New Sonex Video Tip: Closing Aluminum Angle
08-27-09

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The latest in the EAA Hints for Homebuilders video series demonstrates techniques for reducing the angle of 90 degree extruded aluminum angle stock.

You can see a complete index of Sonex-relevant EAA Hints for Homebuilders videos on our Sonex Video Tips page.

Working with extruded angle stock, along with many other topics, is covered at Sonex Aircraft Builder's Workshops. Note that space is still available for the October 3-4 Sonex Workshop, so Sign Up Today!

Sonex First Flight: Stan Blankenship
08-26-09

Congratulations to Stan Blankenship of Pine Island, Minnesota whose Standard Gear, AeroVee powered Sonex (S/N 920) flew for the first time on August 16! "The plane flies great," reports Stan. "I have enjoyed building it and I am sure I will have years of fun flying it." Gold Wings are on the way!

View the Latest Sonex Aircraft Completions

Sonex First Flight: Nigel Frederikson
08-25-09

Congratulations to Nigel Frederikson of Wellington, New Zealand whose Standard Gear, Jabiru 2200 powered Sonex (S/N 1049) flew for the first time on August 23! Gold Wings are on the way to Nigel!

View the Latest Sonex Aircraft Completions

Sonex Flying Stories: Aaron and Elisha Knight's Massachusetts to Grand Canyon Adventure
08-24-09

Sonex builder Aaron Knight (S/N 1024) has been having a blast with his Sonex ever since his first flight of the aircraft last summer. Aaron documented one of his latest adventures in a great YouTube video: a trip with his son, Elisha, from their home in Massachusetts to the Grand Canyon.

Every day, more and more Sonex Aircraft builders are completing their aircraft and embarking upon some really fun adventures. There are many great flying stories to be found on Sonex Online Discussion Groups, and the Sonex staff is planning some long-overdue updates to the Sonex Flying Stories section of this web site, so stay tuned!

Sonex Aircraft in the News: Sonex Named Among "Best of Show" at Oshkosh by ANN
08-21-09

Sonex Aircraft, LLC has been lauded in today's edition of Aero-News Network, with two mentions in their "Best of Show" review of EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2009. "Best Affordable Flyer" honors were bestowed upon the Sonex design, "by a mile," according to ANN editors. The Hornets' Nest Research and Development SubSonex JSX-1 project was also listed in the "I Gotta Get Me One Of These" category. View the article online at Aero-News.net

Find More Articles About Sonex and AeroConversions Products!

New Sonex Video Tip: AeroVee Ignition Timing
08-20-09

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The latest in the EAA Hints for Homebuilders video series describes the technique for synchronizing the timing of the primary and secondary ignition modules on your AeroVee Engine. Note that this process is also detailed, step-by-step, in the AeroVee Assembly Manual provided with your AeroVee Engine Kit.

You can see a complete index of Sonex-relevant EAA Hints for Homebuilders videos on our Sonex Video Tips page.

The AeroVee Engine, along with many other topics, are covered at Sonex Aircraft Builder's Workshops. Note that space is still available for the October 3-4 Sonex Workshop, so Sign Up Today!

New Hampshire Sonex Fly-In/Drive-In a Great Event!
08-17-09

With sunny skies, calm winds and temperatures in the high 80's, close to 40 people attended the 1st Annual Sonex Fly-in/Drive-in event at Keene, New Hampshire! Several attendees were in the final stages of their builds, while others were either starting, or simply considering building a Sonex Aircraft. "Who knew there was so much pent up Sonex/Waiex interest in New England alone?" writes event organizer Mike Smith. Some drove over 2 hours to get to the event, and 3 completed Sonexes flew in: Mike Jones (S/N 838) flew in from northern Maine, a 2 hour flight one way, just to attend with his Aerovee powered tail dragger. Ian Clark (S/N 223) and Aaron Knight (S/N 1024) flew their conventional gear, Jabiru-powered Sonexes. "Glenn Hunt's project is nearing completion (S/N 639), and he let us use his hangar and crawl around his tricycle gear Aerovee Sonex," reports Mike.

