John Monnet's "Real" Sailplane - MONERAI

[winsor68]

I was talking to a friend about how we are HUGE fans of John Monnet's aircraft designs... we hear a lot about the Sonex, some about the Sonerai (my favourite)...but very little about this little firecracker. Thought I may as well start a thread just for interest sake...

 

 

http://www.monerai.com/

 

http://www.nadler.com/public/1995_Flying_the_Monerai.html

 

 

 

[winsor68]

I believe the thinking behind RC sailplanes utilizing V tails is the reduction in drag from using a V with less corners than a + ... In time they settled it seems on the T ... there are not many full size V tail designs but RC competition Sailplanes were (are?) dominated by the design... I think the aid of computer radio systems to trim really bought the most out of them...

 

 

[winsor68]

Wow! Now there is a possibility. Fly by wire technology is getting much more reliable in RC aircraft... an aircraft such as the Monerai would need a couple (per surface...all doubled or more for redundancy) of high torque super dooper RC servos... with a fly by wire system in the cockpit... I wouldn't do it myself but it IS doable with todays technology without spending a fortune even.... just a matter of time I guess.

 

 

[408059]

Hmmm. This thread brings back memories.

 

Back in the late 80s I bought, in partnership, a monerai and flew it at Euroa. I think it was Terry Whitford's old VH-HDH but would have to check my log book. It was an interesting aircraft to fly. The monerai was very light so I could stay up in the lightest of thermals. The major draw back was the all flying tail. Behind the Maule Rocket tug it was impossible for me to keep in station. Landing in gusty conditions was equally challenging. My partner had similar issues. I was a low hour pilot in those days so we sold it on to Terry.

 

Cheers

 

Steve

 

 

[kaz3g]

Hmmm. This thread brings back memories.Back in the late 80s I bought, in partnership, a monerai and flew it at Euroa. I think it was Terry Whitford's old VH-HDH but would have to check my log book. It was an interesting aircraft to fly. The monerai was very light so I could stay up in the lightest of thermals. The major draw back was the all flying tail. Behind the Maule Rocket tug it was impossible for me to keep in station. Landing in gusty conditions was equally challenging. My partner had similar issues. I was a low hour pilot in those days so we sold it on to Terry.

 

Cheers

 

Steve

Well, I'll be.... I was just thinking about a Monerai I had one flight in at Euroa.

 

I did it on the winch, I think? I do remember it scared me a bit because the controls were incredibly light and I was over controlling it until I just took the stick between thumb and first finger.

 

That was a long time ago. Must be at least 30 years.

 

I also had a flight in a Salto which was an aerobatic, V tail glider. That handled extremely well!

 

kaz

 

 

[408059]

I have a vague memory of you Kaz. As you said, it was many years ago now.

 

The Monerai only had a tow hook and we used to advise everyone to stay in high tow to be safe. This did not sit well with Peter and Mark, the resident instructors. Other interesting characteristics include: 1) it never travelled in a straight line because of the lack of tail control (though the pilot probably contributed to this issue as well), 2) flaps were used as spoilers, which made landings interesting, and 3) I never liked the canvas sling seat that put you inches above the main wheel box. A fun aircraft though.

 

I also had a Salto on line for a while at Euroa. Now that was a well thought out V tailed aircraft. I was into gliding aerobatics in those days and did the the American nationals at Fond du lac and a couple of comps at Lasham in the UK. The Salto served me well in practice for those competitions. It had the best roll rate for a glider in those days, loops were easy and flick pull throughs were awesome. What the the salto did not do well was coming out on line from a spin. Most competition aerobatic routines in those days required a one and a quarter spins and you always over or undershot the exit line. Also, outside loops were a little tricky because of the slim wing profile. You had to go in with reasonable speed and if you pushed too hard you high speed stalled it and if you were too light on the push you got an egg shaped loop at best or a tailslide. Although the Salto was rated for tailslides I never liked them and they were unpredictable given the V tail. It was a good cross country machine as well, but you needed good days for long distances. I used to get a lot of advice from Ursula Hanle the designer and builder of the glider. She was very passionate about the glider but has probably passed on now. There were no aerobatic competitions in Australia and you had to get aerobatic training overseas so my passion wained.

 

Cheers

 

Steve