The landing gear on the SubSonex has got to be one of the smallest set of retractable wheels I have ever seen on a human-carrying airplane. This tail works perfectly for the SubSonex, as the jet exhaust goes right between the panels. The “Y-tail” (two ruddervators and a small rudder that forms the stem of the “Y”) appears to be built just the same as the tails on the Waiex and Xenos-proven designs from Sonex. The fuel tank is poly and sits in the fuselage behind the pilot. Since there is no fuel in the wings, putting the airplane together and taking it apart is fairly simple. The outer wing panels are removable for transport (and Sonex offers a trailer that is custom-configured to transport the jet). Two batteries behind the nose cone provide plenty of power for starting. For a prototype, we were impressed with its fit and finish, and while a few improvements are still in the works, it is representative of what the first customers are building in workshops right now. The airplane flown for the test was the JSX-2 prototype, currently on tour with Carlton flying airshow routines for aviation fans around the country. The training program devised by Carlton and Sonex (and approved by the FAA) is thorough, yet not complicated, and prepares one well for their first flight in the jet (see sidebar on page 21). KITPLANES was given the opportunity to be the first independent organization to fly the jet for an evaluation, so in April we headed down to Moriarty, New Mexico, the home of test pilot Bob Carlton’s Desert Aerospace, to complete the necessary transition training and give the little jet a workout. Despite the cach of being a jet, the construction is familiar to anyone who has built a Sonex. SubSonex quickbuild kits under construction in Sonex’s Oshkosh facility. You wouldn’t want to make it your only transportation machine, or a “daily driver/do-all” plane-but as a way to unwind in the sky, it would certainly fill the bill. An airplane with up to two hours’ endurance, it is not just an airshow performance wonder it is a practical, fun machine that provides enough margin (in fuel, speed, structure, and forgiving flying qualities) that the dream of a true personal jet is now in reach of anyone that can afford to build a mid-level homebuilt. Monnett took what he learned from the fixed-gear JSX-1 and refined the design to produce the JSX-2-the current design. The SubSonex JSX-1 flew as a proof of concept airplane several years ago, and astounded the community as the first such design since the BD-5J. The SubSonex began as a dream in the mind of Sonex founder John Monnett-a dream for a personal sport jet that could be flown by someone with average to good pilot talent and skill. This single-engine Experimental jet features a reliable, easy-to-install powerplant, and the factory is already shipping ultra-quickbuild kits to customers. And where can you find that formula? In the new SubSonex from Sonex Aircraft, LLC. Let’s talk really personal-we’re not just general aviation, we’re Experimental aviation! How about a single-seat cocoon with one jet engine and an unrestricted view out front-now that is personal. If you say “personal jet” in the lobby of a typical general aviation FBO, images of a Cessna Mustang, Eclipse 500, or maybe the up-and-coming Cirrus Vision will come to most people’s minds.
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