First Customer-Built SubSonex Personal Jet Flies

October 22, 2015 - EAA and Sonex Aircraft extend their congratulations to Redge Greenberg, EAA 861049, of Durango, Colorado, who made the first flight of SubSonex serial number JSX0003 on October 15th: the first customer-built SubSonex Personal Jet to fly. “I flew the SubSonex this morning, for about 35 minutes, all went well,” wrote Greenberg. “My regards to Dwight Tolfer who was a big help for me during the construction project that was done almost entirely in my garage.”

Greenberg received the first SubSonex kit delivery in February 2015, an Ultra-Quick-Build kit with optional Triton Trailer. The SubSonex is sold as a Quick Build Kit only, leaving very little work for the customer, and providing almost everything needed to fly with the exception of avionics and paint. According to Sonex, two Quick-Build Kit versions are offered: an EAB-compliant kit for the traditional builder including pre-built wings, fuselage and canopy; and an Experimental Exhibition category Ultra- Quick-Build Kit with no 51percent rule restrictions. The Ultra-Quick-Build customer will install outboard wing panels, engine and fuel system, bolt-in the retractable landing gear, install avionics, electrical systems and controls, install the supplied BRS, fiberglass components and upholstery, and add paint.

“I hold commercial glider, helicopter, and single engine land licenses, accumulating 4,500-plus hours in numerous aircraft,” wrote Greenberg, “but I never got the chance to fly a jet. I first saw the prototype of the SubSonex at Oshkosh, and followed the development for over a year. When Sonex offered the jet as a kit, I was first in line. Like my RV8, the SubSonex is aerobatic, but the Sonex company also included a ballistic parachute for extra safety.”

With two SubSonex JSX-2 factory prototype aircraft now flying, Greenberg’s SubSonex makes number three in the worldwide fleet, with six more customer kits currently under construction.