Registration

[surfly]

Can a Onex be registered as an Experimental Light Sport Aircraft or only as a Light Sport Aircraft that is required to be placarded experimental in the cockpit?
Surfly

[chris]

Only as experimental amateur built. To be elsa there has to be an slsa. You can still fly under light sport rules as long as the aircraft fits the performance constraints of the light sport regulations.

[SonexN76ET]

A Onex can only be registered in the United States as Experimental Amateur Built (EAB) or if built with commercial assistance Experimental Exhibition which carries numerous restrictions beyond the EAB designation. To my knowledge all Sonex and Onex aircraft are registered as EAB except one or two that were registered as Experimental Light Sport PRIOR to the FAA window ending for registering FAT ultralights prior to 2009.

A Onex EAB is sport pilot eligible as long as the builder builds it as designed to fit within that eligibility (mainly weight, stall speed, and speed at sea level at max continuous HP).

Jake