The Sonex, Waiex and Xenos are a family of lightweight, metal, low-wing, two seat

homebuilt aircraft Homebuilt aircraft, also known as amateur-built aircraft or kit planes, are constructed by persons for whom this is not a professional activity. These aircraft may be constructed from "scratch", from plans, or from assembly kits.Armstrong, Kenn ...

. Kits are produced and marketed by

Sonex Aircraft Sonex Aircraft, LLC is an American kit aircraft manufacturer located in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, producing kits for four all-metal homebuilt monoplanes. The company was founded in 1998 by John Monnett, who has designed the Monnett Sonerai sport ai ...

, a small manufacturer based in

Oshkosh, Wisconsin Oshkosh is a city in Winnebago County, Wisconsin, of which it is the county seat. The city had a population of 66,816 in 2020, making it the ninth-largest city in Wisconsin. It is also adjacent to the Town of Oshkosh. History Oshkosh was ...

. By 2014, 500 customer built aircraft had been completed. The Sonex can also be built from plans.Vandermeullen, Richard: ''2011 Kit Aircraft Buyer's Guide'', Kitplanes, Volume 28, Number 12, December 2011, page 70. Belvoir Publications. ISSN 0891-1851Downey, Julia: ''2008 Kit Aircraft Directory'', Kitplanes, Volume 24, Number 12, December 2007, page 72. Primedia Publications. ISSN 0891-1851Bayerl, Robby; Martin Berkemeier; et al: ''World Directory of Leisure Aviation 2011-12'', pages 119-120. WDLA UK, Lancaster UK, 2011. ISSN 1368-485X Company founder John Monnett was approached by an Italian business looking for an aircraft that would meet their

Microlight Ultralight aviation (called microlight aviation in some countries) is the flying of lightweight, 1- or 2-seat fixed-wing aircraft. Some countries differentiate between weight-shift control and conventional three-axis control aircraft with ailer ...

category. A variation of

Sonerai The Sonerai is a small, VW-powered homebuilt aircraft,"The Sonerai I,"
GreatPlai ...

was initially proposed to meet the 40 mph minimum flight speed requirement. Eventually a clean-sheet design was built around a Jabiru or VW engine installation with similar all-aluminum box fuselage construction as the

Monnett Moni __NOTOC__ The Monnett Moni is a sport aircraft developed in the United States in the early 1980s and marketed for homebuilding. Designed by John Monnett, who coined the term "air recreation vehicle" to describe it, it is a single-seat motorglid ...

. The Sonex can accept various lightweight – less than – engines of between .Tacke, Willi; Marino Boric; et al: ''World Directory of Light Aviation 2015-16'', pages 81 & 126. Flying Pages Europe SARL, 2015. The Sonex, Waiex and Xenos all qualify as American experimental

light-sport aircraft A light-sport aircraft (LSA), or light sport aircraft, is a fairly new category of small, lightweight aircraft that are simple to fly. LSAs tend to be heavier and more sophisticated than ultralight (aka "microlight") aircraft, but LSA restrictio ...

(ELSA).

Development

The Sonex plans contain several construction options, including conventional or

tricycle landing gear Tricycle gear is a type of aircraft undercarriage, or ''landing gear'', arranged in a tricycle fashion. The tricycle arrangement has a single nose wheel in the front, and two or more main wheels slightly aft of the center of gravity. Tricycle g ...

, as well as a center or dual stick. Motor mount drawings are supplied for all three recommended powerplants: the 2180cc Volkswagen, 2200 Jabiru, and 3300 Jabiru. High performance is achieved through a clean aerodynamic shape and simple, light weight construction. The Sonex can be built from scratch using factory supplied drawings or may be assembled in approximately 800 to 1,000 hours using the precut complete airframe kit. A complete kit based Sonex can be constructed for as little as

USD The United States dollar (symbol: $; code: USD; also abbreviated US$ or U.S. Dollar, to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies; referred to as the dollar, U.S. dollar, American dollar, or colloquially buck) is the official ...

$25,600.Kitplanes Staff: ''2008 Kit Aircraft Directory'', page 72, Kitplanes Magazine December 2007 Volume 24, Number 12, Belvior Publications, Aviation Publishing Group LLC. The aviation website Aero-News.Net named the Sonex the Plane Of The Year - E-LSA Kit Category for 2006.

