Bob CollinsThe FAA got the dying small airplane market revived many years ago when it created a category of aircraft to allow people to build and fly their own airplanes, often at a fraction of the cost of a certified aircraft from a company like Cirrus or Cessna.
Eventually, that decision allowed a new industry to pop up in the ’90s — companies that sold aircraft kits, which is less about building and more about assembling (disclaimer: I’ve been building, err, assembling one for the last 10 years).
Today, the next likely frontier appeared in the sky when the Sonex company — one of the more popular kit makers — test flew a jet for the second time that it may offer to people as a kit. It happened over in Oshkosh. The first flight was yesterday.
Want one?
The company says it hasn’t decided yet whether to market the jet.
It does look a little familiar, although it doesn’t collapse into a briefcase. Yet.
