Feb 15, 2024     Finished mounting second leg - (1 hour) Category: Landing Gear

Didn't have a lot of time but wanted to make some progress. I deburred the second landing gear leg, drilled out the hole in the engine mount, and mounted the leg. The legs are a jam fit and it takes some work to get them in. Nothing a rubber mallet and some patients cant fix. Got it in, bolted, and then loosened the nut 1/4 turn as specified.

Started looking at the plans for installing the fuel tank and the brakes. The plates that came with my build to mount the wheel pants doesnt look right. Going to do some more research on the brakes and installing the fuel tank next.

  Feb 14, 2024     Broken bit issues - (3 hours) Category: Landing Gear

After breaking the bit and not being able to get it out, I stopped for a while to think. What's stronger then Cobalt? Carbide. I messaged Sonex and they said they use Carbide bits when they drill the gear.

I managed to continue updrilling from the 1/4” back side very slowly. I would oil it well and plunge the drill in till I saw a few chips, then pull out the drill, clean it off, and let everything sit for 30+ minutes. This worked and I eventually drilled through the bit, however I think I dulled the 1/4” Carbide bit so badly that I will need a new one when I drill the other holes. I used a jib from the start so I was fortunate the everything still lined up when drilled from both sides. Glad I didnt have to buy a new leg… Yet..

  Feb 11, 2024     Drilling Main gear - (10 hours)       Category: Landing Gear

Drilled the first main gear leg after making a drilling jig to keep everything strait. I broke a bit in the process but was luckily able to get it out. I found the engine mount hole was quite a bit undersized or possibly filled with powder coating. I drilled it out to 1/4" for the AN4 bolt. I then put the gear leg in place and was surprised how tight it was. I had to tap the gear leg in place with a rubber mallet. I managed to get the gear leg in place and a bolt installed. I didn't think there was enough room between the firewall and mount for the nut, but there was with 1/16" left.

I started to drill the second leg with a new Cobalt 1/8" bit and it snapped about 1/4 of the way through even with frequent breaks and oil! The HSS bit surprisingly did better which it should not have. I could not grab ahold of the remainder of the bit, so I decided to drill from the opposite side but when I got to the broken bit, I couldn't go any further.

I tried hammering it out with a punch but that didnt work. Tried drilling with the 1/4" bit from the clear side but it too stopped when it got to the broken bit. I hoped with the hole wider on one side I could see what was going on and punch out the bit, but it wasn't budging. Stopping to rethink how else to clear the hole.

I checked on the rudder pedals and finished the second hole. I found the pedals were a little too tight so I removed them and sanded the blocks a little more and reinstalled.

  Feb 03, 2024     More right wing work - (8 hours)       Category: Wings

While I was back in Ohio, I worked on drilling the remaining leading edge wing skin holes and up drilling them for dimpling. Up drilled the remaining holes for #30 clecos and fit the aileron hinges. I found the hinges were mis cut and we had to remake a part of them and the flap hinges. Went to the hangar and removed the lights from the 701. I'm never going to fly it at night but the Sonex I might. Plugged the wingtip hole and brough the lights back to install on the wingtips and fit the wingtips. Ran into some issues with the fit and had to stop and fly home.

  Jan 30, 2024     Drilling the tail wheel landing gear - (.5 hour)       Category: Landing Gear

I had a little time and decided to work on the landing gear. They specify where to drill the first hole in the tail wheel gear as well as the mains. The mains are almost $400 each while the tail rod is about $80, so I started with the tail rod. If I goofed it up, it would be less expensive of an oops.

I heard Titanium was difficult to drill but to my surprise, it was no big deal at all. I first made a jig to hold the rod with a hole predrilled in the center (see image). The bottom of the hole was measured to be the same height from the bottom as a 2x4 so I could use a 2x4 for support to keep it square. I started at 1/8" then went to 3/16", then 1/4". The first two were no big deal. Enlarging to 1/4" burnt the bit and certainly took a little more effort but still not an issue.

All in all, much easier then expected.

  Jan 27, 2024     Rudder Pedal installation Part 1 - (5.5 hours)       Category: Controls

I was reviewing next steps and now seemed like a good time to put the rudder pedals in while I could still get to the mounts without much trouble. I had to make the rudder pedal blocks out of of Phenolic (SNB-C02-08). I cut the pieces to size on the table saw, then made templates in CAD that showed where to drill. I first joined the 2 halves together, wrapping tape tightly around them, then drilling a 1/8" hole through on one side, then putting a spare 1/8" bit in that hole while I drilled the other side to keep everything aligned. I then did the same up to 3/16" for the AN3 Bolts and bolted the assembly together tightly.

I then removed the tape from the sides and glued on the side template with the 1" holes. I used a punch on them to get the bit started in the center and drilled with a 1" bit. I found a medium to low speed with a lot of pressure seemed to work best. I then cleaned them up and disassembled them.

Next I had to remove the powder coating from where the tubes sat in the mounts. I found the best way is to scorch the area with a torch till it bubbles, then once it cools down you can scrape it right off. I then sanded with 800 grit till it was smooth. I did this on the 2 obvious mount points, however there are 2 more to be determined. I then mounted the parts so I could mark where to remove the powder coat for the other side.

