Re: Builder from TX
Posted: Mon Mar 04, 2019 1:38 pm
Hi Ryan,
I'll throw in my 2 cents worth. Of course I am highly favored on the Xenos as I am building one. You can always buy a Sonex or Waiex but the Xenos are few and far between, especially if you are picky like me and want things built the way I think they should be. Mine is flush riveted with AN4## rivets where possible amongst other things that I prefer in a glider. That is the great thing about building your own: you can custom build to your desires.
I wanted to learn soaring and our Florida thermals and sea breeze fronts have lots of opportunities for that. I got my glider rating at Seminole Glider Port which is about 40 min. away in my RV6. But it is a pain in the rear to take that much time out of the day just traveling to get there, waiting on the glider, getting a tow, etc. It was an all day commitment. And it was expensive. Just the tow to 3000' was $60. But the soaring part was fun but I needed a way to make it practical. The Xenos does that. I can't wait to get it finished. I just wish I had more time available to work on it than the 6-8 hrs a week I have. But one day, it will be done. Then I can drive 10 min. to my hangar, crank it up and with a light airframe and 127 hp, be up to cloud base by the time I leave class D boundaries. The sea breeze front will take up or down the east coast. The Phoenix motorglider that used to be based out of here would routinely shut the engine down about two minutes after take-off and then fly all afternoon, at times all the way up into GA from central FL then fly back and land with the engine still shut down. If the thermals die down while out in the middle of the state, no problem, just crank up the engine.
Rick Caldwell
Xenos 0057
Melbourne, FL
I'll throw in my 2 cents worth. Of course I am highly favored on the Xenos as I am building one. You can always buy a Sonex or Waiex but the Xenos are few and far between, especially if you are picky like me and want things built the way I think they should be. Mine is flush riveted with AN4## rivets where possible amongst other things that I prefer in a glider. That is the great thing about building your own: you can custom build to your desires.
I wanted to learn soaring and our Florida thermals and sea breeze fronts have lots of opportunities for that. I got my glider rating at Seminole Glider Port which is about 40 min. away in my RV6. But it is a pain in the rear to take that much time out of the day just traveling to get there, waiting on the glider, getting a tow, etc. It was an all day commitment. And it was expensive. Just the tow to 3000' was $60. But the soaring part was fun but I needed a way to make it practical. The Xenos does that. I can't wait to get it finished. I just wish I had more time available to work on it than the 6-8 hrs a week I have. But one day, it will be done. Then I can drive 10 min. to my hangar, crank it up and with a light airframe and 127 hp, be up to cloud base by the time I leave class D boundaries. The sea breeze front will take up or down the east coast. The Phoenix motorglider that used to be based out of here would routinely shut the engine down about two minutes after take-off and then fly all afternoon, at times all the way up into GA from central FL then fly back and land with the engine still shut down. If the thermals die down while out in the middle of the state, no problem, just crank up the engine.
Rick Caldwell
Xenos 0057
Melbourne, FL