New Xenos builder

[PTHS]

Dear Xenos Builders,

I'm new on the forum. I have some familiarity with all the Sonexes.

I'll be starting in on the completion of a Xenos in March. The fuselage and tail have been built. If and when finished it would be as an Experimental homebuilt motor-glider.

I hope to contribute with a solution to the 40" shoulder crunch that will be useable for seating not yet built and for built seating that's not too magnificent to change, basically by getting the adjacent shoulders off the same line, and solving the resulting external view, stick, and panel view & manipulation problems that result.

My engine will be probably be a Rotax 912iS Sport (or a 915T) or anything better that comes along while I'm building. Choosing a light, powerful and fuel efficient engine is easy, unlike:

My longer term goal and the main reason I want to fly a Xenos, after its great versatility (and loveable simplicity), is that it (any Sonex) could realize extensive laminar flow. So the marring of the airfoil by local and larger riveting deformation & rivet heads themselves, vibration, any lateral skin boundary near the leading edge, lack of air-tightness, external gadgets, inspection ports on the upper surface, and paint all have to be eliminated. This has proven more or less impossible so far on riveted aluminum GA aircraft homebuilt or not. There is a rather straightforward way to do it. See my reply post in Introductions at the top level of the forum if further interested.

Regards

PTHS