  Jan 26, 2024     F09 Complete - (20 hours)       Category: Fuselage

F09 is a busy page that I have been working on for a while. This includes the ribs below the seat, the seat belt attach points, and a pivot point for the elevator pushrod. The trickiest part was the order of operation for final assembly. Thinking over where the rivet gun will fit and where it wont fit so you install things in the proper order. All in all, it turned out ok but was certainly not my favorite page. Glad to have that one behind me.

  Dec 12, 2023     Ribs below the seat and controls - (8 hours)       Category: Fuselage

I have been working an hour or two here and there but not keeping up with the documentation. I worked on fitting the ribs and channels below the seat but found the ribs to be too long and caused interference with the angle that connects the ribs to the rear spar channel. I had to to trim all ribs about 1/16th" to fit properly. After that, the fit well.

I decided to check all the control parts in this area so that I could make sure everything was alighned properly and found a handful of issue.
#1 - Wrong bushings for the control stick. The plans call for SF-2028-10 but I received SF-2024-10 which is what the WBParts kit says I should have for a B model.
#2 - The plans call for a total of 6 of the bushing "SF-812-3" but the WBParts kit says 3 and only came with 3.

Contacted Sonex and waiting for parts.

  Dec 12, 2023     Wing skins almost completed for Right wing - (6 hours)       Category: Wings

I've been bad about updating my wing progress, or any progress for that matter. The right wing skins are nearly drilled and fit with the exception of the 2 forward most holes in each rib. We keep fining that we need more clecos then anticipated for this job but we have enough to get it done.

On my next trip to Ohio to work on this, I will be drilling the last 2 holes in each rib, then updrilling everything to the proper size (#30 for all main skins and #36 for all nose skins for countersunk holes) then we will be on to disassembly of everything, deburring, and final re-assembly

  Oct 04, 2023     The Jabiru arrived! - (.5 hour)       Category: Engine

The new Jabirun 3300 Gen4 arrived today. Arion aircraft was great to work with. Linda kept me well informed through our the process and was a pleasure to work with.

Shipping from Tennessee to Las Vegas was way less then I expected. With residential delivery and liftgage service, it was around $640.

The engine is mounted in the crate upside down and wrapped in plastic so it's hard to see much, but it looks great! Can't wait to fly behind an over powered aircraft for a change.

  Aug 17, 2023     Prep for Skinning the wing - (4 hours)       Category: Wings

We made a few joists to support the wings and remouted all the ribs for final assembly. We still have a few issues to address from the Sonex Wingspars. We have a rivet or 2 missing in the wing spars. We quickly realized we are way short on Clecos which brought the progress to a halt. More cleco's ordered

  Jul 23, 2023     Drilled, dimple, countersink AFT spar - (2 hours)       Category: Fuselage

I had to buy another drill press since mine is in Ohio still. Assembled it, then drilled out and dimpled the parts. I then reinstalled them in the fuselage. Had to do this in 20-30 minute segments due to the heat here in NV. I read of some other people having issues with the formers below the seat, so I decieded to install them as well. I plan to complete most of the forward fuselage in cleco's before riveting.

  Jul 16, 2023     Reasembled wing ribs on right spar - (1 hour)       Category: Wings

Put all the ribs back on the right spar and attached the rear spar. Need to setup a way to level the wing and start working on the skins. Also need to run wires for lights. The lights will be removed from my 701 and installed on this aircraft.

  Jul 15, 2023     Drilling Wing spars - (3 hours)       Category: Wings

Drove to the hangar and picked up the other spar half. Worked to mount the final pieces and drill the 2 spar blockes to 1/2" with the bearing.

  Jul 06, 2023     Spar Tunnel part 1 - (1 hour)       Category: Fuselage

Started working on the spar tunnel and was unclear if these can be riveted in before mouting and drilling the wing mount points. The plans talk about holding off on riveting and see page F05 where they show the additional holes depending on Tri gear or conventional, but they still dont mention riveting them in. I think I can rivet in the AFT spar web, but not the Front spar web. Found some more plan errors along the way. Contacted Sonex for clarification.

  Jul 03, 2023     Jabiru mount delivered - (1 hour)       Category: Firewall

My Jabiru 300 Mount arived today on a crate half the size of the origional aircraft crate. $200 for the mount, $150 for crating, and over $600 for shipping!?!? The box is 3 times bigger then it needs to be. A wood crate with 2x4 edges could have contained this safely for 1/4 of the freight. The box also included my Aileron counter weights.

  May 22, 2023     Does Sonex have ANY quality control??       Category: Fuselage

Reviewing the second spar, we checked the lower holes near the root and found these "Tight Fit" holes were sloppy just like the other spar. Not only that, this spar is missing rivets! Geez, they have ZERO quality control at Sonex, and if they do, they need to fire the person checking...

  May 07, 2023     Forward Fuselage Bottom and Firewall - (10 hours)       Category: Fuselage

I squared up the fuselage, supported and clamped the forward fuselage bottom on and drilled it for #40 clecos. I then got to work on the firewall and realized it needs 2 bends in it. Its not terribly thick, but it is stainless and just under 40" wide. I looked for local machines shops that had a 48" or greater metal brake. Seems my 2 bends is too small a job for them to bother with. I put out a few messages looking for any local EAA members that had access to a 48" brake. No dice.

