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New Sonerai driver

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skycrew

Andy Bisceglia
Supporting Member
Joined
Nov 7, 2017
Messages
46
Location
London Ontario Canada
Hi All! To anyone interested, a review of my first flight in my new to me Sonerai1....
Although it was not initially my intent, I am super stoked, and happy to say that I am the new custodian of C-GZXY! I originally contacted Steve to go have a look and see if my 5'11", 180lb frame would fit in the cabin. Steve graciously agreed to come out and meet me. We did a quick walk around and then I jumped in and discovered I fit! We discussed the mods he had made and I was impressed with Steve's workmanship. It is a very nice example of what a well built aircraft and power plant should look like, (in my humble opinion). There is some work to be done on fabric and fiberglass, but as Steve says, its 50/50.. looks good from 50' and 50 mph which is good enough for me.
I returned the following week and did some run-ups and taxi tests. It ran strong with no apparent leaks or anomalous gauge readings. It also handled alright but not great in slow taxi. Next was a shakedown flight
for me, and the bird. I requested Rwy 25, 9000' of safety margin and I wanted it all. It also allow'd the crosswind leg to be over farm fields as opposed to houses and businesses, incase things went sideways.
I'm definitely not a high time pilot with roughly 400hrs, 300+ in tailwheel, 80 in high performance with types like the Harvard (T-6 Texan for my American friends), Pitts, and RANS S9 Chaos in my logbook. So I've flown a couple "Twitchy", narrow wheel base, short airframe types and was feeling pretty confident I wouldn't have too much problem with it. Well I was wrong! I know from reading several threads on tail wheel configurations, there are several points of view and preferences. This S1 is currently set up with springs. I did note a little slop in them but thought I'd leave them initially.
As I moved the throttle to full power, things got more and more squirrely with way too much lag time between my inputs. I will admit that perhaps my inputs were too large, and I may have had the tail up too high, but there's no question I was chasing the rudder, kind of like horizontal PIO lol. Anyways, I got it pointed straight enough to rotate and got settled into the departure sequence and pattern.
Once airborn, it flew as advertised, an honest aircraft that will do exactly what you tell it, and keep doing it until you tell it something different. I called a touch and go with an approach and the landing was smooth and by the numbers, touching in 3 point as recommended. Then, on the roll, It took every bit of skill I had not too ground loop it. I fire walled it and went around for another circuit. On final, I was on high alert with my feet doing the boogie woogie in anticipation of the roll out. Better this time but still much harder than it should be with the nose swinging sharply back and forth across the centerline. I taxied back to the hangar for an inspection and review.
First thing I did was to remove a link on each spring chain for much more positive feedback and increased maneuverability in slow taxi. I expect this will greatly improve high speed handling. If still not enough for me, I'll try the direct link configuration. Second, while oil pressure remained in the green, there was a large amount collecting on the ground under the cowling. I believe this came from the oil breather overflowing as there may have been a little too much oil in it. I also saw some oil weeping around the crank seal and potentially the CSP oil pump cover. This will need to be investigated further so any advice is welcome. The only other snag was the altimeter strangely jammed at 1000ASL, not sure what that's all about, but when setting pressure manually in the Kollsman window, it does the same thing, jams at 1000'.
Some concluding thoughts.. First off, I welcome any constructive criticism, or comments. My whole purpose was to share my experience openly and honestly so I and others can learn.
Perhaps the biggest question would be, being new to type, should I have jumped into an unknown airplane and flown it? A black and white answer is no. But, I don't know of any two place Sonerai locally and with the boarders being closed, going to the States was not an option. I think getting dual time in homebuilts is hard to do in most cases but I would most definitely suggest it if that's an option. I have bought a few airplanes , six in all, and this is the first one that I did not see fly before laying out the cash. I broke a personal rule here but again, given the circumstances, there was no option. Next, maybe I should've chopped the throttle at the first sign of directional instability and gone back to re-think the rudder cables, but given how quickly things happened, and how fast I found myself flying, even though I had oodles of runway, I decided to continue the flight. All in all, things turned out well, and I'm excited to go up again and for the adventures ahead. I will continue where Steve left off with updates. The wealth of knowledge and support here is awesome! I'm looking forward to chatting with everyone and hopefully meeting some of you in person.
Kind regards,
Andy
 
