SonexBuilders.net

Hi all,

big news!

see http://www.bydanjohnson.com

new light sport rules coming

the nprm will be put on the federal register this week or next
then 90 days for comment, then review tweak and publish
im guessing the first of the year


read article, select link in blue, quick link to mosaic proposal
will go to a nprm, pls comment…..when put on the docket

this was published yesterday , wed july 19………318 pages
lots to read

enjoy reading


michael.

Any word on whether Sonex is going to increase gross weight? I heard from a semi-reliable source one mfr has already stated they will be going to 1500 as soon as the rule goes into effect.

I read most of this before leaving for Oshkosh. The following really surprised me and made me wonder…

Quoting:

“The general prohibition against experimental aircraft operating over densely populated areas or in congested airways will continue to apply under the proposed amendment to all aircraft that do not hold these special authorized operating limitations.”

I would suggest that since no definition of “densely populated areas” is known to exist in the FAR’s, and this verbiage has come and gone over the years, it is of concern.

John,
I doubt that Sonex will change gross weights, especially for the designs currently in production. They might consider something for the Highwing, but even that one seems pretty far down the path of its design. For the ones that will / can change gross weight, look at designs like the Zenith CH-750 series or the Rans S21. These are "artificially" gross weighted at 1320 lbs, and are actually designed for quite a bit higher weights. So for these designs, yes, it's just a matter of paperwork.

The Sonex, designed at 1150 lbs gross (with the heavier engine, yours might be 1100#), is designed for just and only that. It's not held to 1150 lbs by paperwork and really capable of the desired load factors at 1200, 1250, or pick some bigger number. Though 1150 is quite a bit less than 1320, there may be someone out there who "gross weighted" their Sonex at 1320#, but you would have to decrease the allowable load factor (it's 6g at 1150, so equivalent to 5.2g at 1320#?), but you'd also have to ensure that the cg stayed in range.

On the S21, their spec sheet says there's an "LSA" version at 1320#, but non-LSA is 1800#, so you're just throwing away 480#! of payload to run it as a 1320# LSA. When the Mosaic rules become final, for the S21, there wouldn't appear to be any reason to hold its gross weight to 1320#.

Might mean a sport pilot could fly a standard Onex without the extended wingtip to meat current LSA stall speeds.

David A.