FLYING Magazine
Sonex Aviation will be at EAA AirVenture in July in Oshkosh, Wisconsin.
The company, formerly known as Sonex Aircraft, shut down in March. Then on May 1, it was announced that all assets of Sonex Aircraft, including the Sonex Aerospace and AeroConversions lines, had been acquired by ON Capital Inc., led by Stephen Osborne.
When FLYING reached out to Osborne in May, he asked us to “call him back” in June for an update.
“We are back in business and getting parts and kits shipped to customers,” Osborne said. “Development of our new Sonex Highwing is nearing completion with the wing structure entering the testing phase this week. Flight tests have resumed this month.”
Now known as Sonex Aviation, the company has 12 people on staff, with plans to add more as production increases. Osborne said there were “eight original staff from pre-close, and we have added four new people. Operations are nearly scaled back up to full production.”
Osborne said the supply chain, which can make or break an aircraft manufacturer, is healthy and improving.
“This is primarily driven by our acquisition of our largest third party precision machine parts supplier and bringing them in house,” he said. “[It] really sped up the production of key components and parts.”
Customer reaction has been almost completely positive, he added.
“There were a few customers frustrated with the closure, but they have been very understanding,” he said.
About the Company
Sonex Aircraft was founded in 1998 in Oshkosh by John Monnett. The metal low-wing aircraft quickly became a favorite among home aircraft builders, especially those who didn’t want to be working with composites and glue.
The shutdown was announced in a video message by owner Mark Schaible, who had worked at the company since 2003 and became its owner in ’22. Schaible described the conditions leading up to the decision as a “perfect storm of bank pressure, lack of sales, increasing costs, competition from our own aircraft on the used market, and cash flow realities [that] are now not allowing us to continue our work.”
In the weeks following the closure, Sonex customers in the middle of a build were concerned but at the same time understanding about the closure and happy to hear about the restart a few weeks later.
“The support and understanding of the closure and restart has been incredibly gracious as we work to get things fired back up,” said Osborne.
According to Osborne, the current timeline for the Highwing is that wing kits will start shipping in late July, with fuselage kits shipping shortly after.