Welcome Second Owners (builders too!) from a Second Owner

[GraemeSmith]

This whole Sonex Builders Forum is a wonderful resource. And named as it is - it does have a focus on building. That said I have seen the Sonex Group on Facebook tend to become the place where a lot of Second Owners hang out and ask questions. And that's great - better to ask than plow on in ignorance. But to my mind - Facebook is not a good searchable repository for information. So the same stuff gets asked again and again and agai.....

As a volunteer (volunteer - I don't WORK for the FAA) Safety Rep in the WINGS program I also observe that there is a discernable accident trend among second owners of all E-AB's. Let's face it - even if every builder thinks they built a stock Sonex - they didn't quite, all planes have their foibles and quirks. So what seems completely natural and common knowledge to the builder - after all - they built it. Can come a surprise to the second owner. Especially if they are coming from the more structured world of Certificated Aircraft. And that possibly contributes to the accident rate.

So big thank you to Chris who runs the forum for agreeing to give space for "Second Owners" to ask Second Owner type questions.

By way of introduction - I've extracted relevant parts from a story I wrote for the Sonex Foundation Newsletter about how I went about purchasing my Legacy Sonex from the builder. And I've attached some of the documents that builders don't commonly use when building an aircraft.

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My mission criteria had been changing. Less need to travel around New England cheaply. It would be nice to do some positive G Acro in my own plane rather than have to rent. Be nice to have less capital sitting in the tie downs – or at least lower operating costs with more owner maintenance.

Past lives kayak, dinghy and yacht building left me in no doubt I could build a plane. But at my age (60) – I want to fly rather than build. And passengers are rare. Usually small Young Eagles at local rallies. Once a year camping.

A local pilot friend had both bought already built and built his own RV. He offered wise counsel. Mike Smith at Minuteman in Stow, MA had scratch built his Sonex which I was familiar with. A friend put me onto Robbie Culver who gently grilled me about my experience and criteria and offered sage advice.

So, with my mind generally made up – I started scouring Barnstormers. RV4 or Sonex? A Sonex came up first – at 8A6 - Wilgrove Airpark in NC. I scoured the Sonex Factory website, the Foundation website and joined the SonexBuilder Forum. I gathered as much documentation as I could on putting a Sonex together along with every service bulletin issued by the factory. I ordered the CD of FAA documentation for the plane. Ran a lien check. I reviewed the EAA’s purchase and sale agreement for a homebuilt aircraft and had an attorney friend confirm it completely favored the builder.

Then I prepared a “walk away” list. This is a tool I use when engaging in significant projects. It serves two purposes. First it is to document certain milestones or criteria that must be met for me to make an investment or to keep going or to stop. A second and very important purpose is to help me walk away if I am getting all starry eyed and carried away during the purchase process. Like personal minimums when deciding to go fly.

A good friend Jeff McGuire agreed he needed an adventure and at crack of dawn on 21st May we strapped on his Cessna Skylane – departed KUUU – Newport, RI, set the autopilot and 5.5 hours later we short fielded into Wilgrove. The builder Dennis Wright met us and we repaired to his hangar. And so, to work – starting with the first item on my “walk away list”. Copies of the basic documentation of the aircraft. Did it match the FAA copies and did his Repairman’s Certificate apply to this plane for the Condition Inspections in the logs? Then the build log and pictures. Airframe, powerplant and propeller logbooks. Dennis had everything ready and we got past that hurdle quickly. Then a review of all Sonex’s Service Bulletins and if they had been complied with or if not why? All good there.

Then we took the plane apart. Dennis was completely forthcoming and transparent about his build process - pointing out some bent bits of metal in the back of the hangar that had not made it onto the aircraft and where he had purchased new metal! On small details where he had gone “off plans” it was principally to improve access for subsequent maintenance, and he shared his engineered criteria. We mirrored and borescoped and measured and inspected.

The engine looked clean and Dennis volunteered having had to recently change a cylinder head. Wiring was workmanlike and every wire seemed to be labelled at either end. They even said the same thing at each end of the same wire! We put the plane back together. Dennis asked what I thought? I said I needed to confer with my friend. Jeff and I stepped outside. The plane had passed every milestone on the “walk away” list and was still looking good. The only remaining item was a test flight. I reminded Jeff of the other reason he was along.

“Jeff am I getting all starry eyed? Should you be hitting me over the head with a baseball bat?”
But Jeff didn’t – he enthused about the build quality, the obvious attention to detail. He liked the open and honest demeanor of the builder as much as I did. We went back into the hangar and told Dennis the bad news. I wanted to go on a test flight.

