Avionics News October 2014 - 32

DIGITAL REDUNDANCY
Continued from page 30

aircraft,	it	limits	him	to	a	designated	area	
around	 the	 Hillsboro	 Airport.	 Ultimately,	
his	 patient	 schedule	 and	 Mother	 Nature	
are	the	controlling	factors.	Just	before	AirVenture,	Halmos	said	he	was	a	few	hours	
short	of	40-hour	freedom,	but	the	nice	thing	
about	Oshkosh	is	there's	always	next	year.
Sonex Aircraft -
SubSonex JSX-2 Jet
John	 Monnett	 has	 been	 designing	 and	
building	 airplanes	 for	 amateur	 builders	
since	 the	 1970s.	 Most	 of	 them,	 including	
the	current	line	of	Sonex	Aircraft	kits,	are	
(and	 have	 been)	 powered	 by	 VW-based	
AeroVee	engines.	Engineered	for	aviation,	
the	 80-horsepower	 four-bangers	 are,	 like	
the	 airplanes	 they	 power,	 builder-assembled	kits.	Playing	on	the	AeroVee's	stingy	

fuel	 consumption,	 Monnett	 said	 with	 a	
smile	 that	 he's	 been	 banking	 decades	 of	
carbon	footprint	savings	for	his	latest	project,	 the	 SubSonex,	 a	 single-seat	 kit	 powered	by	a	PBS	TJ-100	turbojet	engine.	
Sonex	 completed	 the	 two	 conforming	
kit	prototypes	before	EAA	AirVenture,	and	
the	yellow	jet	completed	its	required	tests	
that	 earned	 FAA	 approval	 for	 exhibition	
fly-bys	during	the	show.	Like	all	the	other	
	
Sonex	prototypes,	it	is	equipped	with	MGL	
Avionics.	All	of	them	are	VFR	flying	ma	
chines,	and	the	piston-powered	Sonex	line	
sports	the	4.3-inch	Extreme	EFIS.	For	the	
jets,	 Monnett	 installed	 the	 8.5-inch	 iEFIS	
Touchscreen	Explorer.
With	the	jet's	limited	panel	space,	it	just	
made	sense,	according	to	Monnett.	In	addition	to	providing	all	the	necessary	flight,	
	
moving-map	 navigation	 (using	 Jeppesen	
data)	 and	 powerplant	 information,	 the	
touchscreen	 controls	 a	 variety	 of	 remote-

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32

avionics news

*

october

2014

mounted	components,	such	as	the	Sandia	
transponder	and	MGL's	V-6	comm	radio.	
Equally	 important	 for	 the	 prototypes,	 the	
iEFIS	downloads	all	of	the	flight	data	to	an	
	
SD	card	that	plugs	into	the	instrument's	bezel.	Available	in	a	spreadsheet	format,	this	
automatically	captures	essential	flight	test	
	
data	 and	 saves	 time	 when	 crunching	 the	
flight	 test	 data.	And	 they	 can	 display	 the	
	
flight	path	on	Google	Earth.
	
Another	factor	in	installing	MGL	equipment	is	Sonex's	dedication	to	making	flight	
	
affordable.	The	heart	of	the	MGL	system	is	
the	remote-mounted	iBox,	which	incorporates	a	GPS	engine,	pitot-static	and	angleof-attack	 sensors,	 air	 temperature	 probe,	
and	 coordinates	 the	 communication	 between	all	of	the	devices	connected	to	it.	Using	a	CAN	bus	with	Mate-N-Lok	(Molex)	
connectors,	the	plug-and-play	components	
are	connected	in	a	daisy	chain	that	requires	
no	splices	so	builders	can,	if	they	choose,	
install	the	entire	system	themselves.	
The	 prototype	 does	 not	 have	 the	 SP-6	
Compass	 module	 (he	 relies	 on	 the	 GPS	
for	 directional	 guidance)	 or	 the	 autopilot	
servos,	but	builders	can	install	these	plugand-play	components	and	up	to	four	video	
inputs	 as	 their	 needs	 and	 desires	 dictate,	
according	to	Monnett.	The	SP-7	AHRS	is	
mandatory,	 and	 so	 is	 the	 RDAC	 (remote	
data	 acquisition	 computer)	 that	 monitors	
the	 engine.	 Designed	 for	 piston	 engines,	
in	the	SubSonex	the	RDAC	provides	just	
three	readings:	fuel	pressure,	fuel	flow	and	
	
fuel	quantity.	Sonex	is	working	with	MGL	
on	 the	 computer	 code	 that	 will	 eliminate	
the	RDAC	and	make	the	jet's	engine	controller,	which	is	part	of	the	CAN	network,	
the	source	of	all	necessary	turbine	engine	
indications.
Pilots	can	customize	the	iEFIS	screens	
in	 any	 number	 of	 ways,	 according	 to	
Monnett,	pressing	the	button	that	stepped	
through	 them.	 Each	 emphasized	 flight,	
	
powerplant	 and	 navigation	 information	
that	allows	the	pilot	to	discern	the	necessary	information	for	that	phase	of	flight	in	a	
	
single	glance.	But	like	the	rest	of	the	Sonex	
line,	looking	outside	provides	the	essential	
information	and	the	ultimate	sensory	pleasure	of	flight.	q
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Avionics News October 2014

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Avionics News October 2014
