Will I fit?

[aztrooper]

I have always liked the Sonerai IILS since the plans came out but didn't know if I would fit. I'm 6'2" tall with a 31" inseam and weigh 260. Any one else flying one my size?
Bob

 

[Saskguy]

I would also like some info regarding pilot size. I'm 6'3" 200lbs and have had my eye on the sonerai for a while now. According to the info on the sonex web site, the stretch fuselage adds 18" to the fuselage. 6" to the front seat and 12" to the back. That would be a pretty significant increase in leg room if the extra inches are in the right place.

 

[soneraifred]

The 12” addition on the Stretch is added between the back of the rear seat and the horizontal stabilizer. The rear cockpit dimensions are unchanged between the Original and Stretch airframes.

 

[Saskguy]

Ok, thanks for clarifying that. There is a sonerai 2L I know of that is about two hours away from me that I would like to try on for size.

 

[mhflyit]

I'm 'almost' 6' 4". Leg room was ok and head clearance was ok thanks to the 3 inch Turtleneck height increase. Airframe was standard length. Have a look at my gallery to get a better idea. The stretch Sonerai is heavier too.

 

[Neil1]

The stretch was to benefit the front seat occupant. As long as you are building the low wing you should fit. I reclined the seat in mine (IIL) to stay lower in the fuselage and moved the pedals forward to fit me. Keep in mind that weight is still weight and just because something fits it doesn't give the airplane any more gross weight capability. When I did my test flying my weight was about 210. I progressively loaded the front seat up to 200 pounds of ballast. This with a 2180cc engine from an airport altitude of 75 feet. I don't remember the empty weight but I do recall it being within 5 pounds of the advertised EW. While it did fly , it wasn't pretty.

 

[Saskguy]

mhflyit I took a look through your pictures. Thanks for sharing them. It looks like you have more length and height than I have in my ch601 so that gives me confidence.

 

[Saskguy]

Neil that's good to know. I was kind of skeptical of the gross weight for a plane this small. I guess hauling passengers wasn't the original mission for the sonerai so I shouldn't expect it to perform well at gross but it is nice to at least have the option.