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 to 130 hp (60 to 97 kW). The Sonex, Waiex (pronounced Y-X) and Xenos all qualify as American experimental light-sport aircraft (ELSA). The Sonex plans contain several construction options, including conventional or tricycle landing gear, 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$25,600. For details of the eight variants, click here. Sonex tail wheel and tricycle Sonex Waiex Sonex Onex SubSonex Sonex Xenos Specifications below are for the Sonex.
