Aviation - SubSonex Jet Makes First Flight

Oshkosh, August 11, 2011: Sonex Aircraft, LLC is excited to announce that the SubSonex jet aircraft prototype, JSX-1, made its maiden flight Wednesday at Wittman Regional Airport in Oshkosh, WI. The SubSonex was piloted by Bob Carlton, an air show performer and owner of Desert Aerospace LLC. The flight lasted approximately 14 minutes and focused on exploring the low-end of the aircraft's speed envelope including stalls and a low approach in the landing configuration.

"It's an exciting day for Sonex," said SubSonex designer and Sonex Aircraft, LLC President John Monnett. "We have a test flight plan to expand the envelope of the aircraft, and we'll see where the project takes us from here."

"It was great - flies like an airplane," Carlton said after the flight. "The faster I went, the better it felt." Carlton was selected to fly the aircraft based on his experience pioneering light jet aircraft. Bob Carlton is best known for his air show performances with the Super Salto jet sailplane, and is the developer of the Bonus Jet two-seat glider. The engines used on Carlton's aircraft are the the PBS TJ-100, the same one used on the SubSonex.

The tiny jet, given the tongue-in-cheek model name "SubSonex" before its public unveiling at Oshkosh 2009, has been evolving since. The original engine was sourced from Microjet Engineering and was designed for radio-controlled aircraft, but lacked an engine control unit or factory support, and never entered volume production. The Velka Bites PBS TJ-100 engine, which claims sales of 200 units as of December 2010, was then substituted, but damage to the plane during early taxi tests in June of 2010 dictated revisions to the landing gear configuration.

While it shares elements of design philosophy with the other kits produced by Sonex, the company says the JSX-1 has no parts commonality with the rest of the line. There is still no firm commitment to bring the aircraft to market, or timetable for doing so.