Decieded to weld up my own 40" metal brake. I built it as a combination of several Youtube video versions of a small metal brake mostly out of 1.5" X 1/8" thick angle iron and some scrap square tubing for the handles. My welds were a bit ugly (Had to use my YesWelder with 6013 sticks instead of my good oxy setup in Ohio). It turned out pretty sturdy, but still no match for the stainless. The clamping cross member was a 1/8" thick plate with a 1"8 thick piese of angle welded on top of it for rigidity and it still wanted to bow in the middle! Im sure it would be more then capable of bending aluminum that size, but I'll have to find a new method.

I'm considering the relativly sharp wood edge of the workbench and a rubber mallot.. Not the precision that I would like, but I'm running low on options..

  May 04, 2023     Suprise shipment from Sonex - (.1 hour)       Category: Order Proces

I received a shipment from Sonex today. The box looked to small to be the engine mount. to my suprise, it was my fuel tank, Elevator welded bracked, and a few Wing rib brackets. Still missing the Trim system and the Aileron counter balance lead, but this will keep me going for a while.

I did discover tonight that I need to put 2 bends in the 39"+ firewall and I dont have the equipment to do that. Looking at options.

  Apr 27, 2023     Jabiru Engine Mount ordered - (.1 hour) Category: Fuselage

Ordered the Jabiru Standard gear engine mount today. I origionaly ordered my kit as a Standard gear Aerovee but since moving to Las Vegas I changed my mind. Higher elevation and Higher density altitude here and could always use 50% more power. :) Engine is still a year out from being manuactured but it wont be too long before I need to mount this to the front of the plane and start working on landing gear.

The Dual Stick option was just relased for the Sonex-B as well and Its really tempting! I really wanted that configuration and was one of the big reasons I regretted buying an B model kit instead of building an A Model. I like that they made it easier to get to the are where the autopilot servo's would be as well.

  Apr 25, 2023     Confirmed - Wrong firewall - (.1 hour) Category: Fuselage

Sonex confirmed I was shipped the wrong firewall. They are shipping a new one and it should arive on Saturday.

  Apr 22, 2023     Front sides completed - (4 hours)       Category: Fuselage

Spent a few nights chipping away at the second side. Finished it and cleco'ed the sides to the rear fuselage. Cleco'ed in the spar tunnel as well just to see how it fit and then layed some other parts in to check for fit. Unfortunatly the firewall is only 33" wide. I assume it's for an A model not my B model.

  Apr 13, 2023     Fuselage sides and correcting a mistake - (6 hours)       Category: Fuselage

Continued working on the left fuseelage forward side. Realized I should have countersunk and riveted the Rudder pedal attachement plate parts together. Corrected on the right side and completed on the left. Started working on the forward edge of the skin and making the hinge for the cowling to attach.

Shiffted over to the spar tunnel just to see if I had all the parts layed out correctly. Nothing gets riveted until it's in the fuselage anyway. The spar box and wing attach points seem very sturdy.

  Apr 07, 2023     Finished Right forward fuselage side - (3 hours)       Category: Fuselage

Lots of marking what not to drill, updrilling, and deburing later, the Right forward fuselage side is done. Started the left side but have not completed it yet.

  Mar 28, 2023     It's been a while - Forward Fuselage Sides - (4 hours) Category: Fuselage

I was at a standstill waiting for new forward fuselage sides. I was shipped Legacy model sides. They shipped new ones but I have been traveling for work, so just getting back to it.

I made the lower longerons from the extrusions and had everything clecoed together. started updrilling to #30 and 3/16 for the AN3 bolts. Realized there is not enough edge distance between the bolt that holds the seatbelt on the passenger side and the edge of the mount. Remaking the part larger with correct edge distances. Materials ordered.

  Feb 08, 2023     Engine Ordered - (.5 hour)       Category: Engine

I origionally planned to buy an Aerovee Turbo. I liked the idea of building the engine myself, however, I have had plenty of issues with the quality of the products Sonex has sold me. From what I read, others have had some issues with the quality of the engine parts from Sonex. With that in mind, I decided to go big and ordered a new Jabiru 3300 Gen 4. The lead time is pretty long so I suspect I will be more then ready for the engine by the time it arives. The Gen 4 has been around without change since mid 2017 and appears to be a great engine with a good track record unlike some of the Gen 2 and 3 versions. Cant wait to have an over powered plane for a change!

  Feb 08, 2023     More mismade parts F13 - (.5 hour)       Category: Fuselage

I started putting all the pieces together for the forward fuselage and found another problem.. On page F13, it shows there are lots of #40 holes drilled in this part and these holes are referenced for alignment with other parts on page F12. My part does not have any of these holes. Another email to support and more parts to drill myself or replace. Damn near telling them to give me all the dimensions or take my kit back and return my money. They clearly have ZERO quality control.

  Feb 04, 2023     Flap controls installed, F19 and F18 competed… Kinda… - (6 hours)       Category: Fuselage

I've been chipping away at finishing the rear fuselage over the last few days. I got a torch and wire brush and removed the powder coating on the flaps but the OD of the flap tube was still larger then the delrin bearings.. Quality control, are you there??? I guess not. Kept sanding with 400, then 800, then 2000 until I got a smooth bearing surface. Applied white lithum grease and mounted in the bearings. The bolts listed on the plans were 1 size too long, so I had to get shorter bolts. It moves smoothly but still a little stiffer then I like. I may take it back out for a third time.

