Wed, Nov 12, 2003
Affordable MotorGlider Kit Coming Soon
One of the more promising new birds we've seen of late, is a
dual-purpose SportPlane designed by the folks that brought us the
cute little two place Sonex econo-speedster. This new craft, a side
by side motorglider that uses either Jabiru or VW powerplants, is
called Xenos (Sonex, spelled backwards) and depending on the wing
configuration, promises either some good soaring and touring
capabilities OR (with the shorter wingtips), faster touring and
sport aerobatic capability!
The longer (standard) soaring wing (shown directly above), is
now in active flight test, where co-designer Pete Buck has been
playing with the beast and soaring up a storm... but lest you think
that soaring means SLOW, John Monnet reports that Pete recorded a
TAS of 151 mph at 12K the other day, in a Jabiru 3300 (6-Cylinder)
powered bird, flying in California. So far, Pete reports that
the L/D looks to be closing in on 23/1... a darned respectable
number for such a dual-purpose aircraft. The standard wing spans
45.8 feet, while the sport wing spans all of 39.5. BTW; all it
takes to covert between the two is to "unzip" the tip and replace
it with the desired configuration. John Monnet had some nervous
moments recently due to the fact that this hangar door spans just
46 feet and was pleased to see that he had the 2 inches to spare
that he expected... but it was SURE close...
The standard wing gets its boost due to a set of large composite
tips that have been under development for a while and only recently
fitted to the Xenos Motorgliders at the factory in Oshkosh and the
prototype flying in Tehachapi, CA. The climb and glide performance
have increased as expected. These standard tips are fiberglass and
will ship with every Xenos kit. They "zip" on and off and are
interchangeable with the optional short-span (aerobatic) tips. The
standard tips make the Xenos a legal two-place motorglider. The
optional aerobatic tips (shown directly above) may be the best
choice for the Sport Pilot. Monnett notes that the Xenos weighs the
same, at full gross, as a Grob 109 weighs... empty.
The new Xenos motorglider will be offered only as a complete kit
from Sonex,ltd. The kit will contain laser-cut parts, formed ribs,
all welded components, along with all formed aluminum parts. It
will only be offered with a tail-dragger configuration. Options
will include a center or dual stick and two engine choices. The
Xenos can be built for under $28,000 complete if the Sonex
Aero-Vee, VW Conversion, is used. Kit availability is expected to
be announced early in 2004.
More News
From 2023 (YouTube Edition): A Moniker Well-Chosen Founded in 2021 by serial entrepreneur David Mayman and headquartered in New York City, Mayman Aerospace is the designer and manu>[...]
The Controller Provided The Pilot With A Low Altitude Alert And The Altimeter Setting That Was Current At The Time On October 13, 2025, at about 0815 eastern daylight time, a Socat>[...]
Outer Marker A marker beacon at or near the glideslope intercept altitude of an ILS approach. It is keyed to transmit two dashes per second on a 400 Hz tone, which is received aura>[...]
Aero Linx: Seaplane Pilots Association The Seaplane Pilots Association is the only organization in the world solely focused on representing the interests of seaplane pilots, owners>[...]
“While business aviation is fully included in the FAA’s traffic reductions, we know that our sector will continue to pursue mandatory and voluntary means to ensure we a>[...]
Classic Aero-TV: Mayman Aerospace Speeder Dazzles Oshkosh Crowds
See All