Congratulations on your first Sonerai flight. I know others have springs on their tailwheels, but I have direct link and it does fine, although pretty sensitive on the ground. I have my hardest time when getting back into my Sonerai after flying something else that requires more rudder input. Only the tiniest of rudder inputs is really needed at least on mine. I don't have any experience in a S1 since mine is a S2L, but on mine I am convinced the airplane could use a little extra vertical tail area for directional stability. If left on its own the airplane want to yaw one way or the other. If it only wanted to go one way I'd say it just needed a ground adjustable trim tab but feet of it is unpredictable which way it will yaw. On the ground handling, I am actually thinking of tryin a full castering locking tailwheel (think Haigh) because mine gets squirrelly once the little wheel touches the ground. Its manageable so isn't high on my priority list at the moment. Hope you have a great time in your new bird.
 
Congratulations on your purchase and your first flight, Andy. I like my TW springs and have never tried the rigid link. Early on I did get into a horizontal PIO on one occasion, in a landing rollout, which I attributed to not having the stick full aft. Since then I make sure it's in my gut once the Sonerai is on the ground on three wheels and there hasn't been another PIO. I agree with minimal slack in the chains and if flying from grass is possible for you I recommend it until your comfort level is where you want it. Good luck.

Ed
2LS
 
I read somewhere once that when inadvertently becoming airborne during high-speed taxi testing, baring any other complications, it is far safer to fly it out than to try and chop the throttle. Sounds to me like you made the right choice.

I started with a rigid link tailwheel. When I replaced the "per-plans" Sonerai tailwheel assembly with an API set up, I went with Maule type compression springs. I like the landing rollout with the springs better. But, I could turn tighter while taxiing with the rigid link.

My transition training consisted of a few touch-n-goes from the back seat of an Aeronca Champ. I flew 10 hours uninsured before calling around for a quote (Shhh, ... don't tell my wife).

I had some serious skating with my first few landings. It just took me awhile to get the right sight picture. I still bounce once in awhile, mainly because I get impatient and I'm still too fast when the mains touch. But, I haven't had the side-to-side skating since those first few flights. And, when I find that perfect flare, and airspeed is right on the money, I swear that airplane lands as straight and smooth as anything else I've ever flown. And, I then have to add throttle to taxi to the first turn-off without ever having touched the brakes.
 
Last edited:
Congratulations on your first Sonerai flight. I know others have springs on their tailwheels, but I have direct link and it does fine, although pretty sensitive on the ground. I have my hardest time when getting back into my Sonerai after flying something else that requires more rudder input. Only the tiniest of rudder inputs is really needed at least on mine. I don't have any experience in a S1 since mine is a S2L, but on mine I am convinced the airplane could use a little extra vertical tail area for directional stability. If left on its own the airplane want to yaw one way or the other. If it only wanted to go one way I'd say it just needed a ground adjustable trim tab but feet of it is unpredictable which way it will yaw. On the ground handling, I am actually thinking of tryin a full castering locking tailwheel (think Haigh) because mine gets squirrelly once the little wheel touches the ground. Its manageable so isn't high on my priority list at the moment. Hope you have a great time in your new bird.
Thanks for the input John!
 
Congratulations on your purchase and your first flight, Andy. I like my TW springs and have never tried the rigid link. Early on I did get into a horizontal PIO on one occasion, in a landing rollout, which I attributed to not having the stick full aft. Since then I make sure it's in my gut once the Sonerai is on the ground on three wheels and there hasn't been another PIO. I agree with minimal slack in the chains and if flying from grass is possible for you I recommend it until your comfort level is where you want it. Good luck.

Ed
2LS
Excellent input Ed, I think not pining the TW to the tarmac may have been a contributing factor. I will pay close attention on my next flight.
cheers!
 
I read somewhere once that when inadvertently becoming airborne during high-speed taxi testing, baring any other complications, it is far safer to fly it out than to try and chop the throttle. Sounds to me like you made the right choice.

I started with a rigid link tailwheel. When I replaced the "per-plans" Sonerai tailwheel assembly with an API set up, I went with Maule type compression springs. I like the landing rollout with the springs better. But, I could turn tighter while taxiing with the rigid link.

My transition training consisted of a few touch-n-goes from the back seat of an Aeronca Champ. I flew 10 hours uninsured before calling around for a quote (Shhh, ... don't tell my wife).

