Monex biography

At that time,
no other aircraft in the world
could match the speeds achieved
by the airplane, which was
powered by a modified 2100 cc.
Volkswagen automobile engine.
John conceived and built the
Monex as a test vehicle for his
new construction methods,
which were utilized in the
popular Moni Aircraft Recreation
Vehicle.
John took his Monex to the fly-in
at Oshkosh in 1982, where he
planned to show off his speedy
design. Oshkosh ’82 was the
Monex’s first time out and,
though it wasn’t designed for
competition, pilot Chuck
Andrews flew the airplane to
victory.
On Monday of the fly-in, Chuck
flew the Monex in the Lowers-
Baker-Falk 500 Race, where he
took third place for efficiency
and fifth for speed. The Monex
flew 500 miles on 80 pounds of
fuel, missing second place by
just .4 pounds of fuel. Chuck
and John expected the Monex to
be faster, but the wing was out
of rig due to a previous mishap
and the prop spinner self-
destructed during the race.
Despite the mishaps, the Monex
averaged better than every other
single place airplane in all three
competitions.
The next day, Chuck set two
World Speed Records in the
FAI’s class C-1a-O in the Monex.
The class was set for aircraft with
a maximum gross take off weight
below 661 pounds; most
airplanes in this class are
ultralights, but the little all-metal
Monex was light enough to fit
into the category. To lighten the
load, the Monex was stripped of
its radio and several other
instruments. In the 100 kilometer
race, the Monex ran 185.12 mph
and in the 500 kilometer race, it
ran 182.308 mph. Both days
Chuck was slowed down by
turbulence, and had a corrected
speed of over 203 mph.
Chuck, John, and everyone from
Monnett Experimental Aircraft,
Inc. had to work very hard to
make the Monex at least
partially competitive. A few props
were broken and some last
minute modifications were made
to the airplane just a few weeks
before the races.
With all the mishaps and work
done on the Monex, John
realized his little airplane was too
hot for the average pilot.