There were hands-on opportunities to learn new skills, and for builders to swap tips and tricks. The new FBO owners provided a terrific spread of hotdogs and hamburgers, with all the fixin's. Aaron Knight spent hours giving free demo rides to nearly everyone that wanted one. Nearly a dozen people got to fly in a Sonex for the first time. Several were current builders that had never had the opportunity to actually fly in a Sonex. Their comments when they landed went something like, "I have GOT to finish my plane! That was so much fun!" Thanks Aaron!

And of course there was time for everyone to paw over the 4 aircraft present, and to quiz their owners about everything from construction to flying. "If there was one sentiment that everyone echoed, it was, 'we need to do this every year!'" writes Mike.

Find More Sonex Builder Events, or Submit Your Own Event!

Xenos Article Available for Download
08-17-09

The July, 2009 EAA Sport Aviation Magazine article featuring Craig Jones' Xenos Motorglider (S/N X0011) is now available for download (404kb PDF File)! The article, "Going with the Wind" by Jim Busha, details Craig's journey in choosing, building and flying the Xenos, as well as the medical certification benefits of operating a motorglider that helped drive Craig's decision to build. An additional article, "The Xenos: More than a Motorglider" by Roger Tanner, also appears in the July issue. Roger conducted some of the original Xenos flight tests for Sonex Aircraft, and this article highlights more of the advantages of flying a motorglider.

Read More About the Xenos Motorglider!

Find More Articles About Sonex Aircraft and AeroConversions Products!

Waiex First Flight: Rick Friberg
08-17-09

Congratulations to Rick Friberg of Eugene, Oregon whose Tricycle Gear, Jabiru 3300 powered Waiex (S/N W0032) flew for the first time on April 15! "Waiex #32 is complete and flying... 91 hours as of today," wrote Rick. "With more than 22,000 flying hours from Air Force fighters to the 747... my Waiex is the most fun and rewarding of all." Gold Wings are on the way to Rick!

View the Latest Sonex Aircraft Completions

EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2009 One of the Best Yet for Sonex Aircraft!
08-11-09

It's now over a week after the conclusion of EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2009, and the Sonex staff is still catching-up from one of the most successful fly-in's in the company's history! AirVenture 2009 surprised the entire aviation industry and EAA community with huge attendance numbers consisting of pilots dedicated to pursuing their dreams of flight despite the tumultuous world economic situation. Sonex Aircraft was no exception as we enjoyed very heavy booth traffic throughout the week with strong interest and sales of Sonex and AeroConversions products.

The week's events began with the 6th annual Sonex Aircraft Open House and Homecoming Fly-In at Sonex Aircraft, LLC's facilites on July 26. The event hosted a huge crowd throughout the day and many customer-built Sonex Aircraft which made the traditional "mass taxi" to AirVenture show grounds with Sonex factory prototypes at the end of the event. The Open House was also the venue for unveiling of the SubSonex single place turbojet aircraft prototype.

The SubSonex is one of three new airframe design concepts unveiled as part of the Hornets' Nest Research and Development exhibit in the Sonex booth at AirVenture '09. More information and future updates about the SubSonex, Onex and ESA design concepts can be found at the new Hornets' Nest R&D web page.

In addition to newcomers, a large crowd of Sonex Aircraft builders attended the July 26 Open House and Homecoming Fly-In event.

There was extremely strong response to Show Specials offered for AirVenture '09, including the Free Shipping promotion which is still available for Complete Airframe Kit purchases made before August 31. Sonex shuttled many show-goers from AirVenture grounds to our facilities for daily tours, which were very popular. The all-new Sonex Story DVD video was a big hit, as over 300 copies were distributed during the show. Interest in the Sonex Aircraft Builder's Workshop was also strong, and space in the October 3-4 Workshop is filling fast, so sign-up today!

