Monnett Sonerai I
These figures describe a typical build. Each aircraft of this design was built by its owner, and the one you are looking at may differ.
The Sonerai I is John Monnett's single-seat Formula V racer of 1971, the original of the Sonerai line: a small mid-wing of aluminium and steel tube with folding wings and a Volkswagen conversion, built from plans and raced in the class it was designed for.
A Sonerai I is a 1970s plans-built racer for one, and nothing beyond its identity could be sourced in this research, so the aircraft's own weight-and-balance, test figures and logbooks are the whole basis of a purchase; expect a tight cockpit, a Volkswagen conversion with no certified parts chain and handling tuned for pylons rather than for an inexperienced pilot. The welded fuselage and wing-attach fittings are the inspection and the builder's log the history; there is no two-seat Sonerai I, though the Sonerai II is close enough to be useful for familiarisation. The owner may maintain it and the condition inspection needs an A&P or the repairman certificate; plans and parts come from Sonerai Works.
Variants of the Monnett Sonerai
- Sonerai I · 1971 · 13 active · this page
- Sonerai II · 138 active
Also consider
TAILFAX SCORE
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Among 1–2 seat pistons (321 models)
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What it is
| Seats | 1 |
|---|---|
| Landing gear | tailwheel |
| Engines | — |
| Engine | Volkswagen 1600-1700 cc conversion (Formula V racer) |
| Horsepower | — |
| Fuel | — |
| Certification basis | amateur-built |
| Production start | 1971 |
| Production end | — |
| Endorsements required | — |
Performance
| Cruise (75 % power) | — |
|---|---|
| Range (75 %, standard fuel, 30-min reserve) | — |
| Service ceiling | — |
| Climb rate | — |
| Stall speed (Vso) | — |
| Takeoff over 50 ft | — |
| Landing over 50 ft | — |
Load and fuel
| Seats | 1 |
|---|---|
| Useful load | — |
| Full-fuel payload | — |
| Max takeoff weight | — |
| Empty weight | — |
| Usable fuel | — |
| Fuel burn at cruise | — |
Cost of ownership
| Price, low | — |
|---|---|
| Price, high | — |
| Prices as of | — |
| Engine TBO | — |
| Overhaul cost, low | — |
| Overhaul cost, high | — |
The fleet and its record
| Registered, all time | 76 |
|---|---|
| Active fleet | 13 |
| Median year built | 1994 |
| NTSB events, last 10 years | 0 |
| Fatal events, last 10 years | 0 |
| Events per 1,000 active, last 10 years | — |
| Personal-flying events per 1,000 active | — |
| Ownership transfers, last 24 months | 5 |
| Transfers per 100 active | — |
| Airworthiness directives | 0 |
| Directives, last 5 years | 0 |
| Rate confidence | none |
Peer scores6
| Peer class | Fixed wing single-engine, piston, 1 engine, 1-2 seats |
|---|---|
| Accident record | —1 |
| Severity | —2 |
| Access | —3 |
| Support | 1.7 of 104 |
| Liquidity | —5 |
- Accident record: class median 36.69 · 321 models in class.
- Severity: class median 13.04.
- Access: class median 1,000.
- Support: class median 77.5.
- Liquidity: class median 20.
- Each of the five categories places the model within its peer class, from 0 (the worst of the class) to 10 (the best): a position among comparable models, not a grade. The overall score is the sum of the categories shown that are scored, out of 10 for each (50 when all five are); it is given only when at least 4 of the five are scored, and it can be set against another model's only when both are in the same peer class and scored on the same categories. When accident record and severity cannot be scored because the model has too few records, the other three give a partial score out of 30, labelled as such; it is never set against a full score.
Data as of: FAA registry Sep 28 · NTSB Oct 2 · ADs Oct 8 · scores Sep 30