EAA Sport Aviation - September 2009

numbers, Monnett said, are for a cruise speed of about 250 mph and a never exceed speed of 300 mph.

The engine, a modified version of a turbine used to power radio-controlled aircraft, will generate 170 to 200 pounds of thrust. The aircraft has the boxy look of the rest of the Sonex line, with the small engine positioned atop the fuselage just forward of the V-tail empennage. The aircraft has not flown nor has the engine been started.

The SubSonex features simple metal construction and with a 32-gallon tank has about one hour of endurance—“enough fuel to have some fun,” Monnett said. www.SonexAircraft.com

PiperJet Flies at Oshkosh

Last year Piper Aircraft announced the maiden flight of the PiperJet during AirVenture, and this year the PiperJet made its debut appearance. Piper CEO Kevin Gould said that Piper’s new owner, Singapore-based investment company Imprimis, is committed to the PiperJet, and that Piper will hire 50 new engineers to work on the program.

Bob Kromer, vice president of sales at the company’s Vero Beach headquarters, said the passive thrust-nozzle-vectoring system for the tail-mounted Williams FJ44-3AP engine successfully eliminated pitch changes associated with power changes often found in over-centerline thrust engines. “There is nothing else like it,” Kromer said of the PiperJet. “Our guaranteed goal is 360 knots (top speed).”

Piper reports it holds some 200 orders for the aircraft. It is, however, revising its delivery schedule, and the company will make the new timetable public in October at the annual convention of the National Business Aviation Association. http://PiperJet.Piper.com

The first customer-built Lancair Evolution flew to Oshkosh.

The announcement of the GlaStar in 1994 brought a change in direction—a high-wing two-place available in either conventional- or tricycle-gear versions. While the fuselage is composite, the (foldable) wings, tail, and internal load-bearing structure are metal. Much simpler to build than the Glasair and capable of being operated as a floatplane, the GlaStar has found wide acceptance as a sport and utility aircraft. www.GlasairAviation.com

SJ50 Vision—Cirrus Design

At AirVenture 2009, Cirrus’ SJ50 jet was surrounded by a whirl of controversy with Cirrus co-founder Alan Klapmeier attempting to buy the Vision program from the company. Company President Brent Wouters and company co-founder Dale Klapmeier addressed the issue at a Cirrus press conference early in the week, stating, “(Alan) is the only person we would consider letting peel the jet away, because it would still be part of the (Cirrus) family,” Dale said, adding that the company was considering Alan’s proposal because development dollars are in short supply.

By week’s end, however, word came that Alan’s attempt to find external funding sources and purchase the program from Cirrus had collapsed. According to Dale, the development does not have any impact on the program. “The program is where it always was,” Dale said. “We had no intention of going out to sell this program… though there certainly are some advantages with it being separate, and we certainly could work with Alan on that.”

www.CirrusAircraft.com/Vision

and formed a company they called Stoddard-Hamilton. The firm’s first successful product, the side-by-side SH- 2 Glasair, flew at 208 mph using a Lycoming O-235—an impressive speed for 1979 that still commands attention today. Later designs from the company used the 150- or 160-hp O-320 Lycoming engines.

Prior to Glasair, composite homebuilt structures were based on hot-wire cut solid-foam cores and hand layups of fiberglass. Glasairs, instead, were the first powered composite airplanes to use components manufactured in female molds.

Follow-on models after the SH- 2 included both fixed and retractable tri-gear versions. In 1986 the company introduced an improved Glasair II kit and the enlarged Glasair III—still a two-place but incorporating a six-cylinder Lycoming IO-540. At the time the G-III represented the pinnacle of homebuilt performance and sophistication; many will remember the spectacular air show routines performed at Oshkosh by Bud Granley and Bob Herendeen.

Lancair Evolution…25 Years Lancair International celebrated its 25th anniversary at AirVenture 2009 with its first customer-built Evolution on display, with Andy Cruces of Vero Beach, Florida, flying his PT- 6 powered aircraft. The all-composite Evolution offers four seats, pressurization, 300-knot speeds (turbine) with full fuel payloads and four adults and baggage, and a 1,950-pound useful load. A BRS ballistic parachute, airbags, seat belts, and standard energy-absorbing seats for enhanced safety are also available. The Evolution’s docile handling and 61-knot stall speed will simplify the

Glasair Celebrates 30 Years

Glasair celebrated its 30th anniversary in business with a new exhibit location in the Main Aircraft Display area. The first Glasair SH- 2, a fixed-gear taildragger, appeared at Oshkosh in 1979. This year also is the 15th anniversary of the firm’s GlaStar line.