SonexBuilders.net

After three years and three months ONEX 090, N1970T is flying!
Perfect weather conditions provided the perfect environment for my first flight.
All went better than planned. The engine ran perfectly, AeroInjector flawless, takeoff great, landing questionable.
When trimmed out, it flies hands off.
I need a few tips on the landing part. Not used to being so close to the ground and tend to flair a little high and tail wheel contacts
first at times. Just practice, practice, practice I guess.
I love it!
Frank

Way to go Frank! Congratulations!

Congratulations Frank! When I transitioned to gliders it took me a while to relearn where the ground is, but eventually I did. I am sure you will too!

Congratulations!
I have no TD experience, but in my trigear Sonex, my landings improved when my instructor suggested that I keep a >little< power on through the flair (if runway length permits, etc). These planes with their shortish wings pile up a lot of drag at high AOA, and it's easy to get to full stall a bit high at first. The power helped slow the rate of AoA change for me so I could get to the right height above the ground. I don't need to do it anymore, but it was a useful "crutch". Again, maybe everything's different with a TD.

During the ground portion of transition training, Joe Norris stressed learning the sight picture with the tail on the ground. Rotate to that attitude when landing, then let it fly on. I was used to pulling the stick all the way back in the citabria, but the sonex doesn't seem to require much deflection. I think this technique makes it far less likely to "drop it in", since by holding a pitch attitude, you prevent stalling too early. Once the sonex is on the runway I pull the stick harder to firmly plant the tailwheel for better control--I admit to some squirrely landings before I consciously paid attention to this.

Frank,
I had the same problem. Sit in the Onex for a while and get a good look over the panel and outside around you. Then go practice, fly the plane all the way to the ground. I always three point in the Onex, to me this seams to work best.

Congratulations Frank. Looking forward to hearing the numbers.

David
Onex 28

I was doing the same pulling the stick back to flare three point full stall as i did on my wag-aero cub. Always touching down tail wheel first, figured out best thing to do was level out in ground effect, let
the speed bleed off, hold attitude of sight picture over nose same as on the ground then let the onex land it self, you will find it does a better job three pointing then we can.

This is a short video I took the day of Franks first flight. I was not able to be there for his first flight early that morning, but it was great that I got to see him make a couple beautiful flights that evening. To me it looks like Frank had been flying that Onex in his dreams the last three years while he was building. I think his takeoff and landings looked great. Congratulations Frank!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PCMRnbbO3Dg

congrats! super cool!