Sonex Aircraft
Encyclopedia
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
aircraft
Aircraft
An aircraft is a vehicle that is able to fly by gaining support from the air, or, in general, the atmosphere of a planet. An aircraft counters the force of gravity by using either static lift or by using the dynamic lift of an airfoil, or in a few cases the downward thrust from jet engines.Although...
kit manufacturer located in Oshkosh
Oshkosh, Wisconsin
As of the census of 2000, there were 62,916 people, 24,082 households, and 13,654 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,662.2 people per square mile . There were 25,420 housing units at an average density of 1,075.6 per square mile...
, Wisconsin
Wisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
, producing kits for four all-metal homebuilt
Homebuilt
The term homebuilt is used to describe machines built outside of specialised workshops or factories. It can mean different things such as kit cars or homebuilt computers, but normally it pertains to homebuilt aircraft, also known as amateur-built aircraft or kit planes. Homebuilt aircraft or kit...
monoplane
Monoplane
A monoplane is a fixed-wing aircraft with one main set of wing surfaces, in contrast to a biplane or triplane. Since the late 1930s it has been the most common form for a fixed wing aircraft.-Types of monoplane:...
s. The company is led by John Monnett who has designed the Monnett Sonerai
Monnett Sonerai
The Sonerai is a small, VW powered homebuilt aircraft designed by John Monnett. The Sonerai began to compete as a single seat mid-wing Formula-V racer class formed in 1972. The Sonerai soon evolved into a two-seat model called the Sonerai II...
sport aircraft series, Monnett Monerai sailplane, Monnett Moni motorglider, and Monnett Monex racer. Monnett designs are displayed in the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center
Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center
The Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center is the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum 's annex at Washington Dulles International Airport in the Chantilly area of Fairfax County, Virginia, United States....
of the National Air and Space Museum near Washington D.C.
Aircraft
- SonexSonex Aircraft SonexThe 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....
- the original aircraft design, incorporating a low-wing design, seats two, and has a fast build time. - WaiexSonex Aircraft SonexThe 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....
- almost identical to the Sonex, but features a Y-tail. - XenosSonex Aircraft SonexThe 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....
- a motor-glider development of the Waiex with longer wings and the same engine selection as the other two Sonex models. - OnexSonex Aircraft Onex-External links:***...
- a single seat aircraft with similar construction to a Sonex that will feature folding wings that allow the aircraft to be stored in a standard garage.
- ESASonex Electric Sport Aircraft-External links:***...
- the Electric Sport Aircraft is a modified XenosXenosThe Xenos is a custom graphics processing unit designed by AMD , used in the Xbox 360 video game console. Developed under the codename "C1," it is in many ways related to the R520 architecture and therefore very similar to an ATI Radeon X1900/X1950 series of PC graphics cards as far as features...
purpose built to maximize flight time in an electric aircraft.
Engines
AeroConversions manufactures the AeroConversions AeroVee Engine. A custom aircraft implementation of the Volkswagen air cooled engineVolkswagen air cooled engine
The Volkswagen air-cooled engine is an air-cooled boxer engine with four horizontally opposed cast iron cylinders, cast aluminium alloy cylinder heads and pistons, magnesium crankcase, and forged steel crankshaft and connecting rods....
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Hornet's Nest
The Hornet's Nest is the research and development arm of Sonex LLC.E-flight
At AirVenture 2007, Sonex Aircraft announced a new project to work on new, innovative technologies in aviation. The E-flight projects includes using an electric motorElectric motor
An electric motor converts electrical energy into mechanical energy.Most electric motors operate through the interaction of magnetic fields and current-carrying conductors to generate force...
, ethanol-based fuel
Ethanol fuel
Ethanol fuel is ethanol , the same type of alcohol found in alcoholic beverages. It is most often used as a motor fuel, mainly as a biofuel additive for gasoline. World ethanol production for transport fuel tripled between 2000 and 2007 from 17 billion to more than 52 billion litres...
s, and other power plant alternatives. In December 2010, an all-electric Waiex was test flown from Wittman field in Oshkosh, Wisconsin
Oshkosh, Wisconsin
As of the census of 2000, there were 62,916 people, 24,082 households, and 13,654 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,662.2 people per square mile . There were 25,420 housing units at an average density of 1,075.6 per square mile...
. The aircraft was flown with a 54 kW brushless DC electric motor, managed by a newly-designed controller. Power is from a collection of 14.5kw-hour lithium polymer batteries, giving the aircraft an endurance of one hour at low-speed cruise or 15 minutes of aerobatics. This was the beginning of the development of the Sonex Electric Sport Aircraft
Sonex Electric Sport Aircraft
-External links:***...
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