I finished installing the turtle deck with just a few dimples. Not perfect but acceptable. This completes pages F19 and F18 except for a few bolts which are not included in the WB Parts kit! No AN525-10R12 bolts are included but called for on F18. Again while test fitting AN3 bolts I tried to use castelated nuts. 1 in 6 threads on the bolts. , 1 in 6!! Im seriously considering tossing the entire WB parts hardware kit and order quality parts from Spruce as needed. Quality control is absent as usual.

  Jan 25, 2023     Flap Tube installation - (2 hours)       Category: Fuselage

I finished deburing the turtle deck skin and riveting the 2 halves together with the channel. Started working on mounting the flap tube (Page C05) now before I put the turtle deck on permenantly. You have to trim the lower cross tie F24-05 to be able to drill and install the bolt. Sure would have been nice if they told us that BEFORE we rivet it into a tight place like this. I got it taken care of but it is not as clean and nice as I would have liked. Still need to clean off the powder coating where the flap tube sits in the mounts but I dont have a propane torch here, so I had to stop for now.

  Jan 22, 2023     More rear fuselage - (5 hours)       Category: Fuselage

Over the last few days, I finshed drilling the formers and skins up to #30 and worked on fitting the straps at the top of the cross tie box. They were a real bear to line up. I realized last week that my measurement for the flap tube holes was a bit low so I opened them up a bit and test fit the flap rod. Pulled it all back apart and debured. Need to finish drilling a few holes and I think I am going to mount the flap tube while the top skin is off. It will be easier to see what I am doing.

  Jan 17, 2023     Templates for drilling lower former #1 on F19 - (2 hours)       Category: Fuselage

I was not sure how I was going to address Former 1. The plans tell you to mark the holes from the outside and drill. It seems to me drilling in the center of the formers flange and drilling out through the skin would be easier, but I decided to follow the plans. It would have been a lot easier to make the lines if the top skin wasnt on. I deceided to make a CAD drawing of the holes with alingnment marks for the top longeron and the bend in the skin. I printed them 1:1 and verified they were acurate. Sprayed them with 3M 77 and lined them up and drilled. Put the former back on and am ready to drill the former. Looking at the bolts that go through the longeron and need to stop and think about the order of operations so I dont rivet something in that will prevent me from drilling.

Also looked at the Flap pushrod and mounts and realized I drilled the holes in the fuselage 1/8" to low so I need to open up those holes a little. They will be behind the flaps, so they wont be seen.

  Jan 15, 2023     More work on F19 - (3 hours)       Category: Fuselage

Spent a few hours working on the front former and everything that ties in there. I realized I didnt bend F26-07. They needed 2 bends with a 1/8” radius. Bought a 1/8” Round over bit and a thin piece of pine. Rounded over the edge and clamped it on top of the flat piece to bend it. This worked fine for the 90 degree bend but not so great for the 120 degree. Had to do a little hand bending to make the 120. Still came out pretty good. Welding on a piece of 1/4” round bar to and 1/4” Square bar would have been better.

Reviewed the build tree and marked off where I am. I felt like I was making good progress until I looked at this!

Found a hole I probably should have allready drilled before I installed the Cross Tye box. I will need to drill it with the right angle drill and a short #40 drill bit (which I dont have yet). Ordered one and it will be here tuesday.

  Jan 14, 2023     Drilled and cleco'd formers and fixed flap hole - (3 hours)       Category: Fuselage

Third attempt adding this entry. Keep having troubles with the EAA Builder site.

Got some help and was able to drill and cleco Formers 2,3,4. I dont like the way they have you drill the skins first for Lower Former 1 so I am stopping to review.

Found an issue where the flap tube will not fit through the skin as it is defined on the plans. I ended up making both fuselage sides the larger cut out and test fit the flap actuator.

  Jan 12, 2023     Turtle Deck and begining formers - (2 hours)       Category: Fuselage

Tonight I took apart the turtle deck and drilled the left side while attached to the fuselage, then reassembled the entire turtledeck and put it back on the plane. This worked much better then trying to assemble drill it while all assembled. The weight of the entire turtle deck assembly was pushing the fuselage skin away from the longerons and making it difficult to line up accuratly.

Once reassembled and left side clecod down, I reinserted the right side, lined up at the 1" line and checked for fit. It appears to fit the formers pretty well. I drilled the right side with th 1" overlap per plans and fit the 5th former. It was pushed in (forward) a bit. I used an allen wrench in one of the tooling holes to pull it back and center the tabs (See images below). This made the holes line up perfectly center on the tabs and a nice tight fit (Hopefully dimple free) to the skin.

I started attempting to install former #4 per the plans but realized this is really a 2 person job and stopped till I can find some help. I still had a desire to work in the shop, so I did some cleaning up and organizing. I got these little bins that interlock at Harbor Freigh for $3 each. Perfect for keeping some of the common rivets close at hand.

  Jan 11, 2023     Preliminary fit of the turttle deck - (1 hour)       Category: Fuselage

Handling the big turttle deck by yourself and tucking the skin in behind between the longeron and the lower skin proved to be a challenge. I think I may disassemble the turttledeck and work with just the left skin first. The direction say to complete assembly of the 2 skins and the channel, but the first thing you do is drill the left side to match the lower skin and longeron with 1" overlap. It would be a lot easier to do without the weight of the rest of the skin. I tired a few things to support the skin with parts of the assembly but they all seemed to be in the way. working on a better plan.

