SonexBuilders.net

Hey everybody,

I’ve just released a re-edited version of a 2020 video showing Sonex aerobatics flown by Mike Smith. https://youtu.be/srg0CLa3_tA

Changes include:
The animated EFIS display is now much smoother because it is rendered at 25 frames per second (the previous version was rendered at only one frame per second).
Errors in the MGL Engima black-box data feed were corrected.
Tighter edit, the run-time has been reduced by two minutes.
A background soundtrack has been added.

Enjoy!

Fun to watch the G's and other numbers! Glad for the 6G airframe! (Note that I fly in Kts.) For anyone looking at the Oil Temp, it's actually 100 deg higher that you see. We've never been able to get the MGL data for OT to read properly.

Good timing. I was wondering about entry speeds for loops since that's coming up fairly soon for my Onex. I was thinking 140-150 mph, and I see you're using around 160. Are recommended entry speeds posted anywhere for the various models? I imagine they're probably pretty close to the same.
Rusty

To do a "correct" competition loop you need to start from level. For the AeroVee I tend to fly 140 kts (160 mph), and pull to level briefly before pulling into the loop. That pull to level bleeds off a little speed. Without a constant speed prop you need to manage your RPMs. I'll overspeed if I don't pull back the throttle on the down line. I go level briefly with the throttle in the same position as the down line, then pull up for the loop. Not until I start the climb do I firewall the throttle, to avoid overspeeding before the climb gets going. At the apex you need to relax the stick or you will exceed the critical angle of attack and stall the wing (which was not a big deal when I did it the first few times by accident; the Sonex kind of mushes a slow roll to the side in that inverted stall and puts its own nose down. You can feel the buffet just before that, so you can react if you begin to feel that.). Once you get back on the down line you have to retard the throttle again to avoid overspeeding. You will need a little rudder through the loop if you want to come out on line, even with the minimal torque from the AeroVee.

Managing RPMs is part of the game with a fixed pitch prop, so do pay attention.

Thanks for the extra info Mike. I had some formal education before my first RV-8, and I've done fixed pitch aerobatics in several RVs now. I had inverted systems in the first RV-8, which wasn't nearly as much fun as it sounds. I'm old enough now that I don't really enjoy aerobatics much, but I'll do some just to fill in the phase 1 requirements. These days I mostly enjoy having an aerobatic plane for the extra safety margin in strength of the airframe.

Rusty (Onex 912UL)