Several Sonex Aircraft and AeroConversions forums were held throughout the week, and were very well attended. The E-Flight electric powered Waiex was on-disply in the Aviation Learning Center, where E-Flight design team members made daily demonstration runs of the E-Flight electric system. Kerry Fores' Sonex S/N 9 was displayed in the Affordable Flying Center, and the Sonex Sport Acro prototype attracted attention on-display at the IAC building on AeroShell Square!

Two Sonex builders, Doug Smith (S/N 801) and Chris Williams (S/N 732) were featured in Friday's homebuilt aircraft showcase fly-by pattern. Our special thanks to Doug and Chris for flying their aircraft in the showcase!

The Sonex Hangar Party was held on Monday, opening day of AirVenture '09 instead of the traditional Friday event. This allowed more Sonex builders and pilots, who traditionally stay in Oshkosh for the opening days of AirVenture, to attend. Our special thanks goes to all Sonex pilots who flew their aircraft to Oshkosh to be displayed at AirVenture: Todd Agold, Wayne Andrews, Jim  Arbore, Robert Barber, Wayne Daniels, Daryl Dellone, Robert Dulzell, Kerry Fores, Robert Frost, Clinton Fruit, David Koelzer, Robert Mika, Charles Radford, Michael Rossman, Brian Rothe, Doug Smith, and Chris Williams.

Several customer-built Sonex Aircraft flew-in for Sunday's Open House and Homecoming Fly-In event to kick-off the week of EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2009 (pictured above and below).
Doug Smith, his father, and his Sonex (S/N 801) were happy to make the trip from California!	Bob Mika (S/N 178) flew-in from Kansas and is seen at the Open House relaxing with is Sonex.
There was tremendous interest in the Xenos Motorglider at AirVenture after an article featuring Craig Jones' Xenos appeared in the July issue of EAA Sport Aviation magazine. Builder Jim Arbore brought his Xenos all the way from Arizona to Oshkosh for AirVenture, averaging 117mph TAS!
	The Open House crowd applauded the roll-out of JSX-1, the SubSonex R&D prototype, and there was strong interest from public and press in all Hornets' Nest R&D concept designs throughout the week of AirVenture (below, left and right).
Sonex Aircraft and AeroConversions products once again had a very attractive booth display and impressive flight line presence of customer aircraft in the North Aircraft Display area on AirVenture grounds (pictured above and below).
The E-Flight Electric powered Waiex prototype was featured in the EAA Aviation Learning Center display and demonstration runs of the E-Flight system were made daily.	E-Flight Design Team member Andrew Pearce (green shirt) runs the E-Flight electric Waiex during a daily demonstration while John Monnett explains details of the system to Erik Lindbergh (background, right).
Monday evening's Sonex Hangar Party drew a large crowd of Sonex Aircraft builders, future builders and Sonex fans, and supporters!	Sonex Aircraft pilots who flew their aircraft to Oshkosh for AirVenture '09 were given a special thanks at the Hangar Pary.

New Sonex Video Tip: Drilling Titanium
08-07-09

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The latest in the EAA Hints for Homebuilders video series features Sonex Aircraft, LLC employee Kerry Fores demonstrating techniques for drilling Sonex Aircraft Titanium Gear Legs.

You can see a complete index of Sonex-relevant EAA Hints for Homebuilders videos on our Sonex Video Tips page.

This technique and many others are demonstrated at Sonex Aircraft Builder's Workshops. Note that space is still available for the October 3-4 Sonex Workshop, so Sign Up Today!

Sonex First Flight: Dana Thurston
08-07-09

Congratulations to Dana Thurston of Portsmouth, New Hampshire whose Standard Gear, Jabiru 3300 powered Sonex (S/N 123) flew for the first time on July 31! "Call me shocked and awed," writes Dana, "I NEVER expected this level of performance out of the Sonex!" Gold Wings are on the way!

