EAA Sport Aviation

CANADA SONEX

AT 50-SOMETHING, I FINALLY realized my teenage dream of building an airplane. Sonex C-FMNX was scratchbuilt over a seven-and-a-half-year period. A Jabiru 2200 engine swinging a Sensenich 54-by- 48 prop powers it. Friends Jonathan Epp and Bill Funk performed the test flights in the fall of 2007. My middle son, Christopher, custom painted the airplane. Christopher shares my passion for aviation, earning his pilot certificate in 2008. He joined me in the cockpit as my first passenger. The Sonex now has more than 80 hours and is flying well. Building and flying my own airplane has been very rewarding, and my thanks go out to all who supported me in this venture.

Mervin Friesen, EAA 349240; Kleefeld, Manitoba, Canada; E-mail: mefriesen@mts.net

TEXAS GLASTAR

AFTER 10 YEARS IN construction, GlaStar Kit 5676 received its airworthiness certificate on July 6, 2008, and first flew on September 17, 2008. N227NB is a VFR airplane that is powered by a Superior O-360 engine and a Hartzell constant-speed propeller. It is equipped with a dual electrical system with a Dynon EFIS-D100 on one system, and a Dynon FlightDek-D180 on the other. I named my GlaStar L’Etoile, which is French for “The Star.” I wish to thank my wife for her support and encouragement during the extended construction period and the many EAA members for their advice and guidance.

Normand Biron, EAA 600761; Lewisville, Texas; E-mail: normbiron@msn.com; Technical Counselor: Sonny Logan; Flight Advisor: Mel Asberry

COLORADO RV- 4

I STARTED MY RV- 4 kit in October 1986. A year earlier I had test flown Harold Steiners’ RV- 4 in Idaho and was impressed by Van’s sport plane. My wife helped me buck those areas that required another set of hands, and our airplane took to the sky 32 months later in June 1989. Built strictly to plans, our fighter came in very light at 877 pounds before paint. With a Lycoming O-320-E2D and a Great American prop, the performance is as advertised by Van’s. With more than 20 years and more than 1,800 tach hours, our fighter still keeps me coming back with the famous RV grin. Whether it’s close formation, air combat maneuvers, or cross-country, this airplane never ceases to amaze me.

Hans Miesler, EAA 82944; Penrose, Colorado; E-mail:

rammstark@aol.com

COLORADO LANCAIR

N817S BEGAN IN 1999 and first flew in March 2007. The plane has a Superior XP-IO-360 engine with Hartzell constant-speed prop. Forty hours of testing was completed that summer over northern Colorado. My wife, Carole, designed the final paint scheme and chose the upholstery colors. Gold Medal Paint of Denver, Colorado, applied the final paint. The all-electric instrument flight rules (IFR) panel includes a Garmin GNS 430 GPS/nav/comm and a Grand Rapids Horizon electronic flight instrument system (EFIS). Aerotronics in Billings, Montana, assembled the panel to my design. Special thanks to Jeff Michaels of Jetstream Composites, Erik Woods of EK Composites, EAA Technical Counselor David Biesemeier, and test pilot Bill Mitchell, who demonstrated the aerobatic capabilities of this plane and provided excellent transition training.

WYOMING BUSH CADDY

I WAS A WORLD War II B- 17 pilot (384th Bomb Group) with 25 missions to my credit. During my 26th mission, while flying lead plane, I was shot down over Schweinfurt. We lost nine of 21 planes that day, and I became a guest of the Germans for a year. I have waited more than 60 years to have my own airplane. The Bush Caddy experimental light-sport aircraft (E-LSA) was my choice as an affordable and achievable plane for the “common” man to build. It has a basic visual flight rules (VFR) instrument panel with a 100-hp Rotax engine and Warp Drive prop and good flight characteristics. It was test flown for the first time on December 26, 2009, at the Driggs-Reed Memorial Airport (DIJ) in Idaho. In the background are the Grand Tetons of Wyoming. Thanks to my mentor and friend, Jim Jackson, for making this dream come true.