Sonex Aircraft Waiex
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 Waiex is the Y-tailed version of the Sonex, John Monnett's small all-metal two-seater from Oshkosh: 22 ft span, 680 lb empty and 1,100 lb gross on the 80 hp AeroVee (1,220 lb with 100 hp or more), with Sonex quoting 150 mph true at 8,000 ft, a 40 mph stall and 515-634 miles on 20 gallons; the Waiex-B of 2016 widened the cockpit and enlarged the panel and tank.
A Waiex is a Sonex with a different tail and the same proposition: the cheapest way to 130 knots for two people, in a cockpit that is 40 inches wide but short on legroom, on an engine that is either a Volkswagen conversion or a Jabiru. The AeroVee is inexpensive and simple and climbs modestly at gross on a hot day; the Jabiru 3300 transforms the performance and raises the approved gross weight to 1,220 lb, so the engine fitted determines the useful load as much as the airframe does. All of them are builder-assembled pulled-rivet aluminium, so finish and empty weight vary and the aircraft's weight-and-balance governs. The Y-tail flies conventionally but is unusual enough that a mechanic unfamiliar with it should read the Sonex notes. The owner may maintain it and the condition inspection needs an A&P or the repairman certificate; Sonex is in production and supports the type.
Variants of the Sonex Waiex
- Waiex · 102 active · this page
Also consider
TAILFAX SCORE
Among 1–2 seat pistons (321 models)
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What it is
| Seats | 2 |
|---|---|
| Landing gear | tailwheel |
| Engines | — |
| Engine | AeroVee 2180 (80 hp); Jabiru 3300, UL Power, Rotax 912 approved |
| Horsepower | 80 hp |
| Fuel | — |
| Certification basis | amateur-built |
| Production start | — |
| Production end | — |
| Endorsements required | — |
Performance
| Cruise (75 % power) | 130 KTAS |
|---|---|
| Range (75 %, standard fuel, 30-min reserve) | 448 nm |
| Service ceiling | 16,000 ft |
| Climb rate | 500 ft/min |
| Stall speed (Vso) | 35 KCAS |
| Takeoff over 50 ft | — |
| Landing over 50 ft | — |
Load and fuel
| Seats | 2 |
|---|---|
| Useful load | — |
| Full-fuel payload | — |
| Max takeoff weight | 1,100 lb |
| Empty weight | 680 lb |
| Usable fuel | — |
| Fuel burn at cruise | — |
Cost of ownership
| Price, low | — |
|---|---|
| Price, high | — |
| Prices as of | — |
| Engine TBO | — |
| Overhaul cost, low | — |
| Overhaul cost, high | — |
The fleet and its record
| Registered, all time | 126 |
|---|---|
| Active fleet | 102 |
| Median year built | 2013 |
| NTSB events, last 10 years | 6 |
| Fatal events, last 10 years | 1 |
| Events per 1,000 active, last 10 years | 58.821 |
| Personal-flying events per 1,000 active | 49.022 |
| Ownership transfers, last 24 months | 15 |
| Transfers per 100 active | 14.713 |
| 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 102 active.
- Personal-flying events per 1,000 active: per 1,000 active aircraft · base 102 active.
- Transfers per 100 active: per 100 active aircraft · base 102 active.
Peer scores6
| Peer class | Fixed wing single-engine, piston, 1 engine, 1-2 seats |
|---|---|
| Accident record | 3.5 of 10 · scored on 21 years of events (fewer than 10 in the last 10)1 |
| Severity | 2.2 of 10 · scored on 21 years of events (fewer than 10 in the last 10)2 |
| Access | 6 of 103 |
| Support | 6 of 104 |
| Liquidity | 2.7 of 105 |
| Overall (sum of the categories shown) | 20.4 out of 506 |
- Accident record: class median 36.69 · 321 models in class.
- Severity: class median 13.04.
- Access: class median 1,000.
- Support: class median 77.5.
- Liquidity: class median 20.
- 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 8 · scores Sep 30