Variants

;Sonex :The original model, incorporating a low-wing design, seats two, and a conventional tail. Available as plans or a kit. ;Sonex B :Introduced in April 2016, this model is a modification of the original Sonex, with an enlarged cockpit for larger and taller pilots, a center "Y-stick", electric flaps and dual throttles as standard. Support for the CAMit 3300 was offered and more room for the

Rotax 912 The Rotax 912 is a horizontally-opposed four-cylinder, naturally aspirated, four-stroke aircraft engine with a reduction gearbox. It features liquid-cooled cylinder heads and air-cooled cylinders. Originally equipped with carburetors, late ...

and ULPower UL350i series of engines. ;Waiex :In production - Almost identical to the Sonex, but features a Y-tail. Although similar in looks to a V-tail, the Y-tail has a stub rudder in line with the aft fuselage. The company markets this version under the motto ''Just Because It Looks Cool''. Available as a kit only. ;Waiex B :Introduced April 2016 - Same improvements as Sonex B ;e-Flight Waiex :Waiex

electric aircraft An electric aircraft is an aircraft powered by electricity. Electric aircraft are seen as a way to reduce the environmental effects of aviation, providing zero emissions and quieter flights. Electricity may be supplied by a variety of methods, ...

variant, powered by a DC brushless electric motor, built in 2007 and first displayed at

AirVenture EAA AirVenture Oshkosh (formerly the EAA Annual Convention and Fly-In), or just Oshkosh, is an annual air show and gathering of aviation enthusiasts held each summer at Wittman Regional Airport and adjacent Pioneer Airport in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, ...

in 2009. Available as a kit only. ; Xenos :In production -

motor-glider A motor glider is a fixed-wing aircraft that can be flown with or without engine power. The FAI Gliding Commission Sporting Code definition is: a fixed-wing Aircraft#Heavier-than-air – aerodynes, aerodyne equipped with a means of propulsion (Mo ...

development of the Waiex with longer wings and the same choice of engines. Available as a kit only. ; Onex :(pronounced ''One-ex'' by the company) In production - All new design introduced at Airventure 2009. The design features a single seat with folding wings and an AeroVee

Volkswagen air-cooled engine The Volkswagen air-cooled engine is an air-cooled, gasoline-fuelled, boxer engine with four horizontally opposed cast-iron cylinders, cast aluminum alloy cylinder heads and pistons, magnesium-alloy crankcase, and forged steel crankshaft and co ...

. ; Teros :(2015) A proposed

UAV An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), commonly known as a drone, is an aircraft without any human pilot, crew, or passengers on board. UAVs are a component of an unmanned aircraft system (UAS), which includes adding a ground-based controller ...

, developed with

Navmar Applied Sciences Corporation Navmar Applied Sciences Corporation is an American engineering company. Operations Navmar provides engineering and technical solutions in the area of acoustics, electronics, aerodynamics, systems engineering, prototyping, sensors, electro-optics ...

using the Waiex airframe powered by a turbocharged Aero-Vee engine. ; SubSonex : A single place single engine turbine aircraft similar in design to an Onex, with a Waiex style Y tail. Introduced at Airventure 2009. Powered by a Czech-built PBS TJ-100 turbojet engine mounted above the aft fuselage, with the exhaust exiting between the Y-tail. The SubSonex achieved first engine test runs in December 2009. The engine produces of thrust. Originally developed with only a central mono pod wheel, tail wheel and small wing tip outriggers. The prototype developed directional controllability problems during taxi-tests. The SubSonex now has a tricycle landing gear. and was flight tested by Jet-sailplane performer Bob Carlton in August 2011.

Specifications (Sonex)

References

External links

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KitPlanes Flight Review: Waiex BAVweb guide to the Sonex and Waiex
{{Monnett aircraft 2000s United States sport aircraft Homebuilt aircraft Light-sport aircraft Monnett aircraft V-tail aircraft Single-engined tractor aircraft

Sonex Sonex Aircraft, LLC is an American kit aircraft manufacturer located in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, producing kits for four all-metal homebuilt monoplanes. The company was founded in 1998 by John Monnett, who has designed the Monnett Sonerai sport ai ...

Low-wing aircraft