The three-blade is intended for the Rotax 912, 912S, and 914, but Sensenich continues development of a larger version intended for the Continental O-200 and IO-240 as well as for the Lycoming O-235. Sensenich is also expected to announce a version of this prop for the Lycoming O-320 at next month’s Sun ‘n Fun Fly-in in Lakeland, Florida.

Prices for the three-blade have not been set, but the smaller versions of the two-blade prop with the new pitch-change mechanism start at $2556.

For more information, visit Sensenich’s web site. Sensenich also has a short video showing how the pitch-change cartridge can be changed quickly.

The price is $234. For more information, call 610/326-9068 or visit Kuntzleman Electronics

Sonex Aircraft, LLC has announced yet another option for building Sonex Aircraft: Sub-Kits for Sonex and Waiex airframe. These Sub-Kits are designed to give Sonex and Waiex builders more flexibility and options for constructing the already industry-leading Sonex Aircraft kit values.

Sub-Kits allow potential builders to get started with a minimal initial investment and gives them a great opportunity to see for themselves the level of detail and simplicity designed into Sonex Aircraft. Once this building path is selected, the builder may purchase the remaining individual Sub-Kits at their own pace as time and resources allow, and is a great way to amortize construction costs without the need for financing.

“Sonex has received requests for Sonex and Waiex Sub-Kit building options since we started offering a complete kit in 2001,” remarked Sonex Aircraft, LLC General Manager and CEO Jeremy Monnett. “Many customers expressed an interest in spreading their aircraft construction costs out over time, particularly as financing has become more challenging. These new Sub-Kits are designed to satisfy that demand by allowing customers to pay as they go. As Sonex has continued to expand, so has our ability to offer market-driven options like Sub-Kits. These options continue to fuel the strong growth of the Sonex Aircraft family of products, which unquestionably offer the Best Performance Per Dollar in the recreational aircraft market today. Sonex is pleased to see that, despite the challenging global economic landscape, potential aircraft builders are determined as-ever to pursue their dreams of flight.”

For more information, visit the company’s web site.

According to the company, “The Turbine Sherpa, which has evolved from a series of three metamorphic changes, is the first model the company is now offering for sale. The original Sherpa that caught the eye of the public was a 5-place version introduced at an EAA Oshkosh fly in event by Byron Root and Glen Gordon in 1994. Today, the current version being produced is the K-650T model operating with a gross weight of 6500 pounds.” Useful load is calculated at 3000 pounds.

Changing to the Honeywell (nee Garrett) engine provides tangible benefits. “This direct drive geared turbine engine is perfect for Sherpa operations because it offers instant power without delay when working in short field situations,” according to the company. “The propeller rpm of 1591 makes possible the use of a 116-inch three-blade Hartzell propeller that produces amazing static thrust. Fuel burn numbers from tests completed so far are lower than originally expected and show that the -5 engine with the horsepower it produces will operate with the lowest operating costs compared to all other turbine engines.”

Performance is eye-opening with the extra thrust. Takeoff distance at reduced weight have been measured at just 100 feet. The company says the new Sherpa will climb to 16,000 feet in 11 minutes, and cruise at 182 mph at 16,000 feet on 42 gallons per hour. Fuel capacity is 348 gallons.

According to the company, plans are to “construct 12 K 650T aircraft in the first production run. They will be offered in kit form and produced under a builder-assist program at the Scappoose, Oregon, facility with an amateur-built experimental license. Construction time for the production of the kit and final assembly is expected to take approximately 9 months from start to finish.”

The first factory prototype is undergoing its Phase I flight testing now. Base price, including a remanufactured, zero-time engine (with a 5400-hour TBO) is $850,000. For more information, contact Sherpa at 503/543-4004 or visit the company’s web site.

GlobalAir.com’s new fuel route planner, in its final beta version, was displayed at AirVenture this year. President/CEO Jeffrey Carrithers anticipates that the finished screens, airport reports and icons should be finished by November 2008. The service is intended for the cross-country piston pilot, and he estimates that the subscription would run between $10-15 monthly.

