Monnett Monerai

The Monnett Monerai is a sailplane that was developed in the United States in the late 1970s for homebuilding. It is a conventional pod-and-boom design with a V-tail and a mid-mounted cantilever wing of constant chord.

Monerai
Monerai S
Role Sailplane
National origin United States
Manufacturer Monnett Experimental Aircraft
Designer John Monnett
First flight 1978
Introduction 1978
Number built 100 by January 1984 from 375 kits sold.

The kit assembles in approximately 600 hours. It has bonded wing skins and incorporates 90° flaps for glide path control. The pod-and-boom fuselage consists of a welded steel tube truss encased in a fiberglass shell, with an aluminum tube for the tailboom. A spar fitting modification was released in 1983.[1]

A powered version was designed as the Monerai P with an engine mounted on a pylon above the wings. A Sachs Rotary Engine was chosen for the prototype.[2] A version with extended wing tips is also available (Monerai Max) which increases the span to 12 m (39 ft) and raises the glide ratio from 28:1 to more than 30:1.[3]

Both the powered Monerai P and the unpowered Monerai S versions are identical structurally.

Variants
Monerai S
unpowered glider
Monerai P
powered glider equipped with the 22 hp (16 kW) Zenoah G-25 or the 25 hp (19 kW) KFM 107 engine.[3]
Monerai Max
Monerai P version with extended wing tips[3]

Aircraft on display

Specifications (Monerai S)

General characteristics

  • Crew: One pilot
  • Length: 19 ft 7 in (5.97 m)
  • Wingspan: 36 ft 0 in (10.97 m)
  • Height: 4 ft 4 in (1.32 m)
  • Wing area: 78 sq ft (7.25 m2)
  • Aspect ratio: 16.6:1
  • Empty weight: 220 lb (100 kg)
  • Gross weight: 450 lb (204 kg)

Performance

  • Maximum speed: 120 mph (193 km/h, 100 kn)
  • Maximum glide ratio: 28:1 at 60mph
  • Rate of sink: 167 ft/min (0.85 m/s) at 55 mph: 167

References
  1. Moll, Nigel; Comstock, Bryan (May 1983). "Monerai Service Bulletin". Reporting Points. Flying. Vol. 110 no. 5. Ziff Davis. p. 12. ISSN 0015-4806. Retrieved 15 August 2016 – via Google Books.
  2. John Monnett (Oct 1977). "Try a new flavor... the Monerai". Sport Aviation.
  3. Said, Bob: 1983 Sailplane Directory, Soaring Magazine, page 123. Soaring Society of America, November 1983. USPS 499-920
  4. US Southwest Soaring Museum (2010). "Sailplanes, Hang Gliders & Motor Gliders". Retrieved 26 May 2011.
  5. http://neam.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=870
  • Jane's All the World's Aircraft 1985-86. p. 756.
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