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First flight for the GeeVee!
- Thread starter tntav8r
- Start date
tntav8r
Active Member
I purchased and then refurbished "SPEEDY "after I was unable to get my original Sonerai IILT - N201DT - "Sonny" out of my head. I sold it in 2009, and wanted one ever since. Beautiful day, great flight, all went well. Man, it is good to strap on a Sonerai again!
Tiger Tim
Well-Known Member
I like the heck out of that. How's it fly?
tntav8r
Active Member
Thanks Tiger Tim!!
Due to having over 125 hrs on my previous Sonerai IILT, I decided not to do any high-speed taxiing and no crow-hops either. It is light on the stick, you basically rest your forearm on your leg and fly with three fingers - not "twitchy" at all, but responsive is how I characterize it. Plenty of control in all three axes, and well harmonized. It has a low-time engine, still breaking it in, so CHT's were a little high on climb-out, and I kept a bit of extra speed on landing. I did a wheel landing because I wasn't 100% sure the airspeed was reading correctly, a couple of small skips, nothing alarming, and a little dancing on the pedals, and YEE HAA!
I can't wait to get it in the air and do some testing and data collection using the EAA Flight Test Manual, and if you are building or restoring - "Git 'Er Done" ASAP!!
Tim
It looks great! Congratulations on getting it up and in the air!
tntav8r
Active Member
Thanks, I appreciate it!
Congratulations!
BJC
BJC
tntav8r
Active Member
Me likes dat!
tntav8r
Active Member
Me Too!
tntav8r
Active Member
I have a video of me taxiing in after the flight, but it is too large...
jedi
Well-Known Member
Nothin like a happy pilot. Except, a happy test pilot after a first flight even better.
The taxi in / dismount video of the pilot after that memorable first flight is only a distant third but it is still a good reminder.
Wishing you many more happy days to come.
The taxi in / dismount video of the pilot after that memorable first flight is only a distant third but it is still a good reminder.
Wishing you many more happy days to come.
tntav8r
Active Member
You nailed it jedi, and Thanks!
Apparently the Sonerai is one of the most under-rated airplanes out there. I certainly didn't pay enough attention to it myself admittedly. The Gee Vee in the photo is pretty dang good looking, I really like the modernized shape you built into the top of the fin and rudder, that's a really nice touch, that I've thought about on a lot of my own sketches over the years.
tntav8r
Active Member
It really is hard to beat for both performance and economy, not to mention FUN!. Speedy has a HAPI 1835cc VW conversion, which should cruise at about 3.5-3.8 gallons of autogas per hour. That should get me 125 mph+ cruise if I have the right prop. Testing will tell...
