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Payload vs. Range
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We do not have a cruise speed on file for this aircraft, so there is no honest time or cost to give you for this leg.
En route
Fuel burned
Direct cost
Fuel cost
Tanks run dry about past before at this burn.
Mission Profile
Estimated Ownership Costs
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About the Xenos
Overview
The Sonex Xenos is a two-seat experimental amateur-built (E-AB) motorglider from Sonex Aircraft of Oshkosh, Wisconsin, sold as a builder’s kit and offered today as the Xenos-B. It mates the Sonex fuselage and the 80 hp AeroVee 2180, a Volkswagen-derived flat-four, to a long 45-foot wing. That combination gives a 24:1 glide ratio, a service ceiling near 29,000 feet and a cruise around 120 knots on under 4 gallons per hour. The wings are removable for trailering and hangar storage, and the aircraft is registered as an experimental airplane rather than in the glider category.
The Xenos suits a pilot who wants powered cross-country economy with the option to shut the engine down and soar, without the cost or tow-plane logistics of a pure sailplane. Against its stablemates the Sonex and Waiex it trades their higher cruise and aerobatic clearance for a 45-foot wing that delivers a 24:1 glide and a ceiling near 29,000 feet; against a factory-built certified motorglider it gives up a type certificate and ready-to-fly delivery but costs a fraction to buy and operate. Registered as an experimental airplane, it is flown on airplane privileges rather than a glider rating, so the decision usually comes down to whether the soaring mission justifies the long span’s hangar space and wing rigging.
Key Features for GA Buyers
- 24:1 glide ratio. The 45-foot wing lets the Xenos soar with the engine at idle or shut down, giving sailplane-like glide performance uncommon in a powered kit.
- High service ceiling. On the 80 hp AeroVee the Xenos reaches roughly 29,000 feet, opening wave and high-altitude soaring well above most light singles.
- VW-conversion economy. The AeroVee 2180 burns under 4 gallons per hour and runs on avgas or automotive mogas, keeping powered cross-country costs low.
- Removable wings. The wings come off for trailering and more compact hangar storage, easing the space demands of a 45-foot span.
Trade-offs
- Long-wing storage and handling. The 45-foot span needs more hangar width and careful ground handling than the 22-foot Sonex, and the wings must be rigged before each outing unless the aircraft is hangared assembled.
- Modest cruise. At about 120 knots the Xenos is the slowest cruiser in the family, the price paid for the soaring wing.
- Owner-built quality varies. As an amateur-built kit its finish and rigging reflect the builder; a soaring airframe especially rewards a careful pre-buy of the wing structure and control runs.
- No published engine TBO. The VW-derived AeroVee carries no certified time between overhauls, so overhaul reserve is a planning judgment rather than a manufacturer figure.
See Also
- Sonex – the two-seat powered sibling on the same fuselage and engine. Compare
- Waiex – Y-tail two-seat Sonex variant. Compare
- Onex – single-seat folding-wing Sonex on the same engine. Compare
- Sonerai II – Monnett’s VW-powered tandem racer, the line’s ancestor. Compare
Technical Specifications
Dimensions & Weights
- Height
- 5 ft
- Length
- 20 ft
- Parking area (ft²2)
- 1,378 ft²
- Max Takeoff Weight
- Source: manufacturer figure 1,275 lbs
- Max Landing Weight
- 1,275 lbs
- Useful Load
- Source: manufacturer figure 515 lbs
- Fuel Capacity
- 20 gal
Performance
- Cruise Speed
- Source: manufacturer figure 120 KTAS
- Never-Exceed (VNE)
- Source: manufacturer figure 130 KIAS
- Stall, Clean (VS1)
- Source: manufacturer figure 38 KIAS
- Range
- 435 NM
- Service Ceiling
- 29,000 ft
- Rate of Climb
- 800 fpm
Engine
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Sources
Where the figures on this page come from. Xenos specifications are traced to published references; estimated values are flagged inline next to the figure.
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