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.

FMI: www.sonex-ltd.com/xenos.html