exncsurfer
Pattern Altitude
I was wondering about those trucks. Seems like an odd place to store immovable objects. Where, odds are, eventually, someone could be looking for a patch of grass.
Sonex Down at OSH, Two Confirmed Fatalities
- Thread starter flightwriter
- Start date
I was wondering about those trucks. Seems like an odd place to store immovable objects. Where, odds are, eventually, someone could be looking for a patch of grass.
Geico266
Touchdown! Greaser!
According to the article the crash site is inside the fence of the company that builds the vehicles.
IMHO, it looks like another victim of the "Impossible turn". Took off on 18, developed engine issues, turned left and tried to land on 31. Came up short over some very inhospitable landing areas. Had he landed straight ahead I believe he would have had enough runway left on 18 to set it back down.
Very sad outcome.
JMHO.
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steingar
Taxi to Parking
Not if he performed an intersection takeoff as another poster indicated.
Geico266
Touchdown! Greaser!
skyking3286
Pre-takeoff checklist
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skyking3286
One of the most useless things is the runway behind you.
Peace to John and Betty Monnett. I've followed them since 1980 or so, one of the first kit plane manufacturers. I can't imagine the emotions at this time.
Peace to John and Betty Monnett. I've followed them since 1980 or so, one of the first kit plane manufacturers. I can't imagine the emotions at this time.
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RogerT
Cleared for Takeoff
This was quite a shock to hear yesterday. What a sad deal. My thoughts and prayers go out to the entire Sonex family.
They had the plane at SnF and I stopped and looked at the turbo
and talked to them. I'm on my second Sonex ... the one I have now I
built. The Aerovee is ok .. i have about 130 hrs on the plane now. It's been
finnicky ... but runs ok. My concern was the Type 1 block being strong
enough for the turbo and 100 hp. I'm sure their testing led them to believe
it was.
I'll be very interested in the cause. The airframes are very strong and well designed and the planes are easy to fly. The Sonex accidents I can recall have been engine related.
RT
They had the plane at SnF and I stopped and looked at the turbo
and talked to them. I'm on my second Sonex ... the one I have now I
built. The Aerovee is ok .. i have about 130 hrs on the plane now. It's been
finnicky ... but runs ok. My concern was the Type 1 block being strong
enough for the turbo and 100 hp. I'm sure their testing led them to believe
it was.
I'll be very interested in the cause. The airframes are very strong and well designed and the planes are easy to fly. The Sonex accidents I can recall have been engine related.
RT
Geico266
Touchdown! Greaser!
Ant ideas as to why the Aerovee "finicky? You love to tinker on those things.
Valve train?
Carb?
Timing?
Your first Sonex had a Jabaroo 2200. You kept that thing running like an old Swiss Watch.
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flyingcheesehead
Taxi to Parking
Yes... And departing 9 at 13, more than half of the runway is behind you. The intersection of Montana and 23rd is WAY closer to the departure end of 9 than the 9/13 intersection is. Almost certain that they'd have been able to set down on 9, 13, or even 4/22 if they'd used full length.
Sigh.
flightwriter
Line Up and Wait
Yes... And departing 9 at 13, more than half of the runway is behind you. The intersection of Montana and 23rd is WAY closer to the departure end of 9 than the 9/13 intersection is. Almost certain that they'd have been able to set down on 9, 13, or even 4/22 if they'd used full length.
Sigh.
I almost posted the same thing in the OP but decided it wasn't appropriate at the time. I wouldn't be surprised if such departures were SOP for the company when 9 was in use to avoid the long slog to the opposite end of the field, but it's hard to ignore the fact they left a lot of pavement behind them. It wouldn't be an issue 99.9999% of the time, but this may have been the .0001.
Sigh, indeed.
RogerT
Cleared for Takeoff
Ant ideas as to why the Aerovee "finicky? You love to tinker on those things.
Valve train?
Carb?
Timing?
Your first Sonex had a Jabaroo 2200. You kept that thing running like an old Swiss Watch.
No ... my first Sonex that I had up there was also an Aerovee. My Titan Tornado had
the Jab 2200. Other than a slight oil seepage fixed by replacing the cylinder base seals ..
I had little trouble with the Jab. All of the things you mentioned require attention on
the AV. Add to that I've lost one ignition system in the air .. and blew an oil cooler shortly
after takeoff.
RT
PilotRPI
Line Up and Wait
Very sad news. No matter how you feel about their planes (pilots seem to love them or think they're weird), you can't argue they are true innovators in terms of creating an "affordable" and well designed option in the kit realm.
