I completed my Sonex Onex in March 2019. Building started in 2013 and during a period of 5 years, I spent 1800 hours on the project to make the first flight in June 2018. The aircraft was built in my single car garage and final assembly was done in large party tent in my garden. […]
Dirk Verdonck’s Sonex Onex
I completed my Sonex Onex in March 2019. Building started in 2013 and during a period of 5 years, I spent 1800 hours on the project to make the first flight in June 2018. The aircraft was built in my single car garage and final assembly was done in large party tent in my garden. […]
Sparrow Fokker D VII
Dear Kitplanes, here’s a great sunset to complement my Aerodrome Airplanes 80% scale Fokker D VII. It was completed in January 2016, and inspected by your very own Vic Syracuse! And my invaluable EAA tech Counselor is Kitplanes’ own Dan Horton. It’s got a hot rod 80 hp Valley Engineering VW with a 2:1 redrive […]
Eric Joern’s Kitfox Super Sport
After attending AirVenture three times, watching my brother build his Kitfox and getting to know the folks at the Kitfox factory, I decided Kitfox was the way to go. The kit build quality combined with the outstanding build manual and the clean lines of the Super Sport were all factors leading up to my decision […]
Holliston LongEZ
NX666DV is the second Long EZ I’ve built from plans. The first one, SPEEDRACER flew me around for 1,500 hours over 10 years and put 18 air racing trophies on my wall. I built it in 23 months in 2,500 hours while I was working full time. Then I got the racing bug and spent […]
Jim Nelson Sportsman
On June 12, 2019 Sportsman kit #7146 became N816J—airworthy according to my DAR! On September 19, 2019 N816J “slipped the surly bonds of earth and danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings” under the capable and steady hand of fellow Sportsman builder Dennis Vanatta. With focus on finishing, I sold my Citabria three years ago and […]
Gerry Peterson’s S-19 Venterra
My S-19 Venterra received its Special Airworthiness Certificate on April 7, 2019 after a thorough inspection of the aircraft and documentation by DAR Vic Syracuse. N194GC is still in Phase 1 testing and has met all performance (and personal) expectations to date. The aircraft was built over a seven year period at home. It utilizes […]
Jim and Amelia Isaacs’ Zenith CH701
Jim and Amelia Isaacs received Airworthiness Certification for N701JA on 12 July 2019. The couple began their Zenith CH701 kit build in May of 2016. This STOL airplane will operate from their back yard airport turf runway (8AL7 in Hazel Green, AL) and is powered by the Rotax 912 engine with a Whirlwind propeller.
Paul Dye's SubSonex N958PD: Successful First Flight
SubSonex Serial #21 (N958PD) made its first flight out of the Dayton Valley Airpark in Nevada on the 24th of March, 2019. Winter kept trying to hang on in the Sierra Nevada mountains, but the weather smiled on us, I had a great crew that made themselves available on short notice, and we got “Loki” […]
Mathis Sport Aviators' RANS S-6
N646GT started with six members in an LLC, and currently has four left, 10 years after we bought the kit. One of our team is Richard Hogan, the designer of the new Commutercraft. Our RANS S-6 started construction at a hangar at the now defunct Mathis Airport in Suwannee, Georgia, then moved to another hangar […]
Completions
Bob Schmitz and Glen Clarke’s Searey This Searey LSX amphibian was built over a three-year period by owners Bob Schmitz and Glen Clarke in Nelson, British Columbia, Canada. Initial flights in September 2018 were trouble-free with the normal adjustments. C-GULS features a fiberglass hull, Friese ailerons, and manual flaps. Empty weight is 994 pounds, and […]
In Case You Missed it
Ask the DAR
Overweight LSA, paperwork confusion for a DAR inspection, converting an SLSA to an ELSA.
Zen Four a Day
Flying four of Zeniths designs at the factory in Mexico, Missouri, prompted a deeper appreciation for the company's utilitarian approach to design. By Marc Cook.
Viewfinder
Mark Cook revisits George Happs RANS S-19 project to see how the Rotax 914 installation has panned out.