We repositioned the Skylane and Sonex to KRUQ – Mid-Carolina Regional with a 5,000ft runway and no obstacles to get out over. It was warm, burbly and late in the day. At half tanks, the Sonex was going to be at maximum gross and Dennis warned we would be step climbing to keep things cool. Preflight, safety brief and of we went to some lakes to the east where the school planes practiced. We flew around while I watched numbers on the EFIS, checked for Carbon Monoxide in the cabin (none) and watched how Dennis flew her. Then my controls. A few Pilot Induced Oscillations while I found where on the stick to hold her and not over control and then round in some steep turns – they were not great – but they were not awful either. Even at maximum gross she was quick and nimble and when I got her straight and level and let go – she flew almost straight, almost hands of. She needed a hair of left rudder to keep the ball centered. Dennis mentioned he had never got around to fitting the rudder trim tab and just flew with the touch of his foot on the rudder. We were throttled back to 3,000 and trucking along at 99KIAS. Not much more to find out at this point. We went back to KRUQ, landed and pulled of on the ramp. As silence fell Dennis asked what I thought?

“Dennis – I’d be honored if you would let me be the next custodian of your aircraft.”
We shook on it, I gave Dennis a deposit to hold the plane a month and Jeff and I strapped on the Skylane, set the autopilot and we spent 5 hours getting back to Rhode Island – landing at dusk.

And then a very frustrating month for both me and Dennis. Dennis had to be out his hangar at the end of June and needed me to get a move on. I had a lot of work projects needed attention while trying to find a 3-day weather window to bring the plane back to Rhode Island. Transition training was going to have to consist of a good read of the syllabus, a little brush up tail time – but in an RV4.

AVEMCO will insure anyone – but it took Victoria Neuville at AIR to find me an underwriter who would insure me at a price I thought reasonable. They also agreed to negotiate when I offered that I take a Flight Review every year and that I would fly the Sonex Training Syllabus with a CFI and as a Flight Review in the plane. Price came down and their initial 10 and 10 with a CFI and solo was reduced to 5 and 5. Mike Smith came up with a CFI he knew who had Sonex time.

27th June I drove an overnight one-way car rental to KRUQ to meet up again with Dennis. He flew in. I was glad I was travelling light. The plane was FULL. Dennis had agreed to supply “some spares” with the plane. He wasn’t kidding. We spent three hours just going through the plans, manuals and boxes and boxes of parts he had strapped into the plane. Outlining what was what, where it went and what I needed to know. I made a raft of notes and took countless photographs. By the time Dennis was done – my extensive list of prepared questions was redundant.

I gave Dennis the certified check for the balance and we signed the paperwork.

I piled all the spares into the car, preflighted slowly and then spent 30 mins taxiing around the ramp getting used to the sight picture and the lack of a turning circle. More than once I had to stop the engine, climb out, pick the tail up and turn the plane around and then carry on. I also spent some time thoroughly learning two of the screens of the Engima EFIS so I could monitor the engine and my airspeed and attitude. Actual navigation on the delivery would be by iPad.

I taxied down to the active only to have the wind swing 180 as I did. I couldn’t get round on the narrow taxiway and had to stop, get out, pick the tail up and taxi back the other way. Glad no one was about…..

And then the first take of. I didn’t let her fly of – I should have let her fly off – but no - I picked the tail up. Even with my Tiger Moth experience of a left turning engine – I over controlled the tail swing. Glad I was on a wide runway! I climbed out and elected to get some airwork in the practice area before some pattern work. I set up on a lake for a heading and flew some slow flight. Discovery - you really must abuse this plane to get her to drop a wing. She prefers to just burble the stalled wing at you and mush downhill. Lots of steep turns till I got it somewhat dialed in. They were steeper than 45 degrees and less than 60. In the end about 50 where I could – at least initially – get the plane to stay on speed and altitude and I started to hit my wake. I tried some power on stalls. Then some slips in landing configuration. I initially missing how slippy the plane was and how a slip doesn’t necessarily get the plane dirty enough to slow down as well as sink. Then I flew some ‘go arounds’ at 3,000ft AGL while I got the workflow down. I was sure I was going to need this one.

Back to the pattern and what might be best described as three full stop crunches with full taxi backs, seasoned with two go arounds. Funnily enough it was not the sight picture close to the ground that was bothering me – I just wasn’t getting slowed down enough and spent some time on my tailwheel with the stick in the pit of my stomach waiting for the mains to agree I was slow enough for them to drop to the surface. I had been misled by Dennis’s lack of flaps till the last minute – in his workflow because we were at maximum gross and sank and
slowed easily with the nose up. But only one up and putting in flaps late – I was diving fast for the runway and wasn’t slowing down. It wasn’t awful. Just used a lot of runway.

Back to the ramp, pack the plane, fuel her and go look at the weather for the delivery trip home.