If people want to debate the generic merits of the design, maybe they should create individual aerovee or Sonex threads, or just add on to the hundreds that exist instead of dragging those into this situation?
If people want to debate the generic merits of the design, maybe they should create individual aerovee or Sonex threads, or just add on to the hundreds that exist instead of dragging those into this situation?
nddons
Touchdown! Greaser!
Not that this is any indication of a general rule or habit, but I was doing some full stop-taxi back circuits in a Cutlass (I don't do T&Gs in a retract) on 9 at KOSH last fall, and I recall a Sonex requesting an intersection takeoff in front of me. I never thought much about it until now, and never even thought about it being a factory plane.
JB1842
En-Route
She survived initially, but not sure how well. That breezy was 1 or 2 behind me when I landed. Sort of a reality check for my first time flying in.
steingar
Taxi to Parking
An intersection takeoff using an experimental and unproven engine configuration smacks of very poor decision making. Complacency at its finest. Perhaps had they the whole runway they might have lived through the ordeal. I know I'm Monday morning quarterbacking, but if we learn nothing from the tragedy it is all for naught.
Geico266
Touchdown! Greaser!
Agreed.
Rampant speculation at its finest. There has been no evidence or information to show if it was an engine failure, airframe failure, pilot incapacitation, bird strike, etc. I would suggest we let the facts come out before you go jumping to conclusions about experimental aircraft and unproven engines being a cause. I'm all for talking about the positives and shortcomings of a Sonex and aerovee but doing so on a post discussing the death of two very well known and respected members of the aviation community is quite tasteless.
Keith
Keith
steingar
Taxi to Parking
Please do not try and tell anyone on this board that taking off from an intersection in any aircraft is a good idea. The most useless thing in the world is runnway behind you. I know it was a damn tragedy, but like I said, if we learn nothing they died in vain.
If I augure in I would expect pilots to discuss what happened. Having someone else perish from the same thing because everyone was too respectful to learn from what I'd done would be the greater tragedy still.
txflyer
En-Route
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Fly it like you STOL it ♦
I've never looked up the NTSB report to find out what exactly happened.
I didn't witness it, I was up around the red barn when everything went quiet and someone said "somebody crashed."
tmdarkansas
Filing Flight Plan
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FrequentFlyer
This is very sad news. I happened to be out flying my Sonex this afternoon. Afterwards, I browsed over to the sonexaircraft.com site to update my builder information when I saw the obituary for Jeremy and Mike. My heart sank and I just couldn't believe it! Prayers and condolences out to the families, friends, and coworkers. They will surely be missed. I wish that I could have met them.
Tragic...very tragic and sad!
Tragic...very tragic and sad!
RogerT
Cleared for Takeoff
jcwCT
Filing Flight Plan
Oh, I have slipped the surly bonds of earth,
And danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings;
Sunward I've climbed and joined the tumbling mirth of sun-split clouds -
and done a hundred things You have not dreamed of -
wheeled and soared and swung high in the sunlit silence.
Hovering there I've chased the shouting wind along
and flung my eager craft through footless halls of air.
Up, up the long delirious burning blue
I've topped the wind-swept heights with easy grace,
where never lark, or even eagle, flew;
and, while with silent, lifting mind I've trod
the high untrespassed sanctity of space,
put out my hand and touched the face of God.
High Flight
By John Gillespie Magee, Jr.
And danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings;
Sunward I've climbed and joined the tumbling mirth of sun-split clouds -
and done a hundred things You have not dreamed of -
wheeled and soared and swung high in the sunlit silence.
Hovering there I've chased the shouting wind along
and flung my eager craft through footless halls of air.
Up, up the long delirious burning blue
I've topped the wind-swept heights with easy grace,
where never lark, or even eagle, flew;
and, while with silent, lifting mind I've trod
the high untrespassed sanctity of space,
put out my hand and touched the face of God.
High Flight
By John Gillespie Magee, Jr.
el con
Line Up and Wait
A couple years ago I met John ,Betty and Jeremy as I was at a workshop at the Sonex factory. Great people!!! You could sense in John he was so very proud that Jeremy had left Boeing as an engineer to return to the family business to run it. The Onex that I bought and am building was pretty much Jeremy's baby and the Sub Sonex jet was seemingly John's pet project.
I know Jeremy was married and had young kids as they were there also there.
RIP Jeremy and condolences to the family. When I finish my ONEX I will fly it with great respect and honor to the designer, Jeremy Monnett.
I know Jeremy was married and had young kids as they were there also there.
RIP Jeremy and condolences to the family. When I finish my ONEX I will fly it with great respect and honor to the designer, Jeremy Monnett.