Monnett Experimental Aircraft was a

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

aircraft An aircraft is a vehicle that is able to fly by gaining support from the air. It counters the force of gravity by using either static lift or by using the dynamic lift of an airfoil, or in a few cases the downward thrust from jet engines ...

manufacturer. Founded by

John Monnett Sonex Aircraft, LLC is an American kit aircraft manufacturer located in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, producing kits for four all-metal homebuilt monoplanes. The company was founded in 1998 by John Monnett, who has designed the Monnett Sonerai sport ai ...

, a schoolteacher from Illinois who transitioned from a pilot of J3 Cubs and Aeronca Champs to building and designing

tube-and-fabric Tube-and-fabric construction is a method of building airframes, which include the fuselages and wings of airplanes. It consists of making a framework of metal tubes (generally welded together) and then covering the framework with an aircraft fabri ...

racing aircraft built around the

Volkswagen air-cooled engine The Volkswagen air-cooled engine is an air-cooled, gasoline-fuelled, boxer engine with four horizontally opposed cast-iron cylinders, cast aluminum alloy cylinder heads and pistons, magnesium-alloy crankcase, and forged steel crankshaft and co ...

. The company was founded to produce plans and kits for the Sonerai I aircraft. The Sonerai I was specially built to be used as a Formula V Air Racing racer. The follow-on aircraft, the Sonerai II was a two-seat modification that made the aircraft more marketable for sport piloting. In 1982, the company marketed its Moni motor glider. It was built of aluminum and featured bonded wing skins.

Ownership history

In 1986 Monnett Experimental Aircraft was sold to INAV Ltd. INAV remained viable for only one year. The rights to the Sonerai series of aircraft were sold to HAPI, and were then again purchased by

Great Plains Aircraft Supply Company Great Plains Aircraft Supply Company is an American aircraft manufacturer of experimental plans based primarily on the Volkswagen air-cooled engine. Great Plains provides VW engine conversions for use in experimental aircraft.Bayerl, Robby; Martin ...

, who still sells plans for the Sonerai aircraft. John Monnett went on to found a new company,

Sonex Aircraft Sonex Aircraft, LLC is an American kit aircraft manufacturer located in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, producing kits for four all-metal homebuilt monoplanes. The company was founded in 1998 by John Monnett, who has designed the Monnett Sonerai sport ai ...

. Sonex and its follow-on aircraft have a common lineage to the VW engines of the Sonerai and simple aluminum construction of the Moni and Monex.

Aircraft

References

{{Monnett aircraft Homebuilt aircraft Defunct aircraft manufacturers of the United States