View the Latest Sonex Aircraft Completions

Sonex First Flight: Sven Liang Jensen
08-07-09

Congratulations to Sven Liang Jensen of Drammen, Norway whose Standard Gear, Jabiru 2200 powered Sonex (S/N 772) flew for the first time on July 28 with Sonex builder Kai Lyche at the controls! "I am so excited," writes Sven. "The plane perform well in all situations, and all tests went well without any problems. Michael Madaris started the building of 772 and deserves honor for his effort. He sold the project to me in 2007." Gold Wings are on the way to Sven!

View the Latest Sonex Aircraft Completions

Sonex First Flight: David Weber
08-07-09

Congratulations to David Weber of Snohomish, Washington whose Standard Gear, Jabiru 3300 powered Sonex (S/N 318) flew for the first time on July 25 with Sonex builder Eric “The Red Devil” Scheppers at the controls! "A few days later I personally took to the skies for my first flight in Sonex #318 and I am happy to report that the plane flies spectacularly! " writes David. "I want to thank everyone at Sonex for their help in this project along with Eric and Jennifer Scheppers who inspired me in 2002 to do this and of course my wife Patti, and my two children Andrew and Melissa for all of the help. There are too many others to list here so forgive me if I didn’t.  Keep the dream and build it!" Gold Wings are on the way to David!

View the Latest Sonex Aircraft Completions

AirVenture Opening Day! Hornets' Nest Research and Development Web Site is Up!
07-27-09

Sonex Aircraft builders and pilots enjoyed an outstanding Open House/Homecoming Fly-In event yesterday. One of the new Hornets' Nest R&D concept aircraft was rolled-out yesterday during the event as well. See an article covering the roll-out in AirVenture Today! There is also video coverage of our new design concepts on Aero-TV. The Hornets' Nest Research and Development web site is now online at: www.SonexAircraft.com/research

A forum detailing our new R&D design concepts, "Sonex Aircraft Airframe Research & Development" will be held today at 2:30 in Forum Pavilion #3.

AirVenture Oshkosh 2009 is Almost Here and the Schedule of Sonex Aircraft Activities is Set!
07-21-09

The Sonex Aircraft staff is busy making final preparations for the 2009 EAA AirVenture Oshkosh Fly-In, and excitement is in the air as we look forward to another great show! The schedule of Sonex events is set, and we want to remind you of the following items along with a couple of exciting announcements:

Sonex Open House: The Sonex Aircraft Homecoming and Open House Fly-In will once again kick-off this year's events on Sunday, July 26. The event runs from 10am to 3pm. Full details on our events page.

Sonex Hangar Party: The annual Sonex Hangar Party has moved this year to Monday, July 27. After taking-in the Doobie Brothers concert on Monday evening, you can head-over to the Sonex hangars for the party, 8pm to 11pm.

Hornets' Nest R&D Pavilion: It's no secret that Sonex has always kept an eye to the future. This year, we've decided to take the wraps off some of our favorite concepts for the future of the Sonex, AeroConversions and E-Flight products lines with the new Hornets' Nest Research and Development Pavilion located in the Sonex booth at AirVenture '09. Included in the Hornets' Nest display will be a compltely new concept aircraft prototype scheduled to begin testing later this year. There will also be a forum on Monday, July 27 at 2:30 pm about Hornets' Nest R&D projects. See our press release about the Hornets' Nest!

E-Flight Electric Waiex Demonstrations and Forums: The E-Flight Electric Waiex will be displayed in the Aviation Learning Center building on AirVenture grounds and the E-Flight Team will be running the motor on the aircraft at scheduled times, Monday through Saturday. Additionally, there will be an E-Flight forum on Wednesday, July 29 at 10am. Full details on our events page. Also see our new press release updating progress of the E-Flight project!

New, Improved Sonex Story DVD!!! Sonex Aircraft, LLC is pleased to announce that we will debut a brand-new version of The Sonex Story DVD featuring tons of exciting new footage, superb editing and detailed information. The new DVD will be available for shipping on Friday, July 30 and will be available at AirVenture! Watch a short preview clip on our press release!

Outstanding Show Specials!!! Get free shipping on Complete Airframe Kits and Free Nikasil Cylinder Upgrade on AeroVee Engine Kits for a limited time.