The box can be mounted remotely, and is labeled for easy installation. LED, incandescent and HID lights can be used in combination with the Intelligent Lighting Controller, and each of the four switching circuits can handle a load of 10 amps. The ILC-4ch costs $385, while the switching panel costs $225.

The EFIS, which has been tested under Red Bull Race conditions (+9gs and +230 kts), has an extremely sensitive AHRS unit depicting attitude, airspeed, altitude, side-slip, trajectory vector, heading and roll rate. The HSI screen shows a standard two needle complete navigation solution, including distance to waypoints, current position, TAS, groundspeed, and wind, all computed from an internal 12-channel GPS. The EFIS also doubles as a complete flight logging instrument, recording parameters such as lat/long and gs pulled, all of which can be downloaded with a standard SD flashcard.

The EFIS fits in a standard 3.125-inch instrument panel hole, making it a good candidate for a “glass” upgrade to an analog experimental aircraft panel. UAV has priced the units at $4,000, with an additional $1,200 for an engine monitoring component that can handle the sensors for most four and six-cylinder engines.

A major improvement is the larger canopy with increased headroom. Staff engineer Caleb Gebhardt noted, “We changed the latching system so it’s simpler and easier to build. The lighter canopy is easier to control in windy conditions, and when you’re sitting on the ramp, it won’t pop up on you.” The 601 XL latch is in the canopy frame, and the studs are on the fuselage. On the new system, the latch is built into the fuselage so you keep the heavy pieces of the system on the fuselage; the studs are built into the framework. It also offers rollover protection in the canopy system using vertical tubes.

Gebhardt adds, “The 650 is a combination of the XLs in different markets: the European XL, the AMD factory-built plane and the kit-built XL. We took what we liked best about all three and put them into one aircraft. We think it’s a major improvement.”

Well, what about the 601 XL you’ve completed (or are still completing)? No worries. Gebhardt told us, “We worked hard to make sure that the major portions that we changed were retrofittable for the XL. The rudder has been swept back for greater efficiency and a cleaner look. We changed a lot of little things to make it easier to build that aren’t necessarily obvious. They’ll reduce build time, and will remove confusion in reading the plans or looking at parts. It’s more streamlined and more clear.”

The CH 650’s takeoff roll and landing distance are booked at 500 feet, with a 1000 fpm climb. Using a 110-hp Jabiru 3300 as an example engine choice, max cruise at 75% power is 138 mph, with a stall speed of 44 mph with flaps, and 51 mph without. With an empty weight of 695 pounds and a gross weight of 1320 pounds, the 650 allows a useful load of 625 pounds; fuel capacity is 24 gallons. Of course, your personal engine choice and the resulting performance figures may vary.

The introductory rudder kit (tools not included) runs $375, a good way to get the feel of Zodiac construction before you commit to the kit. The detailed blueprints and manual, including the serial number, are available for $495 if you want to build from scratch or examine the design and construction prior to building a kit. The airframe kit is $14,275, and the finishing kit (including spring gear, wheels with brakes, canopy, seat belts and more) is an additional $4225. If you prefer to pay as you build, separate component kits are available from the factory.

Want a fly-away factory-built 650? You can buy the American-made factory-assembled and certified Zodiac CH 650 LS Light Sport Aircraft from AMD. An IFR certified model is also available; check with AMD for pricing. The IFR-equipped CH650 LSi on display, with a 100-hp Continental O-200 engine, featured a show special price of $114,900.

JPI’s Ottis Cameron gave us the rundown of each display, starting with the 6.5 x 5-inch single display Twin EDM-960. Expected to sell for about $15,000 for a six-cylinder display, including all probes and leads, the all-in-one instrument displays the manifold pressure and rpm for both engines in a conventional arced display with a dual needle. In addition to the graphical display, both MP and rpm readings are displayed in a large blue box with the digital readout.

Vertical bars with dual needles display your oil temp, oil pressure, fuel pressure, volts, fuel flow and fuel quantity on the right-hand side of the display. The screen is laid out in a logical, uncluttered fashion—the arcs are clustered together, as are the bars.

