Sonex Program Proves Refuted Notion

The business of building an airplane is a complex, convoluted, nigh-impossible undertaking best left to aerospace engineers and multinational corporations, yes? The folks at Sonex, the Oshkosh-based manufacturer of kit aircraft such as the Waiex-B, Sonex-B, and Onex, disagree—emphatically. To prove their assertion, Sonex owner Mark Schaible and the Sonex team have devised a compelling exercise they call One Week Wonder.

The appositely named endeavor is a seven-day undertaking during which volunteers assemble a genuine, operational, Sonex, Waiex-B aircraft from the selfsame kit the company provides its customers.

Arriving bright and early on the opening day of events like AirVenture and Sun 'n Fun, volunteers get immediately about the work of turning individual parts into sub-assemblies, sub-assemblies into major-assemblies, and finally, major-assemblies into a complete Waiex-B. While some volunteers read instructions, study schematics, and rivet, others busy themselves engaging onlookers, answering questions, and even offering individuals interested in doing so opportunity to help assemble the airplane.

At the end of seven-days, the completed aircraft is ready to taxi. By the end of the airshow—after requisite inspections and sign-off by a D.A.R.—the Waiex-B is issued its airworthiness certificate. The feat is remarkable and—in addition to bringing forth a slick, eminently capable airplane—serves to foster interest in general aviation and demonstrate that regular, non-engineer types can indeed build an airplane.

Persons interested in Sonex aircraft or volunteering for future One Week Wonder events can learn more in the accompanying Aero News video, or visit sonexaircraft.com.

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