We talk to Leland and flying his homebuilt Sonex Aircraft. Check out his band "Try More Mojo" Really love this channel and want to help it continue? Become a Patron for as little as $1 per month: / flyingdoodles
Damn, bold move on going up with a guy in a homebuilt airplane that he didn't build, who has only the ferry flight in that airplane for a total of 12hrs and only 100hrs total. Its impressive that the Sonex has the load to carry your cajones, Flying Doodles.
Underrated comment. To be fair though, 100 hours in a year for a hobby pilot is pretty intensive. In the commercial world it's literally nothing, but the hours stack up quick when you're not paying LOL
The CEO's untimely passing in the cockpit of one of his own planes makes me a bit nervous about ever owning a sonex myself tbf. RIP Jeremy, RIP Mike. You will be missed.
@@jakesmith2341 That's a risk for anyone who spends a lifetime flying single engine piston airplanes. He just happened to spend most of his time in the Sonex.
Love my Waiex. Built it and have been flying it for almost 10 years now. Have the Jab3300 in it, performance is outstanding. Reading some of the comments, my initial reaction was the same when I first saw them - thought they were a little ugly. After searching around for a year for something that matched the performance and the $$ spent - I decided they looked pretty darn good and took the plunge.
Honestly I’m tempted to build one myself. Get a few buddies, teach ‘em how to use tools, and get everyone pulling rivets and having some fun! I’m debating on going to Oshkosh this summer too, they’re doing the one week wonder plane.
They are ugly. But the performance per dollar is difficult to match. That makes them grow on you. That and the flying characteristics are simply excellent.
@@AlexDenton0451 It all depends on if the builder gets the canopy right. If the windshield to canopy has a perfect, smooth curve, it looks great. But many seem to get that not quite right, and there is a pronounced "bump", then it gets no bueno. I also don't care for the tricycle gear look at all. Taildragger configuration looks much slicker.
I don't think there has been any issues with the tail wheel. There is an option for a larger wheel, and it is directly coupled so none of the vagueness that most tailwheels are known for. As taildraggers go it's a pussycat.
The plane looked more like a Sardine Sonex the way the lads had to cram themselves in there !!! It did look like a greenhouse inside without any sun uv inhibiter canopy treatments too. Cramped and stifling hot would not work for me !!! Leland did a great job showing off his fun machine and my best wishes to him ............. salute !!!!
Greetings from Australia. just to set the record straight the Australian Jabiru engine is pronounced JAB - R - OO (not You but ROO). not only it is the name of the Australian company that makes the Jabiru aeroplane but also the engine it is the name of one of our national birds and also a town in the Northern Territory. thanks for the vid.
My first flight in a GA aircraft was a plans built sonex with a 80hp Jabiru. Cute little personal plane. But definitely not for full size America’s as I was smaller then and the 39.5” cabin that tapers forward is very tight for 2 people.
Looks like a fun sporty little plane and I love his enthusiasm and excitement. I wish more people were like that and not so negative. However, I would call that a one and a half place not a two place maybe a man and his Maltese.
I have been wanting to build an airplane for a while now and thought I had settled on some variant of the RV. I think I need to find someone with a Sonex and check it out before I decide. Awesome video. Thanks for sharing!
Sonex was on my homebuilt short list fir a while and I still enjoy watching sonex bird videos. I decided on a different homebuilt and started my journey. Great video BTW…
@@ozarklanding I'm thinking of that one as well! Excellent choice! I still have to get my LSA certificate yet but it will take more time to build so no worries there. I want a plans only so I can save money on raw materials. Enjoy your build!!
I can see why he likes flying with his fiancee. That cockpit is so small that she'd almost have to ride in his lap. Also that was a heck of a touch and go. Train to the left and turn the smoke machine on.
How much can you pick one of these up for? And what are your Landing speeds? And what is your stall speed? I feel like this could be my next airplane outside of my to Quad City Challenger aircraft
wow , what a cool, practical but crazy plane , i'm at minute something ...i like the side by side seating i wonder if it could fit a subaru 2.5 turbo car motor maybe....looks super cool to copy fron flat composite sheets and make a fibered foam wing , but same geometry maybe ...
Where'd you take lessons? I've only got a few hours in, and looking for a flight school home. Cresson where I was going is a fair hike; looking for closer to Frisco (also considering building a Waiex/Jab - visited their shop but torn between this and an RV especially since the kits cost just as much now)
I am extremely happy to see Mike Kaminski's Waiex go to another great owner! Hope you enjoy it and if you are looking to upgrade any of the Avionics, I am happy to help in anyway that I can. Hope you have great success getting into aerobatics... Great video! Cheers!
