trumpet nelson
a newbie - - looking at a purchase, gathering info
First and foremost - - - I appreciate the currency of this board considering the age of the designs. Excellent. Expertise (and those other opinions...) will always be helpful and enjoyed. I am happy to see this is not an "orphaned" series of aircraft.
My status: just mailed the $75 for the newsletters (still lots of reading ahead) and have made 3 visits to a look at a Sonerai and gathered ... only the following to-date:
- Sonerai 1
- fuselage is factory welded - about mid-1980's
- squared wingtips
- original (early 1980's ?) wing without reinforcements / upgrades
- 8 ribs per wing (did I count these right?)
- no folding hinge, but wings can be removed
- 1835 vw fired with a magneto
- 1/2 inch gear
- 520 lb empty weight (it has a starter and rather large battery)
- never flown and sitting around for about 4 years
- gets about 3200 rpm for static run-up
So ..... for the brain-trust ... what are the top go / no-go items I inspect during a (potential) pre-buy? Has anyone drilled out and removed the inner wing panel skins to retro-fit the wing upgrades and to inspect? Does this even make sense? My only other completed homebuilt was fiberglass / wood and had an empty weight of 284 lbs. Currently working on a Cozy Mk IV, but missing my single place aerobatic fun.
Thanks in advance,
Nelson
My status: just mailed the $75 for the newsletters (still lots of reading ahead) and have made 3 visits to a look at a Sonerai and gathered ... only the following to-date:
- Sonerai 1
- fuselage is factory welded - about mid-1980's
- squared wingtips
- original (early 1980's ?) wing without reinforcements / upgrades
- 8 ribs per wing (did I count these right?)
- no folding hinge, but wings can be removed
- 1835 vw fired with a magneto
- 1/2 inch gear
- 520 lb empty weight (it has a starter and rather large battery)
- never flown and sitting around for about 4 years
- gets about 3200 rpm for static run-up
So ..... for the brain-trust ... what are the top go / no-go items I inspect during a (potential) pre-buy? Has anyone drilled out and removed the inner wing panel skins to retro-fit the wing upgrades and to inspect? Does this even make sense? My only other completed homebuilt was fiberglass / wood and had an empty weight of 284 lbs. Currently working on a Cozy Mk IV, but missing my single place aerobatic fun.
Thanks in advance,
Nelson