  Jan 10, 2023     F21 Done! - (2 hours)       Category: Fuselage

Spent 2 hours finishing up F21, removing hte bottom skin and drilling / cleco/ riveting the cross-ties to the upper longerons. Started on the turtle deck. Made the Turtle deck channel, cut the notches in the turtle deck skin, and cleaco's to the channel. I need to make a new marking gauge to mark a 1" line on both skins and then I can begin mouting the turtledeck skin. Im considering clecoing on the first former just to have something for the skin to sit on as I drape it over the top. Hope to be installing the turttle deck skin tomorrow night.

  Jan 08, 2023     More Fuselage work - (4 hours) Category: Fuselage

Worked on cleaning up the shop and polishing the turtledeck skins while I contemplate how to handle the last 2 verticals in the rear fuselage. There are 2 verticals (F23-10 and F23-13) that have a hole in them for the elevator push rod to run thought. I would prefer to wait and install these when the elevator pushrod is installed so I can be sure it is centered properly and not rubbing. Since I am leaving the bottom open until everything else is done, I think I can wait.

Both of the turtledeck skins are polished with F7 and some C. Need to updrill and rivet where the tops of the formers attach to the longerons, then on to the next page.

  Jan 05, 2023     Riveting Cross Ties - (2 hours) Category: Fuselage

Spent the evening riveting all cross ties and the seat belt mounts. Im very happy with how square everything is working out. I have 1 vertical that is off by about 1/16 over the height of the vertical. Not bad. Only a few rivets in the second to last bulkhead and riveting in the 2 middle verticals that support the elevator pushrod. I would prefer to rivet this in later when the pushrod is there, however I would not be able to reach it, so I will have to rivet it in now.

  Jan 04, 2023     Cross Tie Box - (1 hour) Category: Fuselage

Kerry at sonex got back to me about the cross tie box. He was aware of the issue and had a solution. Copy the existing rivet layout for the flap mount brackets and transpose them on the opposite side at a set distance. I made a cardboard template and drilled the opposite side for the bracket. Then drilled, deburred, and riveted the parts in breakout E.

  Jan 01, 2023     More Fueslage woes.. - (2 hours)       Category: Fuselage

I worked some last night and today on trying to finish page F21 but ran into more issues:

I attemtped to mount the tail wheel mounting point and last vertical of the fuselage without the complete vertical stabiliter, however using the spacers in place of the vertical tailpost is impossible. The spacer material is 3/16" thick which is thicker then T12-01 that it is trying to take the place of. I thought this was a dumb idea anyway and am just going to use washers or a scrap of wood. This is temporary until you permentantly mount the tail.

I went to finish the Cross Tie box and found it was made wrong. It is a mirror image of what it should be. All the holes for the flap actuator would be behind the pilot as it was made and it should all be behind the passenger. I looked at flipping the "Cross Tie Box Closeout" but the holes dont line up and they are almost excactly 1 hole with off, so all the rivet holes would be large ovals in the cross tie box, plus there are holes on the Tie Box itself that are wrong. Contacting Sonex Tech support again. At a stand still. I might clean off the table and begin polishing the turtle deck parts that I will need in the next step.

  Dec 30, 2022     Prior issue resolved thanks to support - (.5 hour) Category: Fuselage

Sonex support was supposed to be closed today, but Kerry wrote me back anyway. I have writen to support 3 or 4 times and Kerry answered all but 1 of them and always provides excelent support.

The issue was that I misinterpreted how the 2 pieces connect (Pg T01, Breakout D). There are quite a few dashed lines and the gap between the lines I thought was the bent edges of the last bulkhead when in fact that is a void between the last rear bulkhead and the vertical stabilizer. That gap I have is supposed to be there! Kerry reminded me to follow the plans 1 page at a time as shown on the flow chart. I had issues with the alignment of the tail on my first try which is why the bulkhead and vertical stabilizer were attached, but I think I see what he is getting at. Have faith in the plans and take it 1 page at a time. I'm a bit skeptical of building that way, but Kerry hasnt lead me wrong yet.

Back to finishing the rear fuselage.

  Dec 30, 2022     Another 5 min of scratching my head and contacting support - (1 hour)       Category: Fuselage

After I got everything aligned to drill the tail post and fuselage bottom skin, I realized the bend in T12-07 is way off and does not line up with the last upper bulkhead F22-05. I made mention to having to change the 35 degree angle of T12-07, however on further inspection this is correct. The bend should make T12-07 90 degrees off the fuselage longerons which it is (See first picture). So, something is wrong with how the rear top sheer web is positioned. It appears it needs to go back about 1/2" to 3/4", however based on the alightnent described in page F22, I am already 1/4" too far back. (see second picture)

Another day of stairing at plans, scratching my head and contacting support. The SonexBuilders site is down and has been having issues for weeks, so no help there. I'm at a standstill till Sonex Support responds after 1/2/2023.

  Dec 10, 2022     SNX-T12-05 Take 3 - (2 hours)       Category: Fuselage

I still was unclear about why the spaces were used in the vertical stabilizer. I contacted tech support and was told “ When you install the tail, both spacers are replaced by parts of the vertical tail spar. The spacers help in fuselage prep.”. Well, you make the spacers on the same page that you build the tail, so why am I making a spacer too fill a gap for a piece that I already made?? Clear as mud..

