Sorrell Aviation was an American

aircraft manufacturer An aerospace manufacturer is a company or individual involved in the various aspects of designing, building, testing, selling, and maintaining aircraft, aircraft parts, missiles, rockets, or spacecraft. Aerospace is a high technology industry. ...

based in

Tenino, Washington Tenino () is a city in Thurston County, Washington, United States. The population was 1,870 at the 2020 census. Incorporated in 1906, the city sits upon land first established as a food-source prairie for Native Americans living in the area. Th ...

, founded by Hobart C. Sorrell and sons John, Mark and Tim in about 1958. The company specialized in the design and manufacture of

light aircraft A light aircraft is an aircraft that has a maximum gross takeoff weight of or less.Crane, Dale: ''Dictionary of Aeronautical Terms, third edition'', page 308. Aviation Supplies & Academics, 1997. Light aircraft are used as utility aircraft c ...

in the form of plans and kits for amateur construction including for the US

FAR 103 Ultralight Vehicles Ultralight aircraft in the United States are much smaller and lighter than ultralight aircraft as defined by all other countries. In the United States, ultralights are described as "ultralight vehicles" and not as aircraft. They are not requ ...

rules.Plane and Pilot: ''1978 Aircraft Directory'', page 153. Werner & Werner Corp, Santa Monica CA, 1977. Cliche, Andre: ''Ultralight Aircraft Shopper's Guide'' 8th Edition, page B-30 and B-83. Cybair Limited Publishing, 2001. The company's first design was the Sorrell Dr.1, a single seat, 3/4 scale replica of the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

Fokker Dr.1 The Fokker Dr.I (''Dreidecker'', "triplane" in German), often known simply as the Fokker Triplane, was a World War I fighter aircraft built by Fokker-Flugzeugwerke. The Dr.I saw widespread service in the spring of 1918. It became famous as the ...

triplane that was produced in 1957. Well known for designing negative-stagger cabin biplanes, the company produced the single seat homebuilt

Sorrell Guppy The Sorrell SNS-2 Guppy is an American single-seat, negative stagger, cabin biplane designed for amateur construction that was produced in kit form by the Sorrell Aircraft Company of Tenino, Washington. plans were available from Thunderbir ...

, first flying in 1967. The

aerobatic Aerobatics is the practice of flying maneuvers involving aircraft attitudes that are not used in conventional passenger-carrying flights. The term is a portmanteau of "aerial" and "acrobatics". Aerobatics are performed in aeroplanes and glid ...

Sorrell Hiperbipe The Sorrell SNS-7 Hiperbipe is a two-seat, negative stagger, conventional landing gear-equipped cabin biplane designed for amateur construction that was produced in kit form by Sorrell Aviation of Tenino, Washington and since 2015 by Thunderbir ...

was introduced in 1973. A later design of the company was the 1983 single-seat Sorrell SNS-8 Hiperlight design for the US FAR 103 ultralight category. It was sold initially by Sunrise Aircraft of Sheridan, Oregon and was still in production by

Thunderbird Aviation Thunderbird, thunder bird or thunderbirds may refer to: * Thunderbird (mythology), a legendary creature in certain North American indigenous peoples' history and culture * Ford Thunderbird, a car Birds * Dromornithidae, extinct flightless birds k ...

Ray, Michigan Ray is an unincorporated community in both Steuben County, Indiana and Branch County, Michigan in the United States. Located along the local "State Line Road," the small community straddles the border between the two states. The Indiana Northe ...

in 2015.Downey, Julia: ''1999 Kit Aircraft Directory'', Kitplanes, Volume 15, Number 12, December 1998, page 69. Primedia Publications. ISSN 0891-1851Downey, Julia: ''2002 Kit Aircraft Directory'', Kitplanes, Volume 18, Number 12, December 2001, page 69. Primedia Publications. ISSN 0891-1851Downey, Julia: ''2008 Kit Aircraft Directory'', Kitplanes, Volume 24, Number 12, December 2007, page 75. Primedia Publications. ISSN 0891-1851Vandermeullen, Richard: ''2011 Kit Aircraft Buyer's Guide'', Kitplanes, Volume 28, Number 12, December 2011, page 72. Belvoir Publications. ISSN 0891-1851 The company's final design was the 1985 two seat version of the SNS-8, the Sorrell SNS-9 Hiperlight, which also remained in production in 2015 by Thunderbird Aviation.

Aircraft

References

External links

{{Sorrell Aviation Defunct aircraft manufacturers of the United States Ultralight aircraft Homebuilt aircraft Replica aircraft manufacturers