Post #867012

The Sonex line are a series of extremely low-cost one & two-place aircraft that are effectively like a motorcycle. Fun but not very practical. No room for baggage, nor could the two-seat bird ever be used as a trainer, even under the new Light Sport Aircraft regulations. To be honest, even if they sold their aircraft ready to fly, they'd likely be in the same pickle. They specialized in filling a very tight niche in the market where interest in single-place sport planes has unfortunately been waning for some time, even by kitplane standards. All the market studies we commissioned before going into business effectively said the same three basic things....loudly- 1. Due to a number of life-related reasons, our demographic (ie anyone who aren't retirees), for the most part is completely uninterested in purchasing a kit, let alone building one. I don't blame our peers; building an aircraft is a major undertaking, even if you know what you're doing. Besides, even if you wanted to, you need lots of space & time...and a lot of money. Many go the kit route under the guise of saving money, but the personal & family time sacrified to devote to such a project is valued far beyond money. There is a big reason why less than 30% of all kits sold are ever completed- life. 2. Those who want to purchase an aircraft would rather much buy one that's ready to go, even if it costs significantly more than any kit out there, and if they are wishing to buy, regardless of new or used, they want one that has some practical utility to it...ie one that can take a few folks & their baggage and go somewhere, not a single-seat fun flyer. 3. Unless you have other profitable income streams, the only way to make a fortune going the kit manufacturer route is to start with a much larger one, no matter how good the design is. We too had a 4-place kit-built design in the works, but when the FAA announced the new MOSAIC LSA rules last summer, we decided to take the risk and become a full OEM so we can sell ready to fly. It meant that a full redesign was necessary to satisfy the new regulations, but has been worth it so far; I think we will have a much better airplane as a result when we build & fly the thing. That said, given that other kit manufacturers are now pivoting to factory-built as well, the declining interest in doing a kit was probably inevitable. Maybe that is the lesson to be learned; it is a good thing we are not going the same path they did.