I had some serious skating with my first few landings. It just took me awhile to get the right sight picture. I still bounce once in awhile, mainly because I get impatient and I'm still too fast when the mains touch. But, I haven't had the side-to-side skating since those first few flights. And, when I find that perfect flare, and airspeed is right on the money, I swear that airplane could almost land on a postage stamp.
Thanks for that Kenny, great info. I think I will probably be the opposite. I will definitely be on the backside of the power curve as I‘m operating off a 2000’ grass strip with wires on one approach. I want to take it up to a safe altitude and stall it a few times to really understand what the break feels like in slow flight
 
Thanks for that Kenny, great info. I think I will probably be the opposite. I will definitely be on the backside of the power curve as I‘m operating off a 2000’ grass strip with wires on one approach. I want to take it up to a safe altitude and stall it a few times to really understand what the break feels like in slow flight

4SP likes steep (power off, forward slip) and slow (70mph over the fence). If I nail the airspeed and the flare, it'll land much shorter than I could get it out of.
 
When I started flying mine. I found adjusting direct linkage was either great for low speed taxying but way too twitchy at high speed, or great for high speed handling , but really bad for turn radius making sharp turns or parking. I bought what Aircraft Spruce, at the time, called the homebuilt special tailwheel which was direct linkage, but full rudder application kicks it into full swivel operation. To go back to direct steering, move forward to center the tailwheel and the unit goes back to direct steering. I found that to be my best solution. I whish you all the best in you future flying. Pat Mc
 
When I started flying mine. I found adjusting direct linkage was either great for low speed taxying but way too twitchy at high speed, or great for high speed handling , but really bad for turn radius making sharp turns or parking. I bought what Aircraft Spruce, at the time, called the homebuilt special tailwheel which was direct linkage, but full rudder application kicks it into full swivel operation. To go back to direct steering, move forward to center the tailwheel and the unit goes back to direct steering. I found that to be my best solution. I whish you all the best in you future flying. Pat Mc
Thanks Pat, I'll see how the tightened springs pan out on next flight. If still too twitchy, I'll explore the option you described. Next time you're out maybe take a couple pics?
Cheers
 
Hi All! To anyone interested, a review of my first flight in my new to me Sonerai1....
Although it was not initially my intent, I am super stoked, and happy to say that I am the new custodian of C-GZXY! I originally contacted Steve to go have a look and see if my 5'11", 180lb frame would fit in the cabin. Steve graciously agreed to come out and meet me. We did a quick walk around and then I jumped in and discovered I fit! We discussed the mods he had made and I was impressed with Steve's workmanship. It is a very nice example of what a well built aircraft and power plant should look like, (in my humble opinion). There is some work to be done on fabric and fiberglass, but as Steve says, its 50/50.. looks good from 50' and 50 mph which is good enough for me.
I returned the following week and did some run-ups and taxi tests. It ran strong with no apparent leaks or anomalous gauge readings. It also handled alright but not great in slow taxi. Next was a shakedown flight
for me, and the bird. I requested Rwy 25, 9000' of safety margin and I wanted it all. It also allow'd the crosswind leg to be over farm fields as opposed to houses and businesses, incase things went sideways.
I'm definitely not a high time pilot with roughly 400hrs, 300+ in tailwheel, 80 in high performance with types like the Harvard (T-6 Texan for my American friends), Pitts, and RANS S9 Chaos in my logbook. So I've flown a couple "Twitchy", narrow wheel base, short airframe types and was feeling pretty confident I wouldn't have too much problem with it. Well I was wrong! I know from reading several threads on tail wheel configurations, there are several points of view and preferences. This S1 is currently set up with springs. I did note a little slop in them but thought I'd leave them initially.
As I moved the throttle to full power, things got more and more squirrely with way too much lag time between my inputs. I will admit that perhaps my inputs were too large, and I may have had the tail up too high, but there's no question I was chasing the rudder, kind of like horizontal PIO lol. Anyways, I got it pointed straight enough to rotate and got settled into the departure sequence and pattern.
Once airborn, it flew as advertised, an honest aircraft that will do exactly what you tell it, and keep doing it until you tell it something different. I called a touch and go with an approach and the landing was smooth and by the numbers, touching in 3 point as recommended. Then, on the roll, It took every bit of skill I had not too ground loop it. I fire walled it and went around for another circuit. On final, I was on high alert with my feet doing the boogie woogie in anticipation of the roll out. Better this time but still much harder than it should be with the nose swinging sharply back and forth across the centerline. I taxied back to the hangar for an inspection and review.
First thing I did was to remove a link on each spring chain for much more positive feedback and increased maneuverability in slow taxi. I expect this will greatly improve high speed handling. If still not enough for me, I'll try the direct link configuration. Second, while oil pressure remained in the green, there was a large amount collecting on the ground under the cowling. I believe this came from the oil breather overflowing as there may have been a little too much oil in it. I also saw some oil weeping around the crank seal and potentially the CSP oil pump cover. This will need to be investigated further so any advice is welcome. The only other snag was the altimeter strangely jammed at 1000ASL, not sure what that's all about, but when setting pressure manually in the Kollsman window, it does the same thing, jams at 1000'.
Some concluding thoughts.. First off, I welcome any constructive criticism, or comments. My whole purpose was to share my experience openly and honestly so I and others can learn.
Perhaps the biggest question would be, being new to type, should I have jumped into an unknown airplane and flown it? A black and white answer is no. But, I don't know of any two place Sonerai locally and with the boarders being closed, going to the States was not an option. I think getting dual time in homebuilts is hard to do in most cases but I would most definitely suggest it if that's an option. I have bought a few airplanes , six in all, and this is the first one that I did not see fly before laying out the cash. I broke a personal rule here but again, given the circumstances, there was no option. Next, maybe I should've chopped the throttle at the first sign of directional instability and gone back to re-think the rudder cables, but given how quickly things happened, and how fast I found myself flying, even though I had oodles of runway, I decided to continue the flight. All in all, things turned out well, and I'm excited to go up again and for the adventures ahead. I will continue where Steve left off with updates. The wealth of knowledge and support here is awesome! I'm looking forward to chatting with everyone and hopefully meeting some of you in person.
Kind regards,
Andy
Andy your experience and wisdom is so very welcome and needed for new guys getting involved with the Sonerai aircraft , please do keep us up to speed on your next flight , all the information you share is golden to any future Sonerai drivers .
 
