Experimenter is a magazine created by EAA for people who build airplanes. We will report on amateur-built aircraft as well as ultralights and other light aircraft.
Issue link: http://experimenter.epubxp.com/i/178050
E A A A ir Ve n t ur e O s h ko s h 2 013 Terrafugia Sonex This year the Terrafugia Transition flew for the first time and drove on the taxiway. Monday's AirVenture crowd was the first to see it fly in public, followed by a second appearance later in the week. Oshkosh-based kit-plane manufacturer Sonex Aircraft announced production, pricing, and performance details of its SubSonex JSX-2 Personal Jet and began accepting refundable $10,000 deposits for the one-place aircraft. Power comes from a 247-pound-thrust TJ-100 turbojet engine from PBS Velka Bites of the Czech Republic. Terrafugia is hoping to market its drivable aircraft to pilots who hate being grounded by bad weather or have difficulty traveling after they land. Pilots flying into small airports usually are stuck there unless they can catch a cab or rent a car. Flying cars have a long tradition. Terrafugia engineers wanted things much easier for Transition owners, so they designed wings that fold up next to the car. That makes it small enough to travel down the highway and park in a one-car garage. The projected price tag is $279,000, with more than 100 persons having paid the $10,000 refundable deposit. The company expects to build a third-generation prototype—the second generation is the one that flew at AirVenture—and then to begin production for sale in 2015 or 2016. According to Terrafugia's information, the Transition is designed to cruise at 100 mph in the air with a range of 400 miles, with half an hour of reserve fuel. On the road, Transition can travel up to 65 mph with the fuel efficiency of a small car. Transition flew for 10 minutes, slow and low over the crowd, and then landed, folded up its wings, and drove down the taxiway. It needs a 1,700-foot runway to clear a 50-foot obstacle. www.Terrafugia.com 22 Vol.2 No.9 / Sep tember 2013 Preliminary performance specs for the SubSonex estimate a 1,200-foot takeoff distance, a never-exceed speed of 298 mph indicated airspeed, a 300-mile range with reserves, and a 59-mph stall speed in the landing configuration. Certificated in the experimental exhibition category, buyers will not have to build 51 percent of the aircraft as experimental amateur-built aircraft rules require. It will be offered in an ultra-quick build kit with a guaranteed price of $125,000 for the first 10 kit deposit holders. By the end of AirVenture, eight deposits had been received. "The purpose of the whole project is to be able to have a jet for the price of a light-sport aircraft," said John Monnett, adding, "Which would you rather have?" SubSonex kits will ship with a preassembled fuselage (with canopy and windshield installed), wings, tail, and control surfaces. The "plug and play" TJ-100 engine features an integral electronic control unit and includes instrumentation, throttle control, pre-wired harnesses, and installation components. Avionics and paint are the only items not included. Sonex is currently constructing JSX-2 prototypes that feature a larger cabin, fully retractable landing gear, and a BRS ballistic parachute system. Deliveries of the first JSX-2 kits are expected by mid-2014, Monnett said.