FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

First Customer-Built Xenos Takes Flight;
150 Completions Recorded

February 2, 2007, Oshkosh, WI

On a crisp January afternoon, another milestone was reached for Sonex Aircraft, LLC as the first customer-built Xenos sport motorglider took to the skies for the first time. Craig Jones of Austin, Minnesota flew Xenos serial number 11 on Sunday, January 21, 2007 at 4:20 pm. Jones’ Xenos is powered by the AeroConversions AeroVee 80hp engine. This milestone was reached after a record year of growth for the Sonex Aircraft customer fleet.  In January, 2007 the number of reported Sonex Aircraft completions exceeded 150, with 41 of those completions having been reported in 2006.

Jones is a 125 hour pilot who received his pilot’s license in 2003. Although Jones has built two drag race cars, Xenos #11 is his first aircraft project. “I found the plans very good and reasonably easy to figure out,” reports Jones. “By the time it was time to fly, I was very confident the plane was ready and, just as importantly, I was ready... Some of the questions everybody asks are, ‘what were the flying characteristics?’ I do not know, I was kind of focused on keeping the speed up, staying in the pattern correctly for the approach, and most of all not doing something stupid... With the spoilers on it seemed just like I was in the Citabria, just a lower throttle setting. The glide slope was good, speed was about 80 MPH, flare was normal, so I just landed. It was all I could do not to push the throttle and go around again... All the work seems worth it now!”

The Xenos follows in the Monnett tradition of bringing the cost of motor gliding to a highly affordable level. Using the same cost-effective and easy-to-build construction techniques and materials of the Sonex and Waiex, the Xenos offers another Reality Check for the soaring world with unrivaled Performance Per Dollar in the motorglider market.

The Xenos can either be flown as a Sport Pilot/LSA, or it can be flown by pilots that hold a glider rating with a self-launch glider endorsement. As a true motorglider, the Xenos offers the opportunity of flight to those pilots who may be medically disqualified from flying under Sport Pilot regulations. The Xenos can be flown as a powered aircraft, a self-launched glider that soars with the engine off, or it can motor-soar over great distances with incredible fuel economy.

“Congratulations to Craig and all of the remarkable achievements of the growing list of Sonex, Waiex, and Xenos pilots from the entire Sonex Aircraft team,”  said Jeremy Monnett, CEO and General Manager of Sonex Aircraft, LLC. “Sonex Aircraft is built on a solid foundation with the best customers in the aviation business. They are practical, intelligent, interesting, and extremely handy. Most importantly, they’re all-around great people that are a joy to be around and serve. We look forward to welcoming many thousands of completed aircraft into the Sonex Aircraft family in the very near future.”

Sonex Aircraft, LLC is a rising star in the experimental kit aircraft industry, providing a series of Sport Pilot eligible kit aircraft along with the AeroConversions line of products which include the AeroVee engine, AeroCarb and ancillary aviation products. Sonex Aircraft’s Sonex and Waiex sport planes, and the Xenos sport motorglider offer outstanding performance in an easy to build, easy to fly kit package that can be purchased and completed with full technical support at an unrivaled price. Sonex and AeroConversions continue to invest heavily in developing new products. Our team is committed to providing simple, elegant and low-cost solutions for sport flying. Simply put, Sonex Aircraft and AeroConversions products provide the best performance per dollar. Check us out at www.SonexAircraft.com

PRESS CONTACT:

Mark Schaible
Sonex Aircraft, LLC
www.SonexAircraft.com
Phone: (920) 231-8297
Fax:      (920) 426-8333
E-mail: mark@sonexaircraft.com

FOR MORE INFORMATION, GO TO:
Xenos Home Page: http://www.sonexaircraft.com/aircraft/xenos.html
Xenos Development Archive: http://www.sonexaircraft.com/aircraft/xenosdev/xenosarchive1.html
Xenos Stall/Spin Test Report: http://www.sonexaircraft.com/aircraft/xenosdev/spintest.html

HIGH RESOLUTION IMAGES AVAILABLE BELOW:

Jones after first flight.
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Xenos #11 in flight over Minnessota.
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Xenos #11 on short final.
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Jones making airplane noises and dreaming.
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Wing squaring and skinning.
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Wing skinned and clecoed.
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Fuselage under construction.
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Xenos tail construction.
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Xenos wing fitting and rigging.
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Two beautiful aircraft.
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ADDITIONAL HIGH RESOLUTION SONEX AIRCRAFT, LLC IMAGES AVAILABLE BY REQUEST FROM THE IMAGE GALLERIES LISTED AT: http://www.sonexaircraft.com/press/images.html

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