Yup… It Flies!

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The little jet actually does just what it is supposed to do – and it looks good doing it!

We’ve now made three flights in the airplane I am calling “Loki” (The trickster from the Nordic sagas), and each one has been interesting. It had ben over three years since I last flew a Subsonex, and since there really is no way to get current other than to fly one, it was interesting to get re-acquainted with the flying qualities. On our first flight, we discovered that we need to re-rig the ruddervators to provide more “down” elevator, so we kept that flight short. The second and third flights proved that we got that right, and that the airplane is going to be fun, fun, fun!

Subsonex Jet in flight

Unfortunately, after three flights, it was time to put the engine covers on, turn the lights out in the hangar, and head across the country from Nevada to Florida on the big aluminum mailing tube for the start of the fly-in season – Sun ‘n Fun! We’ll resume flight testing when we get back from the east, and I’ll keep folks posted as we work our way through the newly-released EAA Flight Test Manual and Test Cards. It’s going to be hard to to keep my mind on the show, knowing this little jet is sitting at home, waiting for me – but I look forward to seeing folks at the show, so look for me and say hello if you get the chance!

Meanwhile, I’ll share news and impressions of Sun ‘n Fun as they come up, here on the Kitplanes website.

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Paul Dye
Paul Dye, KITPLANES® Editor at Large, retired as a Lead Flight Director for NASA’s Human Space Flight program, with 40 years of aerospace experience on everything from Cubs to the Space Shuttle. An avid homebuilder, he began flying and working on airplanes as a teen and has experience with a wide range of construction techniques and materials. He flies an RV-8 and SubSonex jet that he built, an RV-3 that he built with his pilot wife, as well as a Dream Tundra and an electric Xenos motorglider they completed. Currently, they are building an F1 Rocket. A commercially licensed pilot, he has logged over 6000 hours in many different types of aircraft and is an A&P, FAA DAR, EAA Tech Counselor and Flight Advisor; he was formerly a member of the Homebuilder’s Council. He consults and collaborates in aerospace operations and flight-testing projects across the country.

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