Construction on this Sonex Tail Dragger ( s/n 1202 ) was commenced in June 2008 and was built by Brian and Chris Ham. The aircraft is powered by a Jabiru 3300A and the kit came with pre assembled spars. All the extruded aluminium brackets and parts were manufactured by us from stock provided in the kit. All mating parts were treated with a one pack etch primer and Duralac paste and on completion Corrosion X was sprayed on the inside of the wings and fuselage for corrosion protection.
Some modifications were added during the build as follows:
- A castor tail wheel for better ground handling.
- An aftermarket Tracie O’brien 4140 chromium molybdenum main undercarriage with hydraulic brake cylinders.
- Toe brake pedals and master cylinders fitted to the pilot rudder pedals.
- Changed all control rod connections from sintered bush and bolt to rod end type.
- Reconstructed the engine cowl to create a removable top for ease of maintenance.
- Construct a controllable cowl flap for the exit of the engine cooling air.
- Construction and installation of metal tips for the wing, fin and tail plane in lieu of the fibre glass type supplied.
- Installation of additional access hatches for ease of maintenance.
- Installation of a remote wheel to operate the trim system.
- Change the size and slope of the instrument panel to suit the installation of a Dynon D180 EFIS / EMS instrument.
- Dual throttles.
- A 28 litre auxiliary fuel tank behind the seat which feeds to the top of the main tank via an electric transfer pump.
Construction was completed in ……..2013 with a build time of 4,000 hrs over 4 yrs 3 months.
