Post by shanenothdurft on Aug 27, 2011 10:17:48 GMT -5
im new to the sonerai i just bought a IIL CAN ANYONE GIVE ME SOME INFO ON HOW THEY FLY IVE FLOWN A HUMMEL BIRD RANS S12 CESSNA 150 HOW DO THESE COMPARE
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Post by maddog on Aug 28, 2011 23:04:37 GMT -5
This is just from the info that I have gathered over time, FASTER,, LIGHTER,, BETTER!!!
mb
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Post by juergen on Aug 29, 2011 2:29:31 GMT -5
Hi ?shanenothdurft?, the Rans S12 and C150 : no chance to compare The Hummel Bird is all the half: half the speed, half the agility.... with best regards Juergen |
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hans
Full Member
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Post by hans on Aug 29, 2011 14:40:57 GMT -5
Congratulations, Maddog!
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joelh
New Member
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Post by joelh on Nov 7, 2011 17:02:27 GMT -5
That's the same question I have. Are Sonerai's a handful on the ground? I have seen what they can not be compared to but what aircraft would you compare them to? Super decathlon maybe? Thanks
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peterzabriskie
Junior Member
"Did I make that part the best I possibly could have?" Unknown
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Post by peterzabriskie on Nov 9, 2011 23:54:39 GMT -5
Five Stars....Congrats Maddog. I hope to follow suit asap.
-Pete
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hans
Full Member
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Post by hans on Nov 10, 2011 3:40:11 GMT -5
That's the same question I have. Are Sonerai's a handful on the ground? I have seen what they can not be compared to but what aircraft would you compare them to? Super decathlon maybe? Thanks Shane & Joel, as a Sonerai rookie, let me just document my observations. First where I come from: In my teenager years and the decade that followed I was a sailplane pilot, i.e. only taildragger craft with wings that have a large moment of inertia. You really need the rudder to keep gliders in check. I left aviation for about 15 years and after this absence I took up piloting airplanes, flying DA40, PA28, C152 and C172 type of craft. Then I purchased my Sonerai II last Summer, yeah! Currently I only have two flights on it (appr. 3 hours, 2 landings) - and previous to that about 2.5 hours of taxi time in various conditions. This means I'm no expert by any standard. In October I couldn't fly it, as I slipped my bi-annual flight review date, neccesitating a full prof-check. This I took only two weeks ago, so as soon as the weather clears up (currently bad visibility) I'll take her up again. My rookie observations: - I really took my time to get used to my Sonerai: multiple hours of just sitting on the ground and then about 2.5 hours taxi time, both spread over multiple weeks. While working up to my first flight, I also talked to other Sonerai pilots. Juergen has been most helpful in this respect
 as was an acquaintance of mine who is a FI in The Netherlands and owns Cassutt N242BJ as well.
- Compared to gliders, and most any other plane I've flown, a Sonerai has very little mass moment of inertia. This means that you need to be nimble with your rudder. Very quick small corrections are better than larger corrections that might come too late or set up a sway that may become uncontrollable. This of course is true for taildraggers in general...
- As a former spam can driver, I needed to really force myself to look forward all the time during the faster runs. Glance on your panel a bit too long, and you potentially have a situations where small rudder corrections aren't enough anymore. My current drill: after starting the take-off run, I only quickly verify 'airspeed alive' and 'RPM full power'. All other checks I do after I'm airborn. Keep your eyes outside all the time.
- As a former spam can jockey I was a bit amazed to find that any RPM change while flying will disturbe the balance significantly- i.e. needs to be followed up with corresponding rudder setting changes. I guess this will be less pronounced in a stretch.
- Another thing that amazed me how much prop torque I had to even out with the rudder when climbing out. Such a small engine, but then again, installed in a very light aircraft. It shows...
- On my first flight, I found that controlling the glide path to touch-down was the most challenging part. I flew multiple traffic patterns (without touching down) to get that down. My second flight has shown, that I need to work on that a lot more...
- I found my two landings to be easier than I feared them to be. I made three-pointers only, likely my glider training has been helpful here.
As I said, I'm still a rookie, your mileage may or will vary. The above is what I noticed as being different from other planes I flew. cheers Hans |
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Post by schrome on Nov 10, 2011 12:32:55 GMT -5
With 35 hours on the tiny tach now (maybe I've moved on from rookie to novice?) I would have to agree with all of what Hans said. The rudder sensitivity left the biggest impression from my first flight - the only time the ball was centered was when it was flying from one side to the other! It lands nicely if you don't come in too fast and even then it still lands nicely, just uses a lot of runway.
Ed
2LS
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hans
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Post by hans on Nov 12, 2011 9:10:54 GMT -5
... It lands nicely if you don't come in too fast and even then it still lands nicely, just uses a lot of runway.... 2LS Speaking of which - what speeds do you experienced S-II pilots use for the traffic patterns, final, threshold, touchdown? thanks Hans |
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as was an acquaintance of mine who is a FI in The Netherlands and owns Cassutt N242BJ as well.