New guy from Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

[rob.archibald]

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[wlarson861]

I suggest you consider the aerovee turbo. For roughly half the price of a Jab 3300 you get quite a bit of performance. The turbo will out perform the Jab at altitude and gives me a lot of take off power from the Midwest elevations of below 1000 feet MSL. The Sonex plans/kits are the best I've ever seen in the 30 plus years I have investigated home built aviation. The B model has much more factory work done on the parts than My earlier kit which should save many hours of fabrication and assembly. Take the cost estimates from Sonex and subtract the instrument allowance off and add the cost of real radios and EIFIS and you will know what the true finish cost will be if you polish rather than paint. The Sonex fits my needs very well. Make sure you try one in person for fit as the cockpit is small. If you and whomever fly's with you fit then you have found your project. Ask any questions you have as this the place.

[Bryan Cotton]

Hey Rob,
Welcome to the tribe!

[jjbardell]

I used to fly a CH2 as well. There is no comparison as the Sonex flies like an airplane. No more flying by rudders like you do with your CH2. The side by side is nice and the view is superior to the CH2. The Sonex is still a light aircraft, so be prepared to still stay on top of the plane like you do today but it will handle the bumps and xwnd much better. Overall it's a nice flying plane, very fast per dollar.

I haven't seen the published 170mph cruise speeds. Depending on how you spec the plane I would plan for ~150 TAS @ 5k. Very nice for 6gph. That's a nice economy cruise without hamming down the throttle.

I bought my kit partially completed and finished it. Saved many thousands of dollars and I'm happy with my choice as it allowed me to invest in the turbo and a very nice panel. Depending on your size, the A models may still be an option. Although a lot of people will disagree with me, it's something to consider if you can find a nice kit on barnstormers. For $100, you can register it with Sonex and still get the factory support. If money isn't as big of a factor, the B models look incredible.

[DCASonex]

As someone who first started building a Zenith CH650, and got caught up in the folding (in-flight) wing problem, and dumped that kit off and got a Sonex, can say the Sonex is a much stronger design, even after the upgrades Zenith has made. If looking at possible 3300 engines, check out CAMit as well. Had a bunch of problems and lack of support from Jabiru, but could not be happier with my CAMit 3300.

David A. Sonex TD with CAMit 3300

[samiam]

Welcome to the fold! I've gone through this same deliberation. Ultimately it comes down to mission. The 750 STOL is a great airplane but will do completely different things from a Sonex.

Do you go on mostly local flights, mostly by yourself, the occasional XC, and like great handling qualities? The Sonex would be a great fit.
Do you want to land in the backwoods, or put on floats to land in lakes, and enjoy flying at 500' at 70mph? The 750 STOL would be a great fit.
Do you want to go on XC in wide-cabin comfort, with a lot of stability, and don't mind going a little slower? The Zenith 650 might be a great fit.

I wouldn't get too focused on the small differences in kit cost, as all three can be built for similar finished prices. Engine and avionics choice largely determine final cost. Realistically, all three would cost $35-$55k depending on what you choose to put in it.

Best of luck!