OSHKOSH, Wis. — Sonex Aircraft passed a major benchmark this week, as news was received from Christopher Madsen of Huntsville, Alabama, that his AeroVee-powered, Standard Gear Sonex (pictured below) flew for the first time on Sept. 23. The addition of Chris’s aircraft brings the company’s database of completed and flown aircraft to 500 reported first flights.
“While we know there are several more aircraft flying that have never been reported to us or who, like Chris, will pass along news of their achievement to us at a later date, reaching 500 reported completions in our Sonex Builder Database is a major milestone for the entire Sonex Aircraft community,” says Sonex General Manager Mark Schaible. “This is an achievement not only for our company, but also for each and every Sonex Aircraft builder who has added a first flight to this database, beginning with the very first customer Sonex completion by Tony Spicer, which took flight on June 2, 2000.”
“I’m extremely pleased with the performance and the economy and am enjoying the adventures I’ve had in the 22 hours I’ve flown so far. The transition training was great and helped me feel comfortable with the controls, sight picture, and takeoff and landing from first flight on,” Madsen said, referring to his experience with the Sonex T-Flight Transition Training program offered at Sonex factory headquarters in Oshkosh.
The T-Flight program celebrated a milestone of its own this fall, surpassing 100 students since the program’s founding in May, 2013. The count currently stands at 115 students, accounting for 189 hours of dual instruction and 127 hours of ground.