Make: Dennis H Wright
Model: Sonex
15Shop Talk Spring 2020
Serial Number: 1153
Registration Number: N360GS
Date of Certification: 24 November 2015 (as N581DW)
First Flight: 6 December 2015

Graeme Smith took his first flying lesson in a WWII Tiger Moth at a Battle of Britain Airshow in
the UK in September 2010. He is currently a 2000-hour PPL - tail and complex endorsed and has
trained for and flown some 27 types. Based at KUUU - Newport State in RI he flies Young Eagles
in the EAA program and is a volunteer for the FAASTeam/WINGS program. In past lives he has
been a Whisky Blender, Youth Worker, Tall Ship Captain, Yacht Builder and currently owns a
Computer/ Business consultancy.

[Tomvj1688]

I would agree with GraemeSmith. I have recently purchased a kit from an original owner and I have found myself on this form daily/weekly since. I have finally decided to become an member. Thanks to all those who have left so much information here and for all those who help out with thoughtful responses.

[flyingbear]

I purchased a mostly finished ONEX project which had very good workmanship. I have built a couple of planes as Pilot for Thatcher Aircraft so I know what to look for. I found no significant discrepancies with the project but, as time went on, I did have several issues that came up simply because the project had sat for several years.

The Aerovee was a bit hard to start but ran nicely....until I tried to turn it off. Long story>> for a while , years ago, Sonex shipped defective mags which would not turn off. I had those. However, Sonex would not replace mine for free as they had done for others earlier. They sold them to me for half price. Anyway, starts easy now and runs great.

I also spent months and tons of hours trying to get the MGL EFIS to properly register engine data. Long story>> ended up being poor connections to the RDAC plugs. Contact cleaner fixed the problem. The aircraft needed some adjustments to the aileron linkages etc but flies hands off. Very sensitive on the ailerons; I LOVE it.

Sitting caused a layer of corrosion on the bare skins so I have been working to get a good shine on it. I doubt it will ever be very good but it is coming along.

I found several things that needed tightening on the aircraft. The valve cover bolts came off by using only my hand and the oil sump bolts were almost as loose. Sitting for years can do that.
All in all I love the aircraft but recommend that a new owner of any aircraft go over it well as though it was just assembled by an amateur.....which it was.

I now have 50 hours on the aircraft and it is reliable and a joy to fly.

ONEX owner
Glen Bradley

[Matt541]

Yup, most of my pre purchase research was done right here. Even found posts made by the previous owner. The "Rehab" project sent me searching for things here and on various My Kit Log entries. Certainly helped connect me with other Sonex owners as well, but I'm not much of an FB person either.

Thanks Chris and everyone who contributes here!

[OtterlyFoolish]

The Aerovee was a bit hard to start but ran nicely....until I tried to turn it off. Long story>> for a while , years ago, Sonex shipped defective mags which would not turn off. I had those. However, Sonex would not replace mine for free as they had done for others earlier. They sold them to me for half price. Anyway, starts easy now and runs great.

Do you know what year the bad mags were shipped? The kit that I just bought had shipped in 2017 so I would like to know if my mags could be in that lot or not.

Thank you,
Marc

[Sonex1517]

You should look at the factory service bulletins.

For the AeroVee:

http://www.aeroconversions.com/support/aerovee_sb.html

For the airframe:

https://www.sonexaircraft.com/service-b ... s/#general

If you have not done so, transferring the plans to your name is well worth the money.

[OtterlyFoolish]

Thanks for the links.

I do not pick up the plane until the end of the month and I will transfer it to my name with Sonex at that time.

Looks like that magneto issue was from 2015 so it should not apply to the 2017 kit that I am purchasing.

I assume that any service bulletins prior to my kit production have already been addressed by the factory and would not apply to my particular aircraft. Please let me know if I am wrong in this thought process.

[GraemeSmith]

I assume that any service bulletins prior to my kit production have already been addressed by the factory and would not apply to my particular aircraft. Please let me know if I am wrong in this thought process.

Trust but Verify

[Skippydiesel]

I am looking at possibly purchasing an almost completed Sonex /912 ULS Legacy.

The aircraft appears to have been constructed with excruciating attention to detail. All components are new. There have been what appear to be some very well thought out "enhancements"/variation from the plans eg wing tanks. It has never flown.

I have engaged the services of an aeronautical engineer to review the overall construction quality, with particular attention to any divergence from Sonex plans.

I would be grateful for any Sonex specific pre purchase inspection/pointers, that I should check (or pass on to the engineer for checking).

[XenosN42]

I would be grateful for any Sonex specific pre purchase inspection/pointers, that I should check (or pass on to the engineer for checking).

Visit the Sonex Builders & Pilots Foundatation web site. Great content including an article on pre-purchase & inspection.

https://sonexfoundation.com/safety-%26-education