cpd
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Jul 24, 2008
- Messages
- 161
Back in December I began looking for a Sonerai II, after spending the last decade flying a Pietenpol and various ultralights I had began to feel the need for speed again! I was also considering KR2s but having put 12-15hrs on a Sonerai IILT back in 2013 I decided that was the better option given the steel and aluminum construction vs wood/composite and its flight characteristics are somewhat known to me. My neighbor across the grass strip from me got wind of my search and pulled back a dusty tarp in the corner of his hanger to reveal 9BX, a 1984 Sonerai IIL. She was built by Bob Scannell of missouri and is powered by a revmaster 2100D swinging a 54x48 sterba prop. Between 1985 and 1994 she accumulated 341hrs of flight time including 5 oshkosh trips winning best sonerai at airventure 91. Bob sole her in 1994 and she was moved to florida where she sat in a hangar, wings removed gathering dust til my neighbor bought her and relocated her to kansas in 2018. Back in kansas my neighbor fiddled with her occasionally, replacing the exhaust stacks and rebuilding the rare float type revflow carburetor, he attempted an engine start in 2019 but with no spark on the dual mag she got stuffed in the back of the hangar again and there she sat til I purchased her 4 weeks ago.
after getting her home my 1st project was to pull the motor and remove the bendix dual mag. I disassembled and serviced the mag per a 500hr inspection and comply with the various service bulletins ignored since 1984. let me say, im usually a fan of bendix mags but i didnt enjoy working on the 3000 series D4RN and hope its a good long while before I need to open her up again! I flushed out the tank, replaced the fuel lines, pre oiled the oil system, topped her off with some good ol hundy LL and on sunday evening brought the revmaster 2100 to life for the 1st time in 30 years. I gave her 4 shots of prime, pulled the prop through 4 blades by hand then cranked the starter, she fired on the second blade and settled into a happy idle at what sounded like just over 1,000 rpm (tach is currently inop).
Video of the startup can be watched here:
Oil pressure was normal and oil temp began to rise after 10 minutes or so, CHT was indicating about 250 but the EGT and tach were inop. switched the alternator on and the ammeter indicated charging. I briefly accellerated the engine to what sounded like 2700 rpm and she responded to the throttle normally without any hesitation, mag check showed normal rpm drop on both sides of the dual mag. I did note that pulling the mixture know out more than3/4 inch or so resulted in a rough engine. SUCCESS!
yesterday evening I removed the wings from the rack where they had hung for 30 years and reinstalled them. I plan to do alot of ground running and taxiing on my home airport (18ks, a 2500ft grass strip) but the little angle on my shoulder tells me its best to trailer her 30 minutes away to the 5,000ft paved strip for her first flights. I'm sure she will get off of the 2500ft strip but having not flown a sonerai in 12 years and not having much time in my 1st one to begin with I dont need the added challenge of getting down on the 2500ft runway on the 1st landing, especially if the airplane has any bugs pop up.
So far the list of things to address includes: replacing oil lines, addressing play in the ailerons coming from the linkages behind the seat, and fixing a skin corrosion issue in the area of the RH aileron balance tab/counterweight. Im sure others will pop up as well when I get into a thorough condition inspection on her. so far though I would say build quality on her is above average, even the interior surfaces of the wing skins and spar webs were zinc chromated before assembly and the wings were entirely assembled with solid driven rivets, not cherry type pull rivets. first flight is still 2 or 3 months distant im sure and I will keep this thread updated as I go. im sure I will have plenty of questions for you guys along the way as well.
Chris
after getting her home my 1st project was to pull the motor and remove the bendix dual mag. I disassembled and serviced the mag per a 500hr inspection and comply with the various service bulletins ignored since 1984. let me say, im usually a fan of bendix mags but i didnt enjoy working on the 3000 series D4RN and hope its a good long while before I need to open her up again! I flushed out the tank, replaced the fuel lines, pre oiled the oil system, topped her off with some good ol hundy LL and on sunday evening brought the revmaster 2100 to life for the 1st time in 30 years. I gave her 4 shots of prime, pulled the prop through 4 blades by hand then cranked the starter, she fired on the second blade and settled into a happy idle at what sounded like just over 1,000 rpm (tach is currently inop).
Video of the startup can be watched here:
Oil pressure was normal and oil temp began to rise after 10 minutes or so, CHT was indicating about 250 but the EGT and tach were inop. switched the alternator on and the ammeter indicated charging. I briefly accellerated the engine to what sounded like 2700 rpm and she responded to the throttle normally without any hesitation, mag check showed normal rpm drop on both sides of the dual mag. I did note that pulling the mixture know out more than3/4 inch or so resulted in a rough engine. SUCCESS!
yesterday evening I removed the wings from the rack where they had hung for 30 years and reinstalled them. I plan to do alot of ground running and taxiing on my home airport (18ks, a 2500ft grass strip) but the little angle on my shoulder tells me its best to trailer her 30 minutes away to the 5,000ft paved strip for her first flights. I'm sure she will get off of the 2500ft strip but having not flown a sonerai in 12 years and not having much time in my 1st one to begin with I dont need the added challenge of getting down on the 2500ft runway on the 1st landing, especially if the airplane has any bugs pop up.
So far the list of things to address includes: replacing oil lines, addressing play in the ailerons coming from the linkages behind the seat, and fixing a skin corrosion issue in the area of the RH aileron balance tab/counterweight. Im sure others will pop up as well when I get into a thorough condition inspection on her. so far though I would say build quality on her is above average, even the interior surfaces of the wing skins and spar webs were zinc chromated before assembly and the wings were entirely assembled with solid driven rivets, not cherry type pull rivets. first flight is still 2 or 3 months distant im sure and I will keep this thread updated as I go. im sure I will have plenty of questions for you guys along the way as well.
Chris
