Finally I connected with fellow Sonex builders in the Phoenix area, John and Dennis. John built the full size Sonex and seems to have a reputation in the valley. He invited me to see his bird on Saturday, and put me in contact with Dennis. Dennis is building a OneX like me and invited me to see it today! See the first photo. It was inspiring. And so was Dennis… He was a pilot in Vietnam flying jets, then he was a SouthWest pilot. This is his second build.

Dennis happily showed me around his project, giving me tons of tips here and there. His first build was a Vans RV-12 and he said it was a much neater kit. In building the OneX he says he often has to deviated from the plans to get it to work right. Not surprising based on my experience with Sonex so far, but this make educational experience so I’m okay with it.

Dennis also said he’s three years into the project. 3 YEARS! I anticipated three months. And he got many of the quick-build options whereas I got the full build (no options). Buckle down. That’s what I’ll have to do.

Back home, I up-drilled the rudder holes and riveted them. See the second image, where I temporarily attached it’s hinge to the vertical stabilizer.

As for the fiberglass tip, Kerry (Sonex Tech Support) says these parts come over-sized and are meant to be trimmed. Good to know. Unfortunately Dennis wasn’t aware of this because his tail has the beluga lumps. I’ll cut mine to make sure the curves look good.

Dennis and his Onex Rutter Riveted