I just received a new book, JOHN MONNETT: FROM SONERAI TO SONEX by Jim Cunningham. For those that don't know, John Monnett is well-known in homebuilt aircraft and air racing circles in the USA as the designer of the Sonerai series of racers and sport planes, the Monerai sailplane and motorglider, the Monex racer, the Moni motorglider and sport plane and today's very successful Sonex series of kitplanes and AeroVee engine. In the book I found three items that might interest this group:
The first two are RPV designs based on John Monnett's successful Moni motorglider and Mini Moni sportplane variant. No data is given other than a brief caption, but the Monnett Moni is well documented. These two designs date from just before the closure of Monnett's original kitplane company in 1987, when the company was owned by a British firm and operated under the name of INAV.
The third is a photo of a concept model of the Monerai representing the original motorglider design using a Sachs 25h two-stroke engine in a pusher configuration. Sachs stopped producing the engine so the prototype was modified during construction to the more familiar damselfly look and a separate dorsal power pod added later to convert the sailplane to a motorglider.
Cheers,
Matthew
The first two are RPV designs based on John Monnett's successful Moni motorglider and Mini Moni sportplane variant. No data is given other than a brief caption, but the Monnett Moni is well documented. These two designs date from just before the closure of Monnett's original kitplane company in 1987, when the company was owned by a British firm and operated under the name of INAV.
The third is a photo of a concept model of the Monerai representing the original motorglider design using a Sachs 25h two-stroke engine in a pusher configuration. Sachs stopped producing the engine so the prototype was modified during construction to the more familiar damselfly look and a separate dorsal power pod added later to convert the sailplane to a motorglider.
Cheers,
Matthew
