Any OneX builders wish they'd have gone with 2 seats?

[jfclisham]

So, if you saw my other post, I'm seriously considering building a Sonex branded airplane. The model to build is my dilemma. I just checked my logbook and this past year I booked about 50 hours in my 152. Of that, 45 hours was solo. That started me thinking about whether a Onex or some other single seater like a Panther may be a better fit. Both certainly get my blood pumping more than even the Sonex B. But, for some reason I still have that nagging in the back of my mind that while I never take passengers, it's nice to have that option. The question is this: Is that option worth the $8-$9k premium?

So, any Onex flyers wish they'd gone Sonex/Waiex? Btw - this would be my sole aircraft. So it would mean renting for me if I needed 2 seats.

[Spinnetti]

Well, think about it this way:
With a two seater, you can always fly solo, but with a single seater, you can never take a passenger
Resale of a two seater is higher
you could always buy used and save a bunch of money over building....

[lgsievila]

I am very happy with my Onex since I repowered it and it is a blast to fly. Like you I had a 150 before I started to build my Onex and flew mostly alone and would occasionally rent a 172 when I wanted to take friends on a scenic tour of Mt St Helens or out to the ocean. Previously I owned a Cessna Cardinal and Piper Arrow and we would take family trips with those airplanes. The kids are long gone from home and my wife doesn't really care about going to some distant airport for that hamburger so the Onex was an obvious choice for me.

The folding wings were a draw for me along with the projected performance numbers. The build was pretty straighforward even though there were quite a few changes to the drawings early on(I was kit #33) but I think those problems are no longer an issue. And the folding wings make trailering very easy. Since it is only 12 miles from my airport(KKLS) to my house on the back roads, I haul my Onex home for Annuals or if I want to do some maintenance in the winter months. I just find it easier to take my Onex home instead of making multiple trips getting tools that I didn't anticipate I would need. One caveat is that the Onex with full length wings and factory gear will not fit in a standard 8 ft garage/shop door. I have a 9 ft door on my shop and I have about 5 inches to spare when I roll it in.

At one point we had 2 Onexs and an RV 4 in one T-hangar which certainly helped keeping those costs down and I now share with the RV driver. I don't know what hangar costs are in your area but assume $250 to $300 a month. If you share with one other plane you have $125 to $150 a month that can be banked for that occasional rental. My fuel burn is consistently less than 4 gph avgas or non ethanol mogas.

[jfclisham]

Thanks guys, so what you're saying is I need to build a Onex and find a hangar mate with a 2 seat RV to borrow!

[vhhomer]

I have a Sonex and a Onex both with Jab 3300. The Onex is a fun airplane to fly, but not so great if you want to go somewhere. It is less stable than the Sonex, has no room for any baggage and shorter range. In addition, the Onex runs out of climb much sooner than the Sonex. Something to do with wing area. My Onex has a wing leveler and a seven gal. aux tank. It's still has to be flown all the time in pitch. If you equip a Onex with all the things that are needed to fix the shortcomings you won't have a 6 "G" airplane any more because you'll be over gross. On the other hand it's faster, more maneuverable and take up less hangar space than the Sonex. It all depends what you want to do with your airplane. The perfect world would be a built light Onex for local aerial recreation and a tricked out Sonex for travel.

Vince Homer

[x3 skier]

When I decided to go ahead and build a Sonex Aircraft, I really never considered other than the Onex.

The folding wing design will allow me to keep both my aircraft, the other being an Ultralight, in the same Hangar after completing the Onex. Anytime I need to have a passenger(s), there’s plenty of rentals in the area. I keep current in Cherokees and a Light Sport Tecnam P92 Echo.

Absolutely no regrets choosing a Onex and looking forward to a great experience when it’s completed.