@@johnwilliam502 Well it truly depends on how much your budget is and what your end goals are… mission etc. I can certainly help you design a panel that works for your Sonex…
Looks pretty tight inside. I really like the idea of a Sonex, but my wife and I are pretty tall (6 foot +) and I don't think this would be comfortable for long trips. I am hoping that something comes in the future that can fit two people and gear comfortably.
It is tight. There is a lowered seat option if you are building. The bigger question is are you slim, average or chunky? Slim, you're OK with the lowered seat. Reality is, Sonex is not really a travelling aircraft, not much room for gear, not much range. It's a simply fantastic solo, go out and bore some holes in the sky for a few hours aircraft. You can travel two up in them, but there are better choices.
Just realized watching this video you are at hicks airfield in Saginaw I was just up there Sunday looking around. I’d love to check out this airplane I’m looking at one on the web for sale
If show smoke is in the cockpit you better believe exhaust is, too. Carbon Monoxide for sure and Lead dust, too, if you're burning 100LL. Get that remedied ASAP or you'll be dead.
Super cool. But aren't those V-tails little dangerous or many accidents / crashes related to it. Isn't it why the early bonanza changed from Vtail to straight?
I would point out if you’re getting smoke in the cabin, you’re getting exhaust fumes in the cabin at the same time. I would think you’re getting exhaust gases in the cabin all the time regardless of whether the smoke is on. I think I would be checking that out. I know you said something about an inspection port that was not closed. I think that plane would be very unsafe to be in at this point.
He stated that he had removed an inspection cover in the tail, but not replaced it and that is where the smoke was getting in. Sonex are notoriously drafty aircraft. Unless the exhaust was ducted directly into the cockpit I doubt there would ever be enough CO2 to b of consequence.
@@robertthomas2942 I am inclined not to agree with you. The smoke is nothing more than a coloring agent indicating the amount of exhaust fumes getting into the aircraft. I think with an understanding of that much exhaust getting into the airplane that aircraft should’ve never left the ground. And I’m thinking it’s a shame that a pilot would take another pilot for a test ride and not inform him of a possible problem with exhaust in the cabin. Knowing this issue a reasonable person never would’ve gotten into that airplane for a test ride. There’s been other pilots that guessed there was no exhaust issue and they’re not here to explain it to you.
@@MrWirebrain Fair enough. I've just flown in a few Sonex, and they leak a lot of air. A lot. Several builders have gone to lengths to seal them up, fairly successfully. And again, the design isn't known for CO2 issues. Maybe that particular aircraft is?
@@MickyTicky2x4 virtually every smoke system I’ve seen the smoke oil is injected into the exhaust manifold inch’s away from the exhaust port of the engine.
i'd rather attempt a fibered semi honeycomb garage wing to a poprivet aluminum my self i have some foam ideas maybe ...i like boats but they both demonstrate extremes , boats are easier because ....anyway for me i'd feel more confident in a self made composite wing maybe a sprin joint so if it over g's it flexes too....
I know that 150mph cruse at 6gph is a good statistic but I really would love to see some aircraft and engines that can bring that number down to 4. I get your trading efficiency for speed and fun but 25mpg is not great. Not a fault of the aircraft or anything, just would love to see that in aviation in general.
@@josephc.9520 the drag on a plane doing 150 is probably the same as a Prius doing 75. A four place plane sipping 4gal/hr at 150 is a tall order. A plane is not a car.
I didn't know the sonex had such a good cruse speed kind of like poor mans RV. I was really considering one of these until the owners son died in one after engine failure. The investigation was kind of shady the NTSB had sonex do the engine tear down. It was a aerovee VW engine they sell with a no name turbo charger. The reason for the engine failure was never really figured out, but the turbo was suspect. I always wondered why would they install a no name (Likely Chinese made) turbo charger when a lots of name brand highly respected turbo manufactures around. I think the aircraft is still good design, but maybe stay away from that aerovee.
another, one thing too , the jet tail is tested , so a pulsejet booster or rocket auxiliary in theory is tested if it has same position exhaust and thrust ....anyway hypothetically ....i was dayreaming of an ejection motor so if that f**cker stalls the pilot could drop the tiny motor and glide instead stall though ? ...weird deviant thought...edit: maybe not "deviant" if the motor had parachute recovery drop away line simple ...(?)
9:08 Dear "More Mojo," please learn to communicate on radio as if a life depends on your clear delivery of critical information. You might save the life of someone you love! Specifically, drop the "top gun attitude" when the mic is keyed. Time on freq is free, and there are no rewards for "sounding cool, or speaking in short clipped words." Remember, you are sharing airports with old farts who may not hear as well as you, and also process the words more slowly. Please, slow the delivery, and leave some space between between the words. Not all pilots are qualified to comprehend the fast talk that comes from Newark or LaGuardia controllers. 10:12 Sounds like a student pilot doing an excellent job of COMMUNICATING.
