Image: Sonex Aircraft/Curtis Noble Photography
Sonex Aircraft announced that its SubSonex Personal Jet has been approved for the Reno National Championship Air Races this September. The jet, a JSX-2 model named “Sharkie,” was debuted at the Pylon Racing Seminar by High Performance Aircraft Group last week. It was flown by Pete Zaccagnino, a three-time Reno Gold champion and head of High Performance Aircraft Group.
“I believe we got eight flights in and everyone loved it. It was a blast on the course,” said Zaccagnino. “Now we have to get to work in preparation for training enough pilots to create a new race!” The Pylon Racing Seminar—called “Rookie School”—is a four-day training event that takes place at Reno Stead Field and gives pilots a chance to “prepare, practice and become certified to race in the National Championship Air Races.” During the event, the SubSonex participated in formation flights and spent a day on the track.
The SubSonex is currently flying on the Jet/Unlimited course, but Sonex and High Performance Aircraft Group hope to get it approved for the shorter courses, which they say are “designed for aircraft closer to the SubSonex’s speed envelope and level of maneuverability.” High Performance Aircraft Group has said it will showcase the SubSonex at aviation events throughout the season.
For more on what it’s like to go for a spin in the SubSonex, see Paul Dye’s SubSonex Flight Report in AVweb sister magazineKitplanes. Paul is Kitplanes‘ editor-in-chief and was lead flight director for NASA’s Human Space Flight program.