Daily Sonex Factory Tours: Sonex will be conducting daily tours of our facilities on Wittman Regional Airport, across from show grounds! Transportation will be provided from the Sonex booth at 11:00am every day, or you may drive directly to Sonex. RSVP for tours by emailing: orders@sonexaircraft.com or sign-up at our booth.

Sonex and AeroConversions Forum Schedule: As usual, Sonex will be conducting several informational forums throughout the week! Consult our full Forum and Event schedule for AirVenture on our Company Events page.

Flying-In With Your Sonex Aircraft? As always, We'd love to see as many Sonex, Waiex and Xenos customer-built aircraft fly-in to AirVenture '09 as possible! If you haven't already sent us an email to let us know your plans to fly-in, we'd really appreciate hearing from you so that AirVenture homebuilt parking chairmen know approximately how many Sonex Aircraft they can expect. Please RSVP to: orders@sonexaircraft.com

Sonex Office and Warehouse Hours: From Monday, July 27 through Friday, July 30 the Sonex Aircraft office and warehouse will be open during limited hours: 9am to Noon. Parts orders for pickup during these hours will be accomodated as inventory allows and we appreciate placement of advance orders via telephone or email: orders@sonexaircraft.com For those of you needing to contact us during this week, our apologies for any inconvenience these limited hours may cause, and we appreciate your patience during this extremetly busy time, and... why the heck aren't you here enjoying AirVenture with the rest of us?

We wish all of you a great week at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2009, and we can't wait to see you here at our home in Oshkosh!

E-Flight in the News: Pete Buck and E-Flight Team's Efforts Featured in Smithsonian Air & Space Magazine!
07-21-09

Sonex Aircraft LLC's own Pete Buck received major recognition for his part in the E-Flight Electric aircraft research & development project in a feature article appearing in the August 1, 2009 edition of Smithsonian Air & Space magazine! The article, "The Electric Airplane" by Peter Garrison, reviews the history of electric flight, and details our E-Flight efforts as part of a profile of several players in the push for electric flight. In addition to the print edition of Smithsonian Air & Space magazine, the article can also be found online.

Read More about the E-Flight Initiative!

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Waiex First Flight: Brian Rothe
07-20-09

Congratulations to Sonex Intern Brian Rothe of Oshkosh, Wisconsin whose Standard Gear, AeroVee powered Waiex (S/N W0113) flew for the first time on July 19! At 22 years of age, Brian may just be the youngest individual to have constructed and flown a Sonex Aircraft project! Gold Wings have been pinned-on the boy!

View the Latest Sonex Aircraft Completions

Sonex Builders Hold 7th Annual BBQ at Arlington Fly-In!
07-14-09

Sonex Builders at Arlington!

Show attendees at David Weber's Sonex Forum.

Food and Sonex camaraderie!

The 7th annual Sonex BBQ at the 2009 Arlington Fly-In was once again a big success. Leading up to the food festivities, David Weber (Sonex S/N 318) presented forums on both Thursday and Friday titled “Sonex – A Builders perspective” which were well attended. The BBQ kicked off on Saturday with everyone getting their fill of burgers, hot dogs and Sonex chat. This year's event even included a drawing for a signed copy of the John Monnett biography “From Sonerai to Sonex” written by Jim Cunningham, which was won by Ethan Berry.  "The Sonex builder numbers continue to grow in the northwest and so does the camaraderie of the group," writes David.

In addition to David's nearly-completed aircraft, Paul O'Donnell flew-in with his Sonex S/N 213. "After last year's very thin attendance at EAA Arlington -- both aircraft and people -- I was wondering what I'd find," wrote Paul. "However, both Friday and Saturday the homebuilt aircraft parking area was full so rumors of the the demise of Arlington are much exaggerated. I talked to a lot of people and got many, many people who were seriously interested. They'd obviously done their homework studying the Sonex website and had really good questions. The serious ones got to sit in the aircraft and were handed Sonex/AeroVee brochures. I also let about 25 kids sit in N213SX and gave them each a picture of N213SX. That's the real fun part."

