Kevin, If the lifting body premise was valid, the Cleanex would show a demonstrable reduction in speed, and efficiency as well as an increase in the landing speed. To the best of my knowledge, there is no degradation of performance in the Cleanex. Perhaps Dale can confirm that?
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Here’s a comment from the EAA video “Blueprints and Bonds” from the feature they did on us:
I gave it a thumbs down a year ago. Personally I like the Sonex cowl look, although the Waiex is definitely 20% cooler. I really don’t see a cowl redesign having any positive effect on the bottom line.
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Sexy (or cool factor) sells. That needs to be refreshed every so often. Van’s offers the RV-7, the RV-9 & RV-15. They are all variations on the 2 place side by side airplane, with different configurations.
Lets talk about the elephant in the corner. The Sonex special sauce : Use a converted auto engine and run it at a higher RPM than certified engines. The prop now is smaller in diameter, The landing gear is shorter, and the wings are smaller. Less drag, go faster.
We all know that, but the average Joe, goes to OSH and sees a Sonex parked next to an RV-7 and thinks “ Ain’t that a cute little airplane, it’s like a toy plane. This RV looks like a real plane.”
It’s a marketing challenge.
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Well, I will be using a Corvair 3.0 L so I am not going to say you are wrong. But I am not an aeronautical engineer nor an aircraft designer so I am also not going to questions the knowledge, experience, or judgement of the likes of Wittman or Monnett. Perhaps it would have made more of a difference with the original VW that John was using in the prototype.
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That is true, especially for the first time builder, more especially for young first time builders. I remember when the Speed Queen came out, I was smitten.
Thank goodness a local EAA guy talked me off the cliff. I built an RV instead.
I have a dis-assembled Sonerai in the shop being used to develop the EFI I’ve been working on. I think it ranks pretty high in cool factor. It proves John knows what cool looks like 
It’s this very plane.
Anyway, as time passes, I’m more a believer in “form follows function”. If I ever build again, it will be a Sonex High Wing.
Wes
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I’ve got RV7A friends who have flown all over the US, are approaching 2000 hours, getting psyched up for the O360 overhaul and the doubler for the cracked horizontal stabilizer. I’ve also known RV4/8 guys who have flown less than I have, not as far, less aerobatics. But they spent a lot more than I did.
The Sonex was a niche that I could afford. And for a lot of RV guys, the Sonex was really all they needed to get the $100 hamburger.
It will be fun to see how we do in the Airventure Cup behind our little AeroVee.
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RVs are obviously great airplanes. Cudos to those who own and enjoy them.
I had an RV6A and a Sonex A at the same time. The RV rarely saw the light of day. I just had more fun flying the Sonex.
One thing that bothers me about current day RVs is that they aren’t experimental anymore. If you want a good one, buy the kit, buy the best pre-built instrument panel, buy the best paint job, buy … You end up out $150,000 by the time you’re finished. If your buddy has a better RV than yours then you must have forgotten to buy something. Lots of guys spend more on an RV paint job than I spent on my entire airplane.
Wes
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Hah. Neither was John Monnett. He was a high school art teacher with a vision.
The original Sonerai was designed to meet the Formula V race specs.
I wonder how many kits would be sold if there was a Sonex Cup race series … 
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I had a neighbor that was selling his RV8. Really nice airplane. Had it listed for $270K. Super paint job. He flew it for a couple more years than I had been flying, and had 100 hours less on the airframe. He would fly 50-60 miles and get food. A Sonex would have been perfect for the actual mission. But he had money, and one of the biggest appeals of the Sonex had no appeal to him. The biggest appeal - it’s affordable. That’s why I have one. The fact that it’s a great airplane is a bonus.
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Yep, the “Reality Check” is a real thing.
Wes
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Don’t kill the entry level option. That is what is killing GA. Everything is at least eight times more expensive than it needs to be. When I was raising my family, I couldn’t afford to fly at all. This deprived my kids of the joy and memory of flying with their dad. Now that I’m retired and have the time and a little money I can fly again. But I can only fly if I can get in cheaply. I will probably do some upgrades later but you have to start somewhere, starting at the top is not going to work for most people. My flying mission requires a small 2 place aircraft that can carry me and the wife to visit our family members in ID, CA, IN, FL, AZ, KY and TN in a reasonable amount of time, at a reasonable cost. Entry into aviation is getting less and less achievable. One day flying will be only for the rich, it’s close to that now unless you want to fly an ultralight around the patch here and there. I beg to differ with the person who said you can get a Jab, Rotax, Corvair or UL Power engines as cheap as an AeroVee. IDK
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Well sir … I’ll differ with you. Screenshot from the Sonex store:
Seventeen thousand dollars!
Latest public prices found for the 2850 cc (110 hp) Corvair aircraft engine (William Wynne / FlyCorvair):
Kit (unassembled): $14,250
Assembled (ready-to-run): $15,250
So while you are correct about Jabiru, Rotax, & UL Power … the Corvair remains the best “performance per dollar” engine option for the older model A Sonex airframes. It’s a shame that no mounts are available for the Model B or the Highwing.
I’d recommend to purchase one just for the sound … 
(https://youtu.be/uYJm2H3pqXY)
Dale
3.0 Corvair/Taildragger
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Whatever. I looked at Corvair when I was in the KR2 community. Crank failures were the prominent issue and there were no kits available and definitely no assembled units available at the time.
I don’t think it is much different for the RV market. You can get plenty RV’s for the price of the materials. Labor doesn’t figure in it much.
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The AeroVee was the price champion but I would agree with the latest prices it may not be the best option. My AeroVee was $6K when I bought the kit. If you buy a used one it can still be a contender.
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I don’t know why the AeroVee price went through the roof. I suspect Mark was trying to encourage the use of other engines.
This from Hummel Engine web site:
85 Hp at 3600 R.P.M. - 4 Cylinders - 147 lbs. (Slick Magneto w/New Case, Hand start 2400 cc) -$7,500.00
Starter/Alternator Kit for 4 Cylinder Engines - $875.00
Dual Ignition for 4 Cylinder Engines / Includes drilling heads for dual plugs - $625.00
If I were a young man, I would be tempted to start a company that sold only 2400 cc engines, with fuel injection of course, offering either 7:1 or 8:1 compression. I bet I could sell them assembled and test run for under $10,000.
Wes
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If you add up those numbers, it’s 9000 vs 12.5K for a new NA AeroVee. I thought it was $10K these days but I wasn’t keeping up with current prices.
And that 9000 gets you a pre-assembled and test run engine. That’s what I have.
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My 2c -
Only sell Sonex-Bs and High Wings. Provide all the proprietary AeroVee Aeroconversion products without selling core engines. And do a builder assist program.
They can streamline their product and people might pay a premium to have a solid sport airplane built under supervision in months rather than years. Sonex sells new airplanes and people fly away warm and fuzzy. Aviation101 Josh Flowers’ and Chelsea Smith’s Sling TSI youtube build video series from 2025 showed how a build assist program is its own product and can build brand trust in a huge way. Sonex kinda goes hands off once the kits leave the factory.
As far as engines - the attraction of the VW engine is that it can be maintained with pretty much off the shelf VW bug products which there is a large global market for. The modern engine solutions are similar in initial price but are ultimately way more expensive to maintain down the line. Apparently a Rotax 9 series overhaul is pretty much the cost of the new engine so people just chuck them when they reach TBO.
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