Maybe I should get a Sonerai or a Sonex????

[weavor74]

I dont know. I like them. I want one but I dont know about welding. Im not good at that really never done it professionally. I did the old car battery style welding but thats not really airplane safe. I am really good with wood but this is different. How much skill should I have? Should I go with a Sonex Onex quickbuild kit? Really whats the difference between them?

 

[Flyingfool]

May want to compare the performance differences between the two at the sonex website.

If building from scratch. It depends. For one, the Sonerai 1 or 2 are both PLANS built only! No real “kits” like what is available for the oneX. Then there is the difference in materials used. The sonex is all metal while the Sonerai is mixed.

Sonex especially with quick build kit will be completed significantly faster than a plane built plane. But at a higher cost.

Then there is the simple aspect of looks. What airplane turns you on?

I personally like the looks of the Sonerai one better. But the performance of that and the sonex one are not all that different.

If you are a physically larger individual, then the oneX may fit you better.

It’s really what you can afford and how much time you want to spend building.

 

[Sailerboy]

Is there a source for complete, welded fuselages? Anybody out there sell just fuselages?

 

[spankyscub1]

There are several projects that come around every year and it seems most already have the fuselage welded and most have other bits included. A fair savings compared to starting from scratch. One on Barnstormers right now for $1850 that looks like a great start. The other one that just sold was a smokin deal I thought.

 

[blowen]

I don’t know if Great Plains manufactured their kits but they did offer a lot. Welded fuselage, wing kits and several other labor intensive parts and Of course engines. I would be interested if anyone knows who was making those kits.
I love the looks of a well made Sonerai. The sonex has a cartoon look that I just can’t warm up to.

 

[phzabriskie]

The very early "kits" were not so much kits as a collection of parts and a set of plans. My project descended from one such...whatchamacallit. I believe it was John Monnett himself that was putting them out and not for long as it was a lot of work. Then Great Plains took over I believe selling the parts groups. Hope that helps.

 

[Flyguyeddy]

The very early "kits" were not so much kits as a collection of parts and a set of plans. My project descended from one such...whatchamacallit. I believe it was John Monnett himself that was putting them out and not for long as it was a lot of work. Then Great Plains took over I believe selling the parts groups. Hope that helps.

Im quite sure that the sonerai was sold as a kit for at least 10 years, probably more than that. If reading old monink letters is anything for accuracy, they sold welded fuselages for a couple of years too

 

[Steve Stephenson]

Pretty sure the frame on mine was pre-fabricated. There were some notes on it in the old paperwork.

 

[Springbank]

I have a SIIL that I built but haven't flown in years. Probably should sell it. I bought a pre-welded fuselage directly from John Monnett. Picked it up in OSH in the early 1980's in my pickup truck in fact. You can tell the Monnett factory welded fuselages because they used square tubes for the longerons instead of round. No fishmouthing of tubes needed so they are much easier/faster to fit together. At least that was my take on the square tubes.

 

[Stinson Pilot]

You are correct on the square tubes. They are a tad heavier than the round tubes. I went with round and the extra work just to save the weight. Probably wasn't enough to worry about, but ounces turn into pounds as we all know.