Batter Up: Onex (By Sonex) Looking More Like A Grand Slam!
Tuesday, March 15, 2011 at 03:56PM 
My drawing of a VW powered Onex in racing paint (+ trick aftermarket wheel pants)
Previous Posts: Onex At Oshkosh 2010 Can The Onex Save GA? Onex First Flight
I first brought up the idea of a Grand Slam homebuilt airplane in the middle of last year. It's the idea of a homebuilt that could very effectively capture four important elements: Affordable - Great Performance (but not too hard to fly) - Easy To Build - Electrifying Looks. The good ole BD-5 was supposed to be that airplane 40 years ago, but a variety of obstacles got in the way. And in my mind, the definitive Grand Slam homebuilt has still never materialized. But now, the Onex from Sonex is beginning to show signs that it's aiming for the fence with the bases loaded!
A few important points here first. There are some really good 2-place homebuilt airplanes that offer great value, performance and looks. You can go way back to the days of the Long-EZ or early Glasair or Lancair designs, or maybe the RV-4 or 6... but bigger airplanes with bigger engines, or maybe relatively high kit cost make all those airplanes either pretty expensive to complete or complicated to build, or maybe both. In my mind, the real Grand Slam is almost surely a single seat airplane cuz that's how you're really gonna keep the costs down. And while there have been many great airplanes that are affordable and maybe easy to build, the ones that combine all four of the elements above are either hard to find or simply don't exist. Of course beauty is in the eye of the beholder, so you may not agree with my opinion on the looks side of things, but I honestly believe that the Onex from Sonex comes closer than any homebuilt to being that special combination that can be considered a Grand Slam.
The Onex on its first flight on January 27, 2011
And even tho the Onex is still just a prototype, the more I'm seeing about the details of this little 'sport fighter', the more I'm impressed. The video below from a few weeks back (shot from the cockpit) really helps to point to the Onex's game winning plans.
With extremely simple structural design that borrows from the very successful Sonex line, and the overall small size of the airplane, you get affordable knocked out pretty quickly. It's looking like a completed airplane should be possible at about 20K without any hardcore scrounging. The AeroVee (VW derived engine) making 80hp for just under $7,000 goes a long way toward making the airplane both affordable and a great performer. Even tho straight and level cruise is around 135 mph, the Vne on the Onex is 216 mph! And when you take those pleasing lines and great proportions and add some flashy paint like my drawing above, and you've got one hot looking little flying machine.
So watch the video from inside the cockpit and imagine yourself out having some cheap fun on a sweet sunny day. And keep watch for info from Sonex on exact kit pricing and availability... cuz when this Grand Slam clears the fence, avgeeks all over the world will be the winners!
Reader Comments (5)
+1, nice bird, finally an affordable aerobatic machine.
According to the company, the Sonex and Waiex two-seaters are also aerobatic when flown as single-place with reduced gross weight. Slick as it is, If the Onex is kitted, I don't think it would come in for much less cost than a basic Sonex. Of course, you may be right about the waiting market. There is really no competition in that segment.
airpigz lurker- No doubt either the Sonex or Waiex in a single seat config makes a great airplane (esp on the AeroVee) but the Onex should come in a couple thousand dollars cheaper in kit form, and then be noticeably easier/quicker to build due to smaller size and fewer parts. The biggest advantage for the Onex tho comes in the way it looks... without the wide fuselage, the Onex shape is much more pleasing (along with some other great styling details). The sharp break in the Sonex and Waiex fuse at the rear of the canopy creates a look that many people have never been able to embrace as 'beautiful'. I do believe the Sonex and Waiex are exceptional airplanes overall tho, that's why the Waiex won the AirPigz HOTY award in 2009 : )
Looks like the Onex will shave a few thousand in acquisition cost and some build time off of what would be required to own a Sonex. That's great, but the real game changer is the folding wings. The possibilities for hangar sharing will lower ongoing operational costs which is the real barrier to affordable flight.
Well, now it's been announced:
Onex complete airframe kit, $12,995 (accepting $500 deposits)
Compare to:
Sonex complete airframe kit, $14,495
Waiex complete airframe kit, $14,995
Xenos complete airframe kit, $19,995