Tall Pilot considering a Sonex.

[JT1974]

Hi everybody. I'm 6'3" tall and I'm interested in building either a Onex or a Sonex with either a center stick setup or dual sticks with the lowered seat mod. I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have any trouble fitting in a Onex, but if I could fit in the Sonex comfortably I would rather have the 2-place for taking my kids for rides and for added cargo room for camping gear as I would like to eventually fly to various events and camp for the weekend. I'm thinking I wouldn't be able to haul a tent and sleeping bag in the Onex.

I'm located in Southwest, Wisconsin and I would be willing to drive or fly anywhere within a couple hundred miles to sit in a Sonex or Waiex that was built by a Tall Pilot (meaning lowered seat and raised canopy). I don't suppose the Monnett's will ever make a Super-Sonex scaled up 15% larger than the existing airframe kinda like how they scaled the Onex down to 85%, but hopefully there is a way to lower the seat and raise the canopy enough on the Sonex so that I can fit in one.

If there are any tall Sonex builders out there please chime in with your thoughts. I'm trying to decide if a Sonex is doable or if I should go with the Onex since it has more headroom and legroom.

Jason Teynor
Ontario, Wisconsin

[Rynoth]

Hi Jason, you're only 120 miles from Oshkosh, why not just go to Sonex in Oshkosh and sit in (or even take a flight) in one of theirs? I'm 6'2" 250lbs and fit comfortably (albeit snugly) with Joe Norris in their trainer. I think you would be fine in a Sonex with a lowered seat.

I'm not sure there is any way to "raise" the canopy other than to make the windshield bow as high as possible. It's really the Turtledeck that defines the height of the canopy in the area of your head.

[JT1974]

Good question Ryan. I actually did visit the Sonex factory about 8 years ago. I met John, Betty, Jeremy and Kerry Fores. Everybody was very nice and they let me sit in a Sonex and I was able to close the canopy, but it was a pretty snug fit. I don't believe Sonex had any planes in their Hangar with the lowered seat option built in. John and Jeremy are probably somewhere around 5'4" (just a guess) so it makes sense that they didn't build their factory planes with lowered seats.

If Sonex has a plane with a lowered seat I'll be happy to drove to Oshkosh and check it out. They didn't the last time I was there, but they might have one now. I just figured I would see if there are any Tall Sonex builders out there who had the lowered seat so that I could not only test fit a completed plane, but also get real world feedback from a tall builder/pilot. I just want to make sure that this will work before I spend 1,000 hours building a Sonex only to find out that I should have went with the roomier Onex.

[MichaelFarley56]

Hello Jason,

Great question! I'm 6'3", 240 lbs and fit in my Waiex comfortably with the stock interior offered from Sonex. In fact, when I wear my standard headset, I still have 2-3" of room between my head and the canopy.

You will need a Sonex with the lowered seat modification (standard on the Waiex) and you'll be fine unless you want to sit on a huge amount of cushions. I've had people as tall as 6'6" sit in my Waiex (no cushions) and they all have plenty of room.

As others have said though, the only way to know for sure is to find a plane and sit in one!

[Rynoth]

I'm pretty sure the Sonex Sport Trainer that I flew at the factory in has the lowered seat (and dual sticks.) I don't believe you can have a center stick with the lowered seat. Nor can you have a Waiex with a center stick.

They also have a cockpit mock-up (basically just the fwd fuselage of a Sonex) with dual-stick lowered seat that you can try on for size. It has padded seats. Here's a pic of me in it. Plenty of room above my head (probably 3-4 inches.) I'm 6'2".

http://www.rynoth.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/20131005_2114081.jpg

[fastj22]

You can have a center stick with the lowered seat in a Waiex, but you have to re-engineer the elevator pushrod to clear the aileron yoke. Of course this is not factory supported and clearly reinforces the term "experimental".

I like it. It allows me to fly center when doing aerobatics and wearing a parachute. Left seat I have plenty of headroom without the parachute.

I'm 6'1" and I barely fit in the left seat of a standard non-lowered seat Sonex.

Other options I've heard of is using a Todd's canopy to gain some more headroom.

[Sonerai13]

I'm pretty sure the Sonex Sport Trainer that I flew at the factory in has the lowered seat (and dual sticks.) I don't believe you can have a center stick with the lowered seat. Nor can you have a Waiex with a center stick.

They also have a cockpit mock-up (basically just the fwd fuselage of a Sonex) with dual-stick lowered seat that you can try on for size. It has padded seats. Here's a pic of me in it. Plenty of room above my head (probably 3-4 inches.) I'm 6'2".

Ryan,

All of our factory prototypes have the standard seat. The "Pod" (our cockpit mock-up) does have the lowered seat, so it is available for "test fitting".

You are correct in that the lowered seat is not compatible with the center stick. And all Waiex kits come with the lowered seat, so will have dual sticks. However, I believe there is one builder-modified Waiex that has a center stick. Some searching on this forum might result in some info on that.

[JT1974]

Thanks for the replies everybody. I'll make the trek over to Sonex later this week or next week and check out the Pod. Based on Ryan's picture it looks like I'll fit with the lowered seat. I was almost ready to pull the trigger on a Onex, but then I got to watching YouTube videos of Jeff Schultz and Aaron Knight flying around with their kids in a Sonex and I decided that I want to make some memories like that with my kids as well. So, the Onex will have to wait for another day.

[SonexN76ET]

You will enjoy your trip to the Sonex headquarters. The people there are all very enthusiastic and professional. You won't be subject to any hard sells or made to feel uncomfortable. Instead, you will find it a very pleasant experience. You will learn a lot and you will be impressed with the facility, the people, the engineering, and the aircraft. All in all, Sonex is a fantastic company.

[Fastcapy]

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