Sonex 1414

On Columbus Day 2013 Sonex 1414X, AeroVee, center stick, conventional gear
launched out on the first of hopefully many voyages. While the voyage was
not as long as Columbus's, it was nonetheless thrilling. An amusement ride
engineer once told me that they try and make the rides safe, but thrilling.
I told him that if you want a thrill ride go up for the first time in an
airplane that you made by yourself, that is thrilling and hopefully safe. I
want to thank the usual cast of characters starting with John Monnett for
having the vision and tenacity in designing the Sonex and especially all the
people that have supported John over the years so he could design this truly
fun airplane. This includes his family both biological and business. Keep
up the great work. I can not wait to see what is next. The flight itself
was uneventful as hopefully most of them will be. I plan on flying the
plane for a few hours to reduce some of the variables before I try to "dial
in" the numbers; however, out of the box I was showing 135 mph at 2000 feet
and WOT. The best is yet to come. Thanks again to John and crew. For those
that are still building keep going, the minute the wheels leave the ground
you forget all the late nights, cut fingers, driven rivets, etc and realize
it was all worth it!