The display is bright, crisp and has good contrast; in a busy cockpit, it doesn’t seem as if it would take extra brain power to integrate the information. EGT and CHT information for every cylinder is depicted graphically and numerically in the lower left quadrant of the screen, accompanied by the OAT digital readout. A USB port is installed in the instrument, allowing you to download the data in the plane without hauling your laptop out.

The flat panel EDM-760 for twin-engine planes features a bright new color 3.25 x 4-inch LCD, a real improvement over the traditional displays. Priced at about $5000 when it becomes available, the EDM-760 displays the CHT and EGT for each cylinder full-time in large, bright white digits; the appropriate cylinder number being read is highlighted in white as well. Other features include lean find, shock cooling, and long-term memory with USB downloading incorporated.

JPI’s new twin fuel flow instrument, the 3.125-inch Fuel Scan 450M, will retail for $1695 when available. It features a larger LED format readout for the flow rate, as well as total fuel numbers. It has the same format as original 450, displaying the calculation in the lower window, including total fuel used for the left or right engine, fuel remaining and time remaining.

The FQ-400 is a 2.25-inch dual fuel level capacitance instrument, showing left and right tank fuel quantity. The price point hasn’t been finalized yet, and it’s intended to be a modern replacement for the older aircraft capacitive sensors.

“This idea, spawned by EAA consultant Patricia Luebke, has taken off,” said Elissa Lines, V.P. of Development for EAA. “We hope that the sheer number of us gathered here today on AeroShell Square will inspire other women and girls to take a chance on aviation, or even just to try out flying for fun, or more.”

So, who was there? Patty Wagstaff, Julie Clark, Debbie Rihn-Harvey, Jill Long, Jackie Warda – all air show greats, stood shoulder to shoulder with Women Airforce Service Pilots who ferried WWII aircraft and trained cadets in the 1940s, as well as engineers such as Anna Mracek Dietrich (Terrafugia) and educators, including Dr. Peggy Chabrian, President of Women in Aviation, International. Mary Grady, from AvWeb, and this reporter, despite her feelings about pink, made the trek to the square, too.

Where did they come from? All over the U.S., and abroad, too. Michelle Bassenesi, a flight instructor, flew in from Rome, Italy, where she teaches, just to be counted. Another flew her 1996 Pulsar (which she built and has flown for 1,000 hours) from Oregon, to be at this show. Two more teamed up and arrived for the first time on their own in a Cessna 172. Denise Waters, an A&P; mechanic and constant presence in the EAA KidVenture tent during the show, came to honor the spirit that drove her to build a Wheeler Express with her father.

And what did they prove? That women who fly (and several who build) do come to EAA AirVenture, and in numbers that can influence the next generation of general aviation pilots, who might just be women, too.

Part accordion virtuoso, part garage sale, and flavored with a bunch of Rube Goldberg, Sleger has been occupying his spot at AirVenture for the last 22 years. And for those of us who sometimes feel that this world is moving way too fast for us to keep up, one steadfast constant is Jerry Sleger, who tirelessly dispenses toe-tapping polkas and waltzes year after year. After year. And I’ll even admit it’s not just the music – I’m a sucker for the mechanical monkey and hula-girl who keep time to Sleger’s offerings.

OK, Sleger has made some concessions to modern technology. Since 2002, he’s been offering CDs as well as cassette tapes of his music, if you’re so inclined. But for a measly fin, you can still get a cassette. A CD will set you back four bucks more. In an environment where expensive aviation goodies and expensiver airplanes abound, Sleger’s music is an absolute steal (although some would argue that accordions are incapable of producing ‘music’ at all).

Whatever. I just bought all three CDs, and I fully intend to share them (quite liberally) with my friends while were driving the rental back to the airport in Chicago (they can thank me later). But I’m already looking forward to our next AirVenture visit next year, and not just because of all the neat airplane stuff. There’s a little musical oasis here, as constant as the sun, where one can sit on a bench in the shade and experience a simpler time. And it won’t cost you a dime.

But let’s start at the beginning. In 1979, my then boyfriend and now husband, Barnaby Wainfan, convinced a wonderful gentleman to give me a ride in a Breezy, which looks like a cross between a Mitchell Wing and a jungle gym. Despite my concern that my long blond braid would get caught in the propeller 2 feet behind me, I enjoyed the flight tremendously. There’s nothing like Wisconsin flies splatting on your goggles to give you a feel for true EAA flying.

