Sonex Aircraft Sonex
| Sonex | |
|---|---|
| General information | |
| Type | Kit Aircraft |
| Manufacturer | Sonex Aircraft |
| Designer | John Monnett |
| Primary user | Private Owners |
| Number built | 311 (Sonex, Dec 2011) 1 (Onex, Dec 2011) 33 (Waiex, Dec 2011) 7 (Xenos, Dec 2011) |
| History | |
| Variants | Sonex Aircraft Onex Sonex Aircraft Xenos |
The Onex, Sonex, Waiex and Xenos are a family of lightweight, metal, low-wing, two seat homebuilt aircraft. Kits are produced and marketed by Sonex Aircraft, a small manufacturer based in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. By 2014, 500 customer built aircraft had been completed. The Sonex can also be built from plans.
Company founder John Monnett was approached by an Italian business looking for an aircraft that would meet their Microlight category. A variation of Sonerai 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. The Sonex can accept various lightweight – less than 200 lb (91 kg) – engines of between 80 and 130 hp (60 and 97 kW).
The Sonex, Waiex and Xenos all qualify as American experimental light-sport aircraft (ELSA).