SonexBuilders.net

• Ron Wanttaja's book "Kit Airplane Construction" is a good reference manual, going into a lot of common topics like how to understand AN bolt numbering, how to respect the metal you're working with, how to rig control cables, etc. He's local to my area and a great guy, to boot. :) You can find the book on Amazon.com or through your favorite bookseller.
• If you haven't done a Sonex workshop or an EAA SportAir workshop, I highly recommend attending one or the other. The Sonex workshop happens at their location in Oshkosh about 3-6 times a year; the EAA workshops tour around the country so look at the website and hopefully one is happening close to you in the next couple of months. Their basic metal workshop is a great introduction to cutting parts, measuring & drilling holes, and getting hands-on experience with both pulled and driven rivets.
• However many silver & bronze clecos you think you'll need - double it. The wings and aft fuselage need a LOT, and its really advantageous to keep as much cleco'ed together for as long as possible; and only rivet items together once an entire assembly is 100% ready to rock.
• Practice with a scotchbrite wheel and scrap material until you get good at smoothing surfaces and grinding away material in a controlled fashion. If you find it difficult to work with, I suggest getting a Harbor Freight 1" belt sander and replacing the sanding belt with abrasive belts. My YouTube video on this is quite old at this point, but I still stand by my comments. :)
• You already ordered your kit so its probably too late for these; but the machined-angle components are a HUGE time-saver, and the pre-assembled spars saves a reasonable amount of time and a lot of stress. You can certainly do without them (I made my own Sonex spars from the basic kit); but if you can swing it they are well worth the cost.

NWade wrote:From a fellow sailplane pilot (out on the west coast), welcome aboard!

Hope you're set for a multi-year adventure through time and space. :-) If you have any questions, never hesitate to ask them on the forum!

A couple of tips, which you may or may not already know:

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[*] If you haven't done a Sonex workshop or an EAA SportAir workshop, I highly recommend attending one or the other. The Sonex workshop happens at their location in Oshkosh about 3-6 times a year; the EAA workshops tour around the country so look at the website and hopefully one is happening close to you in the next couple of months. Their basic metal workshop is a great introduction to cutting parts, measuring & drilling holes, and getting hands-on experience with both pulled and driven rivets.

Bryan Cotton wrote:Buy them! Or I will, though I don't technically need them.