I finally saw someones post on the Kitlog site about this and he aligned and attached just the rear lower portion of the vertical stabilizer with the spacers. Im not sure why you would do it this way, but I tried and then put the tail on and the leading edge of the vertical stabilizer is almost an inch off center. This is why I thought this would be a bad idea and it was. So now, I'm making another new T12-05? Bracket and will attach it with the vertical stabilizer on the plane and the nose of the vertical stabilizer clamped in the correct position so this cant happen again. Waiting on a right angle drill to drill these.

I also discovered while clamping the tail in place that I will have to remove the entire Vertical Stabilizer skin and T12-02. The 35 degree bend they tell you to put in T12-02 is WAY off.

  Nov 30, 2022     Vertical stabilizer alignment issues - (4 hours)       Category: Fuselage

I was unable to get the vertical spar of the vertical stabilizer to fit on the back of the fuselage. I found it was due to 2 reasons. 1) the longerons are a bit too long the part SNX-T12-05 that they have you install when building the tail really should not be installed until you are at this point. Mine was off by half the width of the pre-drilled #40 holes on the rear edge of the fuselage skins.

The dimensions are not given for this part on the plans and the price from Sonex is $42 + shipping and who knows how long of a lead time. Fortunately, it is a right angle piece that is 2” x 2” x 1/8” thick “L” angle. I assume 6061-T6. $4.05 for 12” of it, enough to make 3 comfortably. I ordered and started making a new one (shown in the second picture below). Still needs a little filling and scotch bright wheel work. I put the tail on by clecoing it to the rear fuselage and then put my new SNX-T12-05 in place and sprayed a little paint in the holes on the vertical channel to give me marks where I need to drill to attach it to the vertical channel.

Another frustrating moment of “If they had only had us wait to put this on now, it would have been perfect the first time” moments. Im finding many of those with this model so far.

  Nov 02, 2022     Seatbelt attach fittings - (1.2 hours)       Category: Fuselage

Drove 40 minutes each way to spend 10 minutes at the maker space bending the seat belt attachments.

  Oct 27, 2022     Clecoed rear halves together - (1 hour)       Category: Fuselage

I finished riveting the fuselage sides and lower longerons and made the rudder stops, then cleco'ed the halves together. Its starting to look like an airplane.

  Oct 26, 2022     Rivet Lower longerons - (3 hours) Category: Fuselage

Had to get a number/letter drill bit set for the “Tight Fit” bolts through the splice plates in the lower fuselage. Finished fitting the lower splice plates and bolted on. Made the rudder stops, drilled both lower longerons our to #30 and deburred everything. Riveted on the lower longeron. Cleco'ed on the vertical channels and started to drill out to #30. Left side is ready to debur and rivet, right side needs drilled, debured and riveted.

  Oct 25, 2022     Mounted phenolic fairlead block - (.5 hour)       Category: Fuselage

Didnt have a lot of time today but wanted to do something on the airplane to keep some momentum going. I looked at mounting the Phenolic blocks for the rudder cable fairleads. I had one that I sanded a little further then I wanted when I made them but I found I would have needed to do this to clear a rivet on the rear 2, so it worked out. Mounted and ready to proceed with the fuselage sides.

  Oct 22, 2022     Left side Longerons - (2 hours) Category: Fuselage

I cut and drilled the Left side longerons to the left side of the fuselage. Currently cleco'ed in place with 3/32” clecos.

  Oct 21, 2022     Made F27-10 Fairleads - (2 hours)       Category: Fuselage

I went to the maker space to cut out the Rudder cable Fairlead blocks, SNX-F27-10. The Phenolic was easy to machine for the 1/8” and 1/4” holes but the 3/4” hole in the middle was difficult with a Forstner bit. I dont think a paddle bit would have been much better.

When I got home, I noticed I got a little closer to the 1/8” hole then I wanted when using the belt sander. I think I am going to have to go back and remake 1.

  Oct 18, 2022     Finished polishing second fuselage side - (3 hours)       Category: Fuselage

Polished the second fuselage side with F9 then C. Still some swirls and not the mirror finish I want in the end, but a solid start. I'll finish up with S once it is all complete

  Oct 18, 2022     Finished polishing horizontal skins - (1 hour) Category: Empennage

Finished polishing the second Horizontal skin and set it aside till I have more clecos to start assembly.

  Oct 16, 2022     Skeleton of the Horizontal Stab - (3 hours)       Category: Empennage

I put the skeleton of the horizontal stabilizer together with Clecos but ran out of silver clecos. I need to order about 50-100 more. Started polishing the top of the pilot side skin of the horizontal stabilizer. I tried a little different method this time that seemed to work well. I use the rotary polisher with F7 to knock the major oxidation off, then go back over it with the DA polisher and C grit. Seems to be the fastest yet I had completed a skin that size.

  Oct 16, 2022     Finished Vertical stabilizer - (3 hours)       Category: Empennage

Finished drilling skin to #30, deburing, and riveting the skin on. I realized part way through that I needed CCP-42 rivets for the left side rear edge where the hinge is. Had to drill out a few CCP-41's and redo with CCP-42

This is polished with F7 using a dual action polisher. Pretty happy with it for a first pass (Notice the driveway and grass in the reflection). Not mirror finish yet, but a solid start.

