Sonex type club

[Sonex1517]

Ok all you Sonex, Waiex, Xenos, Onex and wannabe builders, a question long overdue.

What does everyone think of forming a national type club?

First, I asked Sonex Aircraft for their opinion, and received the following response:

Hi Robbie,

There are other formal Sonex type clubs including the Florida Sonex Association ( http://www.floridasonex.com ), Sonex Australia ( http://sonexaus.wikispaces.com ), and a new club forming in Europe. We view type clubs as very positive and healthy for the Sonex fleet, as long as they don

[MichaelFarley56]

Well Robbie, I don't know if I can provide a lot of suggestions but I'd love to see your idea become reality. I'd also love to help and/or be a part of it if there's anything I can do to provide assistance.

A few thoughts on the matter....

- I'm sure we've all seen the Vans RV builders have a very active builder and pilot association. I often look over at vansairforce.net and wish we had something like that for Sonex builders. I was and am still hoping this website grows into something similar with lots of active involvement. Perhaps, as people join this national Sonex club, this website can evolve into an online "meeting place" for the club members to chat.

- While a national club is a great idea, perhaps this master plan could also include state or regional sub-chapters as well. This could make local fly-ins easier, as well as people requesting technical assistance, flight training or rides, etc.

- I think an important part to establish a group is to reach out and get a hold of people who are either building or thinking about building airplanes. Here in central Ohio I think I have one of the only flying examples around and have often thought about tracking down other local builders just to say hi and see if I can help them in their build. Last year at Oshkosh, a couple introduced themselves and said they lived 30 minutes away and were thinking about a Sonex, and after a nice conversation I never heard anything back. I'd love to figure out a way to reconnect and show them my plane.

- Obviously, meets and fly-ins are important. The fly-in at Crossville every fall is probably the biggest in the nation and it would be great to see it continue to grow, as well as perhaps having another one at a different time of year.

Ill keep thinking about things, but I love the idea! Let me know how I can help!

[Sonex1517]

Thanks for the great input!

I like the regional (wing) idea, and that is why I took over the web site Chris Williams set up. As posted in anther thread, I am trying to get something started here with a get together for lunch.

I am a lifetime member of the Cessna 150/152 type club, and they get it right. What began as a small fly in at the Clinton, IA airport grew into a neat little event held around the same time as Oshkosh every year. I would love to see something like this for Sonex also.

My friend Jim and I drove to Crossville this October, and a ten hour drive each way gives lots of time for these conversations.

Believe me - when the time comes, we will all have to pitch in to make it succeed!

Keep the ideas coming!


Robbie
Sonex 1517

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[MichaelFarley56]

Exactly!! The Cessna 150-152 club is a great example as well. I haven't been to Clinton but a good friend regularly attends with his beautiful 150, and loves it.

It's just my opinion, but with the average cruise speed of our planes, I can see local gatherings happening much more often than national meets. On several different occasions I've hosted people at my hangar and done a mini builder assist workshop by introducing them to raw aluminum, drilling, deburring, and riveting as well as showing them the Sonex plans. Maybe a list of builders and/or owners who are willing to host such building parties can be made up by area; that way if Joe Smith is living in Chicago and wants to learn how a Sonex is built, they can call Robbie to get a hands on demonstration.

Ill keep thinking...

[EricS]

Robbie & Mike,

I'd be interested in doing something to help with all these ideas as well. I live in Jasper, IN which is 4.5 hour drive to Columbus, OH and 6 hours to Chicago. I'm an A&P building my kit in my home shop and would be willing to do mini builder assists or help get interested people familiarized with sheet metal and the Sonex/Waiex kit. Setting up a map or list of builders that are willing/able to help out would be a great resource! Right now you can see Sonex's list of builders, but you don't really know who might be a good resource or if they are someone willing help out. Also, the list is only as good as the last time the builder notified Sonex of changes. I've noticed many of the website links and contact info to be outdated.

There are only a couple of flying Sonexs within 1 hour of here so there's not much of a following yet. It would be great to see that change!

[Sonex1517]

Excellent!

I really do think a national type club is a good idea, and from what I have been reading, the kit manufacturers agree, including Sonex Aircraft. I am doing some additional homework on this but in reality all it needs is someone to take on the idea and run with it.

I simply cannot commit the time and energy to do so. But I can help, and am willing to help where I can with writing, editing, or photography. I just can't run the club - no time.

On the idea of a national fly-in, I would say simply this.

People fly their Sonex aircraft all over - Kip Laurie is a great example. If you can fly to Oshkosh, or to all the lower 48 states, then a national fly in is certainly within reach.

The 150/152 club encourages caravans of aircraft, and the comaradarie and fellowship those people have is incredible. The satisfaction of making the journey is a huge confidence builder in the aircraft and pilot. Flying cross country with a group of like minded pilots can keep all involved honest in making good decisions, and gives the pilots a helpful set of extra eyes in case of an emergency or unanticipated mechanical problems.

Any fly in at a national level could be loosely coordinated with the dates of Oshkosh, giving people an opportunity to stop on the way to or from Oshkosh so they do not have vacation conflicts. Somewhere in the midwest is good for that.

Certainly this is not the only solution.

Crossville is fantastic - but Tennessee in October is not always practical for those of us in northern climates where the weather that time of year is, to be polite, dynamic. Having said that, what John and his dedicated team of volunteers pull off is simply fantastic. It is absolutely worth the effort to attend.

OK - I have babbled on long enough. Let's see what we can do together to pull this off...

Robbie
Sonex 1517

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