G-BLAI - Monnett Sonerai II
Manufacturer Information
The Sonerai is a small, VW-powered homebuilt aircraft, designed by John Monnett. The Sonerai began to compete as a single-seat, mid-wing, tailwheel Formula-V racer class formed in 1972. The Sonerai soon evolved into a two-seat model called the Sonerai II.
Inspired by the Spitfire, an elliptical tail profile was incorporated. Elliptical wingtips and a low-wing configuration were dropped, but a low-wing Sonerai II variant was released later. The Sonerai I was designed to use a direct drive 1,600cc VW engine and the Sonerai II was designed to use the 1700cc VW engine.
History of the reg
A unique entry in our portfolio, the Monnett Sonerai II-L is a home-built kit aircraft registered in 1997 under the registration G-BLAI.
As it was used by a private owner, not much is known about the flight history of the aircraft, but we know that it was decomissioned several years ago.
Our History with the Aircraft
A novel addition to the bar, the Sonerai sits atop our VIP pods and represents a more grass-roots form of Aviation.
Aquired by one of our founders, Wayne, several years ago, the Sonerai was sat in a garage for years with most of its major components (including wings, cockpit and wheels), prior to being moved to the bar.
The aircraft will likely be partially rebuilt in the future, returning some of its former glory.