  Oct 15, 2022     Riveted together Vertical stabilizer skeleton - (3 hours) Category: Empennage

Today I completed drilling the Vertical stab skeleton to the proper sizes, attached the bolts with the proper nuts and washers to make 1 to 3 threads show. The plate that holds the front of the stabilizer to the fuselage looks like someone cut it out with a blow torch. The edges were terrible. I purchased a flapper wheel and cleaned up the edges then riveted all the skeleton together. Started test fitting the skin and realized I didn't mark the centerline on the bottom front rib. Pulled it back apart and started working on how to drill the hinge properly. Had to stop for the afternoon.

  Oct 15, 2022     Some backordered parts arrived - (1 hour) Category: Order Proces

I was able to have my dad get the package that Sonex shipped to the wrong address. Sonex was apologetic and sent a UPS label to get the box from where it was shipped to me. I opened it and inventoried it. Unfortunately they sent the wrong fuselage vertical channels. The packing list is correct (a SNX-F27-03R and a SNX-F27-04R) but they sent a left and a right of 03 instead.

  Oct 08, 2022     Another Sonex Mess - (1 hour) Category: Order Proces

I got a UPS notification that Sonex shipped a package to me and it would be delivered today. Unfortunaly, it's to my old address on the other side of the country despite the fact I changed my shipping and billing address (and have confirmation of it) months ago.

I never had any of these issues with Zenith. We had 2 or 3 minor things wrong in the kit and they were taken care of quickly and without question. I have had several parts that were incorrectly made or drilled and since the B model plans have nearly all the dimensions removed, I cant check them and have incorreclty match drilled parts that I have had to remake. I realize there is a global supply chain issue, but that's no excuse for a lack of any quality control or checking the books before shipping. Removing the dimensions from the drawings so that we can not do our own quality control is just dumb and going to lead to someone getting hurt.

  Sep 24, 2022     Rear spars - (1 hour)       Category: Wings

Started working on the rear spars. They are pretty simple but ran into a few issues. The rear spar attach fittings were different and one had a large hole in it and was pre-drilled the other was not pre drilled and did not have any holes. Something seems off. Did I get a One-X part? Sure wish there were dimensions on the drawings so I could confirm the size they should be. Emailed Sonex support again. UPDATE:. I got 1 rear spar attach fitting for a Sonex-A model and one for a Sonex-B model. Their lack of attention when packing my kit is becoming concerning.

  Sep 20, 2022     Ding repair - (.5 hour)       Category: Fuselage

After talking to Sonex support, I tried to sand out the mark with 800 and 2000 grit sandpaper. It turned out pretty good without much sanding. Still have a small scratch to deal with but it is much smaller then the big one I fixed. Before and After pics below.

  Sep 19, 2022     And this is why you dont buy harbor freight tools - (2 hours)       Category: Fuselage

I was almost done polishing this side when the polisher shaft broke and hit the metal leaving a big dent in the side. 4+ hours of polishing + drilling and bending shot. $202 for a new .025 6061 T6 4x12 sheet from Aircraft spruce before shipping. Angry doesnt describe my current feelings about Horrible Freight products. Hours and hundreds of dollars waisted to save $100 on a polisher.

  Sep 18, 2022     3 more hours of Polishing - (3 hours)       Category: Fuselage

After I gave by back a rest for a few hours I got back to polishing. Still have about 2 ft of the skin left that needs polished to F7 but I think it's turning out nicely. Objects placed on skin to see the almost mirror finish. Still have C and S grades to go but will probably wait till completed for those.

  Sep 18, 2022     Left Fuselage side and bending - (5 hours)       Category: Fuselage

I purchased a 30” metal brake at harbor freight to bend the 10 degree angle in the end of the fuselage where it mates with the front half of the fuselage. I had to file a 1/16” radius in the metal bar that came with the brake. I considered routing a 1/16” radius on a piece of maple and use that in place of the metal bar, but I couldn't find a 1/16” radius bit and when I saw how small a 1/8” radius I realized it wont take long to file a 1/16” radius in the bar.

Drilled the Longerons for the right side fuselage and cleco the formers to the side to see the progress. Took it all back apart and continued to polish till my back couldnt take it. Looking for a nice rolling bar stool to sit on while I polish.

  Sep 17, 2022     Fuselage sides - (3 hours)       Category: Fuselage

Drilled the holes in the sides of the fuselage for the flap arm and did some polishing. Cut the Top and Bottom longerons to length. Made some additions to the table so I could support some of the long materials and get more boxes off the floor.

  Sep 15, 2022     Hinges - (1 hour) Category: Empennage

Cut the hinges for the rudder and vertical stabilizer. Organized parts on the shelf by page for all tail members. Deburred the horizontal stabilizer parts. I.

  Sep 15, 2022     Tail post Troubles with SNB-T12-07 - (1 hour)       Category: Empennage

I started looking at the vertical tail mount and couldnt see the holes at first, then I found the lightly lasered circles in a few spaces and center punched them for drilling. I noticed they dont look spaced correctly. On one side they are not centered. After emailing support I realized they dont line up vertically either. Waiting on Sonex Support.

