Happy Holidays from Sonex Aircraft, LLC!
12-22-11

Sonex Aircraft will once again be shut down over the holiday break for year-end maintenance and inventory. We will be closed from Friday, December 23th thru Sunday, January 1st. Reopening for regular business on Monday, January 2nd. From all of us at Sonex Aircraft, we'd like to wish everyone a Happy Holiday season!

Note that all Sonex Aircraft closings and shutdowns are now posted to our Company Events Calendar.

Sonex Aircraft to Hold 50th Builder Workshop!
12-05-11

Sonex Aircraft, LLC will achieve a significant milestone in 2012, holding its 50th Sonex Builder Workshop on the weekend of January 28-29! This milestone comes in our 14th year of business, holding 3 to 4 workshops per year since 1998.

The Sonex Workshop, held at our factory in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, gives you the opportunity to meet the Sonex staff, learn about the history of the Sonex design and its philosophy, learn all of the ins and outs of Sonex construction, and gain confidence in your own abilities as you build a sample piece of the Sonex wing to take home with you. The Sonex Aircraft Workshop has proven to be an extremely valuable experience for our builders, saving them time, money and answering many frequently asked questions in the building process. Sonex Aircraft believes so strongly in the value of our Workshops that significant kit discount incentives are offered to those who attend. You can find a report on our last Workshop in the Sonex News Archive.

Winter, 2012 Workshop participants will receive a special treat: an opportunity to attend the EAA Chapter 252 annual banquet, held in the awe-inspiring EAA AirVenture Museum Eagle Hangar facility. Dining in the Eagle Hangar among legendary warbirds is a privilege usually reserved for EAA board members or other VIP guests! Guest Speaker for this year's Chapter 252 banquet will be none other than Sonex Aircraft, LLC Founder and President John Monnett! The banquet will feature a catered buffet and silent auction. Download Banquet Flyer (926kb PDF file)

Register for a Sonex Aircraft Builder Workshop Today!

Read More about Sonex Aircraft Builder Workshops!

Xenos First Flight: Thomas Phillippi
12-01-11

Congratulations to Thomas Phillippi of Brookshire, Texas whose VW powered Xenos (S/N X0039) flew for the first time on October 10th! "All went very well and the flight lasted 42 minutes," reports Thomas. "I was very impressed with the V-tail control and how effective the spoilers were. I'm going to have fun with this airplane." Gold Wings are on the way to Thomas!

View the Latest Sonex Aircraft Completions

Sonex Flying Stories: Aaron Knight Flies to Niagra Falls
11-30-11

Sonex builder Aaron Knight (Sonex S/N 1024) is at it again, making another bid for Sonex Father of the Year, and creating another great video for us all to enjoy! Aaron's most recent adventure includes his daughter, Moriah, and a visit to Niagra Falls over the Thanksgiving holiday in the video "Aaron & Moriah's Sonex Niagara Trip" found on YouTube. Links to this great flying video and others made by Aaron and his sons, Isaiah and Elisha, can be found on our Sonex Flying Stories page.

See More Sonex Flying Stories!

Sonex First Flight: Mark Kingman
11-29-11

Congratulations to Mark Kingman of Berryton, Kansas whose Jabiru 3300 powered, standard gear Sonex (S/N 1304) flew for the first time on November 28th! "The aircraft flew straight and solid," writes Mark. "Thanks to the folks at Sonex for their great support, and to my wife for her patience and understanding throughout the 2 1/2-year building process. I am looking forward to many hours of fun flying!" Gold Wings are on the way!

View the Latest Sonex Aircraft Completions

Waiex First Flight: Mick Schumacher
11-28-11

Congratulations to Mick Schumacher of Sidney, Illinois whose AeroVee powered, tri-gear Waiex (S/N W0053) flew for the first time on October 22nd! "The plane flew straight and level during the first flight which was 45 minutes in length," reports Mick. "My heart felt thanks goes out to Dave Bura [Sonex S/N 502] for his years of encouragement in keeping focused on completion of my project. Thanks to tech counselor Terry Ladge of chapter 29 for his inspections and reports. Also to my wife Mary for her patience and support. Thanks to Sonex and all their support team." Gold Wings are on the way to Mick!

View the Latest Sonex Aircraft Completions

Sonex Builder Events:
Florida Builders Hold 2nd Annual FSA Fly-In!
11-23-11

Bruce Kinlaw (Sonex SN 273) goes over the finer details of his build with FSA Fly-In attendees.

Florida Sonex builders and pilots held their 2nd annual Florida Sonex Association Fly-In on November 5th at Marion County Airport in Dunnellon, Florida. "The Sonex spirit was strong," reports event co-organizer Mike January.

"The 2nd Annual Florida Sonex Association Fly-in and BBQ was a great success despite cold morning temperatures for the second year and a direct cross wind with gusts reaching 20 by departure time," writes Mike. "Visitors and prospective Sonex builders alike were amazed as Sonex and Waiex aircraft landed smoothly with little or no problems with the winds."

