Xenos in Maryland

[PTHS]

Dear Sonexers especially Xenosers,

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 to many of you with built and building Sonex, Waiex and Xenoses 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 an easy thing, unlike:

My longer term goal and the main reason I want to fly a Xenos, after its great versatility, 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 small planes homebuilt or not. There is a rather straightforward way to do it.

Regards

[gammaxy]

Welcome!

I was getting excited, but you totally left me hanging. How do you do it and how much faster will I go when I copy your design? I never bothered installing a wing root seal (or seal between flaps and fuselage), so it sounds like I have plenty of room for improvement.

What's your avatar picture? It sortof looks like a screenshot from X-Plane, but I can't figure out what I'm looking at.

[Darick]

I just read a review on UL engines and they said they may soon be offering a firewall forward kit for the Sonex. However, once again the same story, 2x more expensive than aerovee. Looks like a really updated air cooled engine with FADEC control.

[Bryan Cotton]

PTHS,
Welcome to the forums! I am curious about your wing treatments. I have owned two tin gliders - a Blanik L33 Solo and a Schweizer 1-35C. I liked them both. The 1-35 had filler on the wings. I don't think the L33 did, just nice metalwork but was still just a 33:1 glider. I don't think I will modify my Waiex but am just curious.

[PTHS]

Dear Grammaxy, Darick and Bryan,

Before any use on the construction of a full airplane, a project has to be mounted which tests and reports the strength, aero and environmental characteristcs of the test wing sections. Some official review of those results would indicate whether such a method might be appropriate. A constructed wing would have to pass FAA tests to get an airworthiness certificate and it would be as true EXPERIMENTAL not ELSA or LSA. You can look at that project at http://www.schwenn.com to see what's proposed (I'll make it public so you can get in to view it, Please as a courtesy stick to home, illustrative example and project definition pages - thanks.

Because this forum is for Sonex airplanes, I won't go on about non-standard (for small planes) construction methods, but that website will record changes and results.

Rotax has the necessity and resources to pursue the advances necessary for the 2025 fuel standards regulations (55mpg fleet mileage including light trucks). The new Rotaxes have advanced injectors, in flight modifyiable fuel/air mapping, rigid airbox of the right size, and secret sauce for piston, valve and cam details. The 915Tadds a turbocharger, but they do not have variable valve timing, (as will become standard on intake and exhaust - already Volvo, Accord, Ducati), and retain pushrod valve actuation. Rotax is conservative with its aviation engines. The small light Volvo T6 2-liter is already being sold and employs the likely to be widespread multi-speed electric supercharger, turbocharger, variable valve timing on all valves,... Configurations will get stranger, e.g. two pistons in each cylinder.

My Avatar - which I will try to learn how to get right within the 16KB limit. Its an "AhrViyX" (seaplane in this case) meant to demonstrate that using the noted project's lightening cycle, light efficient engine and laminar flow scheme, a 4 seater aluminum plane can be powered with the 915T. (That example isn''t design magic because the initial design weighs 1700 lbs empty and carries the oft-chosen 500# engine.) This Seaplane design has no pylons or sponsons or other high drag add-ons. It floats by virtue of its drooped wings, a seaplane hull, and its inverted V-Tail's fat tip's. The ring prop (seaplane or not) is protected by the V-tail but it would also permit over time the straightforward substitution of hybrid then battery (when ready) power in the nose: (you may need to pan or zoom to see the whole thing.)



Regards, PTHS

[kmacht]

Have you talked with John Monnett about your ideas with the continuous fastened wing? He did something similar with the Moni moto-glider years ago. He might be able to provide some insight on what worked and what didn't for him.

Keith
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