This did bring up a new concern for me about the Sonex B. The plans dont show dimension and hole placement for many of the parts and there for I can not confirm they were made right. What if the plane gets damaged and I have to remake a part? There is not enough detail to do so. Just another reason that makes me wish I had the A model! (Simple cable brakes, Manual flaps, dual sticks, and FULL plans)

  Sep 13, 2022     Polishing the Vertical Stabilizer skin - (3 hours)       Category: Empennage

Tried to polish this with Nuvite C but wasnt getting anywhere. On top of that, my 7” harbor freight polisher was unable to keep a constant speed and kept heating up the skins. I order some F7 grade but still struggled with the polisher.

I purchased some microfiber towels, 2 foam bonnets, and a new Bauer 6” DA polisher from harbor freight and it has worked great. Working about a 8” x 8” area at a time, I was able to get this far. I tried some C grade nuvite as well and it brought out a little more shine but not as much as I wanted. I may call this good enough for now and keep building.

  Sep 12, 2022     Finished vertical stabilizer post - (3 hours)       Category: Empennage

I completed the drilling, riveting, and bolting of the vertical tailpost and cleco'ed together the remainder of the parts. I had a few issues. There are no marks or drawings to identify where the holes should be on T12-07. Also, the WBParts hardware kit came with AN960L-10 washers (Thin) instead of standard AN960-10 washers called for on the plans. I'll be ordering the correct parts from Aircraft Spruce to replace the L washers.

  Sep 11, 2022     Trial fit pieces to main tail post - (2 hours)       Category: Empennage

I didnt have a lot of time to work on the airplane today but wanted to accomplish something, so I started reviewing and putting the parts together with clecos.

  Sep 10, 2022     Cut 4” holes in Fuselage sides - (1 hour) Category: Fuselage

While I was at the makerspace, I used the drill press to put the 4” holes in the rear of the fuselage with the fly cutter. Took longer then I expected due to trying to find things to support the long fuselage sides and not drag the aluminum on the concrete. The chuck fell out of the press when I got everything ready. It fell on the center of the 4” circle I was cutting out, so no skin damage.

  Sep 10, 2022     Bending parts - (1 hour)       Category: Empennage

I bent the parts needed for the tail feathers today at the maker space I joined. All in all they turned out great.

  Aug 29, 2022     Forward Wing Ribs - (4 hours)       Category: Wings

Bent the stiffeners that are attached to many of the leading edge ribs, drilled out, deburred, and riveted to the ribs. Almost completed.

  Jul 02, 2022     Inventory of all parts - (7 hours) Category: Pickup & INV

Began inventoring all the parts and as we inventoried, we split the parts up into what part of the aircraft they build. All Tail parts went into 1 pile, Wing parts in another, and fuselage into another. Took quite a while to inventory over the weekend but the good news is, nothing appears damaged and we only had 3 errors in what was packed. We got 2x SNX-F27-03R and 2x SNX-F27-04R (should be 1 right and 1 left of each). Also appear to be missing a F03-08.

There were a few things we could have done to help this process along.

1) Scan and re-order the packing list. Other then being grouped by what box it was in, there is no particular order to the list. In box 4 you could have F12, then W1, the F01. This made it take a long time to find each part on the list.

2) We marked the part off on the far right edge of the page. We should have marked it off of the far left where it would be easier to see and skip the items already checked off.

  Jun 30, 2022     Picked up the missing spars from XPO - (3 hours)       Category: Pickup & INV

I got a call from a guy at the XPO warehouse last night that said they found a crate with my name on it in a truck they were clearing out. It was the missing wing spars. I rented another UHAUL to go get the wing spar crate. Unfortunatly, the crate shows some damage but it looks to be just the crate. I'm going back this weekend to inventory

  Jun 29, 2022     Pickup the kit from XPO - (4 hours)       Category: Pickup & INV

Picked up the kit from XPO today but they lost the crate with the spars! Very frustrating considering the Spars are what has held up the shippment for the past few months. Will go back to inventory everything else this weekend.

  May 23, 2022     Delays Delays Delays Category: Order Proces

Seems that Sonex is not immune to the supply chain issues that so many companies are facing. The kit delivery has been delayed 3 times now. From 4/4-5/2 range, to 6/3, to 6/17. Aparently the wing spars are the holdup and they wont ship any of the kit without those. Understandable. They are the longest part in the package. Just hope it all works out soon. We are planning to move in the next 2 months so the timing is getting close.

  Apr 25, 2022     Inventory WB Parts Shipment - (1.5 hours)       Category: Pickup & INV

The WB Parts shippment arived via UPS on Friday. Despite the damage to the 6' tube, everything looks fine. Inventoried all 6 parts drawers and confirmed we have everything. There were a few bolts that had a lot of corrosion on them already. I will replace those with new from Aircraft Spruce.

  Jan 01, 2022     Why the Sonex Category: Research

I was looking for a faster airplane and I was getting bored just flying around my local area. I knew I wanted something faster then a Cessna. I was really interested in an RV-7 as I thought Aerobatics would be fun and another thing to do to keep from getting bored flying. It was also fast so it could be used for XC Flights.

When I saw the ONEX, I thought that was perfect. Aerobatic, Fast, inline seating, great folding wing setup, low fuel consumption. I eventually realized that one of my most favorite things to do is introduce others to aviation, so a single seat wasnt going to do. The RV 7 fell out of the list due to price/time to complete/ and not LSA. I can finish the Sonex faster, for less money and enjoy if for more years then the RV.