Sonex would like to thank both Paul and Dave for attending Arlington and
representing Sonex in a manner that typifies the Sonex spirit and family.
Grassroots involvement such as Dave’s forums and BBQ and Paul’s willingness to stand by his airplane and field questions and pass out brochures is more far-reaching than an official Sonex presence, and in the eyes of a prospective builder speaks volumes about not only the quality of the Sonex product line, but the quality of people it attracts.

Find More Sonex Builder Events!

Sonex Aircraft in the News: Craig Jones' Xenos Motorglider Featured in Sport Aviation!
07-14-09

The first customer-built Xenos Motorglider, Craig Jones' AeroVee powered Xenos S/N X0011, is featured in the July, 2009 issue of EAA Sport Aviation magazine! The article, "Going with the Wind" by Jim Busha, details Craig's journey in choosing, building and flying the Xenos, as well as the medical certification benefits of operating a motorglider that helped drive Craig's decision to build. An additional article, "The Xenos: More than a Motorglider" by Roger Tanner, also appears in the July issue. Roger conducted some of the original Xenos flight tests for Sonex Aircraft, and this article highlights more of the advantages of flying a motorglider.

Find More Articles About Sonex and AeroConversions Products!

Sonex First Flight: Thomas "Dave" Doerner
07-10-09

Congratulations to Thomas "Dave" Doerner of Mustang, Oklahoma whose Tri-Gear, AeroVee powered Sonex (S/N 573) flew for the first time on July 3! "What a wonderful airplane," writes Dave. "The Aerovee ran flawlessly. Many thanks to all my Alaska friends who helped me reach this goal, and to Sonex for their wonderful support!" Gold Wings are on the way!

View the Latest Sonex Aircraft Completions

Sonex First Flight: Bruce Drath
07-10-09

Congratulations to Bruce Drath of Tucson, Arizona whose Tri-Gear, Jabiru 3300 powered Sonex (S/N 487) flew for the first time on June 21! "Like 'so many before me and so many yet to come' I’ve had the pleasure to dream, plan, study, bend, cut and assemble a remarkable 'dream' machine," writes Bruce. "I couldn’t be more satisfied and excited.  I have a hard time putting to words the feel you have once it takes to the air - What a rush of excitement! Thank You Sonex, all of you, for developing such a great set of plans to work from, putting up with all those calls & strange questions so many of us have thought of… and your commitment to the development and support of such a great product. It’s very much appreciated.  Let’s Go Fly!" Gold Wings are on the way to Bruce!

View the Latest Sonex Aircraft Completions

AirVenture Show Special: Free Nikasil Cylinder Upgrade on AeroVee Engine Kit Purchases!
07-02-09

Sonex Aircraft is pleased to announce a special upgrade incentive for AeroVee 2.1 Engine Kits available for EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2009. All complete AeroVee 2.1 Engine kits purchased before August 3rd, 2009 will receive a free upgrade to the recently announced Nikasil Cylinders... this represents a $500 savings!

As the unchallenged leader in affordable kit engines, this short-term incentive provides a rare opportunity to save even more on your aircraft project and saves you 10 lbs of weight.

Combined with the Free Shipping incentive program on a complete Sonex, Waiex, or Xenos Complete Airframe Kit, there has never be a better time to make your dream of building and flying your own aircraft a reality. Note that the AeroVee 2.1 Engine Kit can easily fit on the same pallet as the Complete Airframe Kit when they are ordered at the same time.

Find Our More about the AeroVee Engine Kit!

Sonex First Flight: Shawn Wheeler
07-02-09

Congratulations to Shawn Wheeler of LaGrange, Georgia whose Standard Gear, Jabiru 3300 powered Sonex (S/N 709) flew for the first time on June 27! "Although I was pretty nervous, all went well," writes Shawn. "I now have a little over 4 hours on the plane. I am very pleased with the handling of the plane and can’t wait to fly when time permits." Gold Wings are on the way!

View the Latest Sonex Aircraft Completions