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John Monnett: His Thoughts on Sonex and IKEA

Gemini Sparkle

Key Takeaways:

  • John Monnett is a self-taught aviation innovator who initially founded Monnett Aircraft with his Sonerai design, and later co-founded Sonex Aircraft, which became successful for its sophisticated, easy-to-assemble homebuilt kits.
  • His company, run with his son and wife, offers popular designs like the Sonex, Waiex, and Onex, having sold thousands of plans and kits.
  • Monnett now dedicates his time to cutting-edge R&D, including a challenging long-term electric-powered Waiex project and the high-performance Sub Sonex jet, which he designed and has flown.
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Those who know John Monnett would say he has an acerbic wit and sometimes acts like a relative of Don Rickles. But he’s also a genius, passionate about flying and far cleverer than a room full of Boeing engineers. John Monnett has had a fascinating career in aviation…without any formal training. He’s more of an artist than engineer and yet he builds better mousetraps.

John went through the traditional experiences with balsa, tissue and glue. Before long he was designing his own model airplanes, supplementing them with daydreams about air racing. When he wanted to get into the sport, the only way he could afford it was by building his own racer.

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