The Sonerai is a small, VW

Volkswagen air cooled engine

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

 powered homebuilt aircraft designed by John Monnett. The Sonerai began to compete as a single seat mid-wing Formula-V racer

Formula V Air Racing

Formula V Air Racing is an American motorsport that involves small aircraft using engines up to 100 cubic inches in displacement.- History :The proposal for Formula V has its roots in the 1964 Reno Air Races....

 class formed in 1972. The Sonerai soon evolved into a two-seat model called the Sonerai II. Later versions included a low wing Sonerai IIL, a tricycle gear Sonerai IILT and finally the stretched Sonerai IILS and IILST.

John Monnett came up with the name Sonerai from a combination of the words Sonic and Cosmic-Ray Many Sonerais have been built and it remains a very popular design for people seeking a low cost experimental aircraft with good speed and maneuverability. The airframe cost to build in 1974 was estimated at $2,500. The 2010 airframe cost is approximately $6,000 (US) and the total cost is approximately $15,000 (US) with the addition of hardware, instrumentation, engine and other required items. The time to build is between 800 and 1000 hours.

Design

The Sonerai I was designed to use the 1,600cc VW engine and the Sonerai II was designed to use the 1700cc VW engine. The wings were designed to fold alongside the fuselage for towing without a trailer and compact storage. The Sonerai II was designed to be soloed from the rear seat. The aircraft is built around a fabric covered steel tube fuselage with all aluminum wings and a fiberglass nose cowl. The plans cost $50 and $57 in 1974.

Great Plains Aircraft Supply Company

Great Plains Aircraft Supply Company

Great Plains Aircraft Supply Company is a United States aircraft manufacturer of experimental plans based primarily on the Volkswagen air-cooled engine...

 currently holds the rights to the Sonerai series of aircraft. The aircraft is not available as a kit, and can be assembled using plans only.

Operational history

The protoype Sonerai 1 was displayed at the Experimental Aircraft Association Airshow in Oshkosh, Wisconsin

Oshkosh, Wisconsin

As of the census of 2000, there were 62,916 people, 24,082 households, and 13,654 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,662.2 people per square mile . There were 25,420 housing units at an average density of 1,075.6 per square mile...

 where Monnett eventually relocated. The aircraft was painted a bright green that became the color of all the future prototypes and company marketing. The shade was from a 1971 Dodge Charger

Dodge Charger (B-body)

The Dodge Charger was a mid-size automobile produced by Dodge. The 1966-1974 Chargers were based on the Chrysler B platform. The 1975-1978 Chargers were based on the Chrysler Cordoba.-Origin of the Charger:...

 John Monnett saw painted Sassy Grass Green.

World Records

Brian Dempsey built a Sonerai I that holds a world record. The C-1a/0 (Landplanes: take off weight less than 300 kg) Speed over a straight 15/25 km course of 292.15 km/h on February 19, 1989.

Robin Austin of Australia built a Sonerai IIL with a 100hp Rotax engine. The aircraft has set the following FAI records for C-1a/0 (Landplanes: take off weight less than 300 kg).

• Aeroplane Efficiency : 29.79 km/kg 05/06/2008 Jacobs Well, QLD (Australia)
• Speed over a recognised course 404.3 km/h 17 May 2008 St. George, QLD (Australia) - Brisbane, QLD (Australia))
• Speed over a recognised course 440.0 km/h 28 Jul 2008 Blackall, QLD (Australia)- Rockhampton, QLD (Australia))
• Aeroplane Efficiency 37.22 km/kg 08 Jun 2008 C1-b Class

Variants

Sonerai I

Single-seat Formula V Racer

Sonerai II

Two-seat mid-wing

Sonerai IIL

Two-seat low-wing

Sonerai IILT

Two-seat low-wing tricycle gear

Tricycle gear

Tricycle gear describes an aircraft undercarriage, or landing gear, arranged in a tricycle fashion. The tricycle arrangement has one wheel in the front, called the nose wheel, and two or more main wheels slightly aft of the center of gravity...

Sonerai IILS

Two-seat low-wing stretch fuselage

Sonerai IILST

Two-seat low-wing stretch tricycle gear

Specifications (Sonerai II)

External links

• Sonerai.net
• Great Plains Aircraft and Supply