The Panther is officially getting it’s third engine option – the Jabiru 3300! As you probably know, the Panther LS prototype N515XP is powered by the Corvair 3.0L. The Sport prototype, being built by Bob Woolley, is getting the Lycoming 0-320 for a power plant. The second Panther LS tail dragger prototype, being built by Tony Spicer, is going to get the Jabiru 3300. This combination is going to work well for many reasons. Tony is very familiar with Pete Krotje, the USA Jabiru dealer, and with the Jabiru 3300 engine as this was the engine he used on his Sonex.
One of the most appealing things for us about adding the Jabiru to the Panther engine line-up is the fact that Pete’s team is going to design the firewall forward package with us. This takes a lot of pressure off of us, allowing us to focus on bringing the Panther kit to market. Pete and his team aren’t newbies at this task. They have designed firewall forward packages for other aircraft like the Zenith CH601, CH701 and CH750, the Rans S-7S and S-19 and the RV-12. History says they know exactly what they are doing. Don’t worry, we will make sure the Jabiru installation keeps the Panther look with the cowling design.