Andy your experience and wisdom is so very welcome and needed for new guys getting involved with the Sonerai aircraft , please do keep us up to speed on your next flight , all the information you share is golden to any future Sonerai drivers .
Thanks Hove, will do. This Group is a treasure trove of experience. I'm on the same learning path as you!
 
Andy, congrats on your first flight. I switched from springs to direct link because even with no slack in the springs/chains, there was some lag. Steering corrections with the direct link are immediate and reassuring. Good luck! Jon
 
Thanks guys, great feedback! Ultimately every pilot has their preference on tailwheel set up, so I will need to find my way. I’ll report back as I test different configurations. Unfortunately, a little premature to what was agreed upon, I’ve been asked to vacate the hangar on field with the 9000’ runway. So the wings are are coming off this weekend to trailer it to my home field as WX is forecast to be rain. Probably just as well as it’s much shorter, 2000’ and turf, but where I will be operating from. The learning curve just steepened! Lol
 
Thanks guys, great feedback! Ultimately every pilot has their preference on tailwheel set up, so I will need to find my way. I’ll report back as I test different configurations. Unfortunately, a little premature to what was agreed upon, I’ve been asked to vacate the hangar on field with the 9000’ runway. So the wings are are coming off this weekend to trailer it to my home field as WX is forecast to be rain. Probably just as well as it’s much shorter, 2000’ and turf, but where I will be operating from. The learning curve just steepened! Lol
Would turf be a little more forgiving and not as squirrelly as asphalt ? Does your 2000 ft strip have obstacles at each end ?
 
Would turf be a little more forgiving and not as squirrelly as asphalt ? Does your 2000 ft strip have obstacles at each end ?
Turf is a trade off. Always more forgiving than tarmac, especially laterally, but also can be draggy, especially when wet So can affect take off distances. But yes, more forgiving. There are wires and trees at one end. These are not a problem, other than the fact that your approach needs to be steeper, and if things go quiet…well you’re into trees and wires lol. Any obstacle on any approach is never optimal. The strip crests at around 600’ from the obstructed approach side which causes an optical illusion of a much shorter runway. There have been several people who have pranged their birds trying to force the landing, for no good reason. Oh, did I mention the pond? Lol Yes there’s a pond as well. Usually not a factor but it’s there. I tried to attach a video I shot of the clear approach in my Quicksilver GT-500 to give you an idea but the file is too large so here’s a pic of an overhead view. There’s a farm on the clear approach that doesn’t want planes over flying which necessitates an S turn on final. All this sounds like a lot, but it really isn’t. its good ole stick and rudder flying. We operate 172’s, 180’s, Pitts etc in and out of there all the time.
 

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