Sonex / Sonex-B
These figures describe a typical build. Each aircraft of this design was built by its owner, and the one you are looking at may differ.
The Sonex is John Monnett's small all-metal two-seater, built in Oshkosh since its first flight in February 1998 and widened into the Sonex-B in 2016, offered as a taildragger or with tricycle gear. With the 80 hp AeroVee engine it cruises at about 130 knots on 20 gallons for roughly 450 nm, stalls at 35 knots, climbs at up to 900 fpm and has a 1,100 lb gross weight; the turbocharged AeroVee, Jabiru, UL Power and Rotax engines are alternatives.
It is one of the cheapest ways to a fast metal aeroplane that is approved for aerobatics at 950 lb or below — the complete airframe kit is $35,700 and Sonex's own all-in build example is under $55,000 — and the trade is a small cabin, tapered on the pre-2016 A-model, and a modest useful load. The engine deserves the same scrutiny as the airframe: the AeroVee is a Volkswagen-derived kit the builder assembles, so its quality is the builder's, and the alternatives change the empty weight and the gross weight, which Sonex raised to 1,220 lb for 100 hp-plus engines in October 2024. Pull-riveted construction keeps routine maintenance to oil changes, head torque and valve checks, but empty weights vary between builds and finish varies a great deal, and the figures here describe the factory's reference aircraft, not the one for sale. Note that Sonex's own published numbers do not reconcile — 1,100 lb gross less 680 lb empty is 420 lb, not the 480 lb useful load it prints. Owner maintenance is unrestricted and an A&P without an IA, or the builder holding the repairman certificate, signs the annual condition inspection.
Variants of the Sonex / Sonex-B
- Sonex / Sonex-B · 1998 · 439 active · this page
Also consider
- Aviat Aircraft Pitts S-2APartial 9.7/30 · 2 seats · 130 kt
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What it is
| Seats | 2 |
|---|---|
| Landing gear | tailwheel |
| Engines | — |
| Engine | AeroConversions AeroVee 2180 (AeroVee Turbo 100, Jabiru 2200 120, UL Power, Rotax 9-series optional) |
| Horsepower | 80 hp |
| Fuel | — |
| Certification basis | amateur-built |
| Production start | 1998 |
| Production end | — |
| Endorsements required | — |
Performance
| Cruise speed | 130 KTAS |
|---|---|
| Range | 448 nm |
| Service ceiling | 16,000 ft |
| Climb rate | 900 ft/min |
| Stall speed (Vso) | 35 KCAS |
| Takeoff over 50 ft | — |
| Landing over 50 ft | — |
Load and fuel
| Seats | 2 |
|---|---|
| Useful load | 480 lb |
| Full-fuel payload | — |
| Max takeoff weight | 1,100 lb |
| Empty weight | 680 lb |
| Usable fuel | 20 gal |
| Fuel burn at cruise | — |
Cost of ownership
| Price, low | $35,700 |
|---|---|
| Price, high | $51,700 |
| Prices as of | 2026 |
| Engine TBO | — |
| Overhaul cost, low | — |
| Overhaul cost, high | — |
The fleet and its record
| Registered, all time | 546 |
|---|---|
| Active fleet | 439 |
| Median year built | 2011.0 |
| NTSB events, last 10 years | 22 |
| Fatal events, last 10 years | 7 |
| Events per 1,000 active, last 10 years | 50.111 |
| Personal-flying events per 1,000 active | 45.562 |
| Ownership transfers, last 24 months | 93 |
| Transfers per 100 active | 21.183 |
| Airworthiness directives | 0 |
| Directives, last 5 years | 0 |
| Rate confidence | ok |
- Events per 1,000 active, last 10 years: per 1,000 active aircraft · base 439 active.
- Personal-flying events per 1,000 active: per 1,000 active aircraft · base 439 active.
- Transfers per 100 active: per 100 active aircraft · base 439 active.
Peer scores6
| Peer class | Fixed wing single-engine, piston, 1 engine, 1-2 seats |
|---|---|
| Accident record | 2.6 of 101 |
| Severity | 1.1 of 102 |
| Access | 8.8 of 103 |
| Support | 8.8 of 104 |
| Liquidity | 5.8 of 105 |
| Overall (sum of the categories shown) | 27.1 out of 506 |
- Accident record: class median 31.56 · 197 models in class.
- Severity: class median 10.
- Access: class median 1,000.75.
- Support: class median 89.
- Liquidity: class median 19.74.
- Each of the five categories places the model within its peer class, from 0 (the worst of the class) to 10 (the best): a position among comparable models, not a grade. The overall score is the sum of the categories shown that are scored, out of 10 for each (50 when all five are); it is given only when at least 4 of the five are scored, and it can be set against another model's only when both are in the same peer class and scored on the same categories. When accident record and severity cannot be scored because the model has too few records, the other three give a partial score out of 30, labelled as such; it is never set against a full score.
Data as of: FAA registry Sep 28 · NTSB Oct 2 · ADs Oct 6 · scores Sep 30