IIL vs. IILS

[MitchB]

I am becoming very interested in buying a flying Sonerai or near completed project when I retire from my airline job…
My preference would be the larger airframe and upgrade the engine.
Can those in the know provide pros and cons as to the “stretch”..? It doesn’t seem as popular…

TIA

 

[soneraifred]

The primary difference between the Sonerai II Original and the Sonerai II Stretch is an 18” longer fuselage on the Stretch. The wings and tail surfaces are the same. The 18” stretch consists of a 6” addition to the length of the front cockpit to make it a bit more comfortable for the front seat passenger, and a 12” addition to the aft fuselage between the back of the rear seat and the leading edge of the horizontal stabilizer to offset moving the engine forward 6”. The airplane is always flown from the rear seat. The stretch has no impact on the rear cockpit dimensions. From a performance standpoint, the two designs are essentially the same. If you are only going to fly the airplane solo, there is no significant advantage to owning a Stretch.