That flight convinced me that standing on top of an airplane rather than sitting on it, with the flies coming at me even faster would be exceptionally fun. In 1993, we were building Barnaby’s design, the Facetmobile, in California at the Chino Airport (motto: more cows than Wisconsin and more BS than Oshkosh). In the hangars behind us were not one but six Stearman biplanes, many of them with wing-walking rigs. I inquired as to the possibility of finding standing room over the wing and was informed that due to liability issues, it would be very difficult for me to walk on a wing in California. Bummer.
I followed several other leads: the first was a picture in a ladies’ room of an ultralight with a wing walking rig; this was followed by several conversations with the country’s leading aerobatic pilots, some of whom said they’d seen a Stearman with a wing-walker in place make an inverted about 6 inches too low. I also had a long correspondence with a curator of the Smithsonian who sent me a wonderful article about wing-walking. None of these contacts discouraged my desire or provided a clear cut path to the top of a wing.

So here I am at Oshkosh, with about a million people, and I see my chance. I’ve developed a new approach, kind of a pick-up line if you will: “Hi. I’m a rocket scientist and I’m doing research on the aerodynamics of nasal inlets. How about giving me a lift?”

Well, it worked. I passed a very expensive camera to my 10-year-old daughter Julie and literally told her to take her best shot. The pilot, Steve Hay, showed me where to put my feet so as to not damage anything on me or the aircraft. I buckled in to an ancient leather belt attached to a rusting post—Steve reassured me that “although the belt appeared old and weathered, it had securely held many a wing-walker in its day,” and it would hold me also. Then with the engine running and smoke spewing forth we were off. I now realize that I am the center of attention and an important item in an ongoing show.

I consciously tried to release my grip on the rear support and attempt a friendly smile. Having succeeded at that attempt, I relax somewhat and remember the queenly wave I’d learned from being in three Rose Bowl parades: to avoid wrist fatigue, rotate your hand as if you’re screwing in a light bulb. This was beginning to be a fun fulfillment of a childhood dream.

So we’re off, but not yet airborne. We are taxiing and I am gripping, and screwing a light bulb, and Julie takes what I think is a particularly unflattering picture. At this point I’m having a ball, but I remember my concern about the ram air pressure up my nose. I yell down to Steve, but he can’t hear me over the noise of the engine. As we accelerate across the ramp, I figure it’s best not to worry too much; if I’m going to die, I might as well not die all clenched up.

Fortunately, we don’t get going that fast and I am reminded of my wedding day. I’d been looking forward to it for years, it was very enjoyable, and before I know it, it was over. Steve was helpful, actually grabbing my feet and guiding them down every step of the way. The flight service was better than any FBO I’ve ever visited.

Oh, I guess I should mention the type of aircraft I walked on. It’s not so much an aircraft as an ornithopter (from the Latin word meaning “acme flapping bird”). Its performance characteristics are less than stellar: top speed 5 knots, max altitude 0 feet above ground level, and I haven’t had more fun in a flying machine since I flew the DC-3. But that’s another story.

My parents started me young—I spent nearly every weekend of my life at an airport until I was five, while my parents were building their Experimental plane. The first time I remember coming to AirVenture with my dad was when I was nine. For a few years afterwards, when my parents left for Oshkosh they tried to get me and my younger sisters to stay with grandparents, but I had caught the bug. Eventually, my nagging must have gotten the better of them, and now the whole family gets to come every year.

Airshows have something to fascinate everyone. The sheer number of different colors and size of airplanes are exciting for the youngest children, and as they get older the fun comes from learning about the planes—what each one is called, what they can do, what makes them different. The wonderful thing about general aviation is that there is always something more you can learn. Now that I am in flight training to get my license and part of a group that is building a plane of our own, new layers of interest, understanding and questions have been revealed.

With the increasing price of fuel and the expense of flight training, there are more and more excuses to put off things like finishing up the license or project. But seeing the looks on the faces of the kids at AirVenture can remind us of the first time we caught the airplane bug and why we still have it.