February 19, 2012 - Sonex Aircraft is excited to announce that the FAA National Kit Evaluation Team (NKET) has approved and published amateur building checklists for the new Onex Single-Place, Folding-Wing Sport Pilot Aircraft.

Availability of these approved checklists allows current and future Onex builders to show compliance with the “major portion” requirement of 14 CFR section 21.191(g) for experimental/amateur-built aircraft, commonly referred to as the “51 Percent Rule.”  

This not only effects builders in the United States, but it also allows builders in many other countries, whose aviation authorities base their homebuilt aircraft regulations upon NKET approval, to build the Onex design.

NKET checklist participation also opens the opportunity for Onex builders to legally obtain commercial assistance for their projects.

Sonex Aircraft is also announcing this week the availability of Onex upholstery packages, as well as Onex-specific installation provisions for the AeroConversions AeroVee Engine. These new additions to the line of Onex kits, accessories, and support serve to finalize the Onex aircraft design as a fully developed kit aircraft package, as the earliest Onex kit customers are nearing completion of their aircraft. 

“We wrapped-up the year 2011 as an incredibly successful and action-packed year for the Onex design!” writes Sonex Aircraft CEO and Onex lead designer Jeremy Monnett. “We saw first flight of the #1 standard gear prototype on January 27, 2011, completed a flight test program on the aircraft, created a feature-packed Onex Complete Airframe Kit and Sub-Kits, completed the full set of Onex plans, achieved first flight and testing of the #2 tricycle gear Onex prototype, and sold & shipped over 50 Onex kits by year-end with Onex orders staying strong in 2012!  

“We are pleased to hear of the rapid progress being made by Onex builders, and some of the first customers whose kits shipped in July and August are getting very close to completing and flying their aircraft.” 

The Onex (pronounced “One-X”) is a single-seat aircraft designed to offer an even-more economical way to build and fly a sport pilot aircraft. The folding-wing design can fit into a garage, or share a T hangar with other aircraft, be trailered on local roads, and the wing panels are easily removed for trailering at highway speeds.

The Onex follows the Sonex Aircraft design and engineering tradition in offering a simple, robust, aerobatic aircraft capable of squeezing incredible performance out of lower powered engines. Like all other Sonex Aircraft, the Onex is designed for use with the AeroConversions AeroVee Engine. The simple, low cost, and technically advanced AeroVee Engine Kit is a perfect fit for the Onex, offering outstanding performance and economy.  

The Onex Complete Airframe Kit and Sub-Kits are the most advanced kits ever produced by Sonex Aircraft, offering more than ever before in pre-fabricated parts and matched-hole tooling. Staying true to the Sonex Aircraft mission of offering The Best Performance Per Dollar, Onex kit builders can get their aircraft flying for as little as $25,299. 

Sonex Aircraft participation in the FAA NKET process dates back to participation in the FAA’s Amateur-Built Rulemaking Committee (ARC) formed in August of 2006 to examine industry compliance with homebuilt aircraft rules.  

In October, 2009 Sonex Aircraft hosted the FAA’s newly formed National Kit Evaluation Team in using Sonex, Waiex and Xenos kits for their practice evaluation exercises, making Sonex Aircraft a natural choice for the NKET’s first official evaluations to follow.  

Sonex Aircraft is a leader in the experimental kit aircraft industry, providing a series of Sport Pilot eligible kit aircraft and producing the AeroConversions line of products which include the AeroVee engine, AeroInjector and ancillary aviation products.