Sonex 1132

Sonex S/N 1132, VH-UJB, powered by an Aerovee, is my third homebuilt and the registration mark was actually the one I had for my first - a Sonerai Two which flew in 1979 and was the first of this type to fly in Australia. It is still going strong although now registered as an ultralight. By way of interest the first Qantas aircraft, a De Havilland DH-61 Giant Moth, was registered as VH-UJB

Sonex S/N 1132 took about 12 months to build and then about another 12 months to finish off that last 5%. Early flight indications are that it will easily match the advertised figures and flies hands off with just a touch of left rudder. Takeoff and landings are very straightforward; if you can fly a Cessna 150 your qualified.

There was nothing too onerous in the building process and I guess I made an error of two along the way (like using one of the longeron angles for stock) but having to remake the odd fitting is good practice. As with the Sonerai I seem to have enough material left over to build another aircraft. My instrumentation is about as simple as you can get - just the MGL Enigma and a slip indicator (which I didn't really need as it is part of the Enigma). Getting the Enigma to work took a few tries because of interface issues with automotive senders - also the compass swing was a problem until I realised that you set the four quadrants to True and not Magnetic headings.