3 Waiex and 9 Sonex aircraft along with 6 other general aviation aircraft arrived by day’s end with a total of 18 aircraft and 78 visitors attending throughout the day. Several visitors arrived just to see the Sonex and Waiex aircraft up-close, gathered information, took photos, talked with builders and then departed for their own EAA chapter or home airport fly-ins. There were a total of 5 Fly-ins in the central Florida area on November 5th, according to event organizers.

Door prizes from Sonex Aircraft, LLC and Wicks Aircraft Supply were awarded during the event. "Good food, good friends and a great day of talking Sonex were had by all," writes Mike. More pictures of the event can be seen on the Florida Sonex Assocation web site.

As always, Sonex Aircraft, LLC extends our special thanks to FSA Fly-In organizers, pilots & attendees for making another outstanding grass-roots annual Sonex Builder Event!

The 2011 FSA Fly-In attracted 18 aircraft and 78 visitors!
FSA East flight line...	...and the West flight line.
Mike January talks about his Waiex (SN W0023).	Dale Johnson serves as Grillmaster for the FSA Fly-In.

Find more builder events, or submit your own event
for our Sonex Builders' Events Calendar!

Waiex First Flight: Scott Uding
11-18-11

Congratulations to Scott Uding of Ste. Genevieve, Missouri whose Jabiru 3300 powered, standard gear Waiex (S/N W0148) flew for the first time on October 22nd! "Special thanks to my father Mike Uding for all his help on the project and all of the great people of Sonex," writes Scott. Gold Wings are on the way!

View the Latest Sonex Aircraft Completions

Sonex Builder Events:
Australian Builders Hold First Goolwa Fly-In!
11-17-11

Stuart Trist (Sonex SN 181) and Steve Nelson (Xenos SN X0035) fly formation over the Murray Mouth and Coorong.

The SonexAus group of Australian Sonex builders held their first Sonex Regional Fly-In at Goolwa, South Australia on the 12th and 13th of November. Organized by Chris Dearden, Steve Nelson, Lynn Jarvis, Stuart Trist, Tony Richardson and Greg Jones, the event was a great success with over 50 attendees registering for the weekend.

Four Sonex aircraft along with a number of current and prospective builders drove or flew in for the weekend, with some traveling more than 1,000km for the event. "With over twenty five aircraft flying in we had a very busy flight line," writes Chris Dearden. "The Sonex and Xenos pilots were kept very busy providing introductory flights over the beautiful coastal scenery that surrounds Goolwa."

The attendees enjoyed a free BBQ lunch and breakfast generously supported by the Alexandrina Council and local Australian Parliament Member Adrian Pederick. A number of prizes donated by Sonex Aircraft, OzRunways and Matt Hall Racing were given out at the dinner held at the Ginger and Spice Restaurant. Dinner was complimented by Coopers Pale Ale donated by the Edinburgh Hotel. More pictures of the event can be seen on the SonexAus web site.

Sonex Aircraft, LLC extends our special thanks to Goolwa Fly-In organizers, donors and attendees for making a great "Down Under" Sonex Builder Event!

Sonex Aircraft highly recommends that current and prospective Australian builders join the SonexAus web site to benefit from the support provided by this Australian builder community.

Steve Nelson's Xenos and the barbeque grill served as "Sonex central" on the Goolwa, South Australia airport's flightline for the event.
In the evening, the event moved to a dinner and door prize ceremony at local eatery Ginger and Spice Restaurant.	Stuart Trist and Barry McFarlane (right), who recently ordered a Sonex kit, preparing for a demo flight.

Find more builder events, or submit your own event
for our Sonex Builders' Events Calendar!

Sonex Builder Events: 9th Annual Great Southern Sonex Gathering Draws Large Crowd!
11-09-11

Event co-organizer Robert Barber on approach after giving a demonstration flight in his Sonex.

The 9th Annual Great Southern Sonex Gathering held at Coulter Field in Bryan, TX on November 5th was a "great success" again this year, according to the event's organizers.

8 Sonex aircraft and over 100 attendees gathered for the event, with visitors traveling from as far away as Missouri and Colorado. Door prizes donated by Sonex Aircraft, Wicks Aircraft Supply, Aircraft Spruce & Specialty and several individual donors were awarded to Gathering attendees, and many introductory Sonex flights were given by the event's pilots.

"We had an eclectic mix of other aircraft show up," Reports GSSG co-organizer Robert Barber. "A T6 Texan, a Reliant V77 Gullwing, an RV8, F1 Rocket, a Citabria, and a couple of Cessnas. A very unusual showing at a Sonex fly-in. Must be the smell of fun!"

"This event is a highlight of our year," writes co-organizer Mike Singleton. "We hope to be able to do this for many years to come."

As always, Sonex Aircraft, LLC extends our special thanks to Mike, Robert, and all Sonex pilots & attendees for making another outstanding grass-roots annual Sonex Builder Event!

Fly-in attendees get a close look at customer-built Sonex aircraft.	An event with airplane rides and a food truck... what could be better!
Attendees gather to hangar talk and watch aircraft in the pattern.	Co-organizer Mike Singleton gives Phil Davis a Sonex ride.

Find more builder events, or submit your own event
for our Sonex Builders' Events Calendar!