Mon, Jan 10, 2011
I think John Monnett is nuts... a pure, certifiable, grade-A,
crazy-man... and in the best of all possible ways. His inspired
madness has not only brought forth some great airplanes that have
furnished the necessary means (and yes, madness) by which hundreds,
even thousands, of pilots (overall) have managed to keep their
hearts, minds and bodies in the world of flight, but he shows NO
signs of slowing down. And for that, aviation is a better (and more
affordable) place.
One of the most divinely inspired bits of craziness has led John
to develop a teeny-tiny single-place jet airplane that will cost
less to build and fly than most APUs used by the civil jet fleet.
And better yet; the SubSonex single-place jet aircraft is about to
resume testing. Following a series of initial high-speed taxi
tests, the Sonex Aircraft Hornets’ Nest Research and
Development team determined that a review and modification of the
aircraft design was necessary to achieve acceptable handling
qualities for the average pilot. Due to the increased power offered
by the new PBS TJ-100 engine selected for the SubSonex, it was
determined that a tricycle gear configuration would be needed to
increase yaw stability on the ground in the transition phase
approaching takeoff speeds.
Unveiled at AirVenture 2009 under the banner of the
Hornets’ Nest Research and Development program, the SubSonex
jet was intended as an effort to study the feasibility and
marketability of a small, single-place homebuilt jet aircraft.
The SubSonex has attracted a tremendous level of interest from
the public and aviation press, however, Sonex Aircraft, LLC has not
yet decided if the aircraft will become an available homebuilt
aircraft product. Following first flight of the aircraft and a full
series of flight tests, Hornets’ Nest designers plan to
construct a second SubSonex prototype with a larger cockpit,
enhanced landing gear system and other refinements to further
evaluate the aircraft concept.
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