As this thead started as a Turkey Day Flight we are into FPM and Wing config. conversation. PM me as I know Dan's a busy guy to share your decisions. I too would like to know the climb rate differences between the wing options (Long versus Short) - (Speed trade off to FPM on T.O.'s) as I will be operating out of 4700' elevation and higher.
I have emailed William and would be happy if I clone Dan's Corvair and think I'm off to a good start. Need one of the billet cranks.
I see Paul Dye rip out of the Dayton Airport here in NV. in his RV3 but he is also turning out 170hp from that thing. I would love to get half of that at this elevation.
Jim
You are correct the Panther LS flown at 1115 lbs gross weight will meet the stall speed limit for the LSA rule.
we are slowly working on a series of FAQs that will be linked to various topics on our web site to help guide potential (and current) builder through thing like this.
things that will be posted soon
wing length ,weights, and power
wheels and brakes
fuel tank options
can I fold the wings
the are not high on priority list but will help I think .Please feel free to send a email directly to me if you have a suggestion for FAQs that may help clarify the Panther in general
Dan Weseman
Designer
Builder
Test pilot
Panther 515XP
The Panthers we build will be certified under Experimental - Amateur Built rules. As such, provided you have a Private Pilot certificate (or higher) and a current medical, you would be legal to fly the Panther up to any altitude it could attain, provided you comply with all other FARs that apply. (Oxygen usage, etc.)
However, if you plan to operate the Panther using your Private (or higher) certificate, but exercising only Sport Pilot privileges (and using your valid DL as your medical), not only is the airplane required to comply with all of the Light Sport Aircraft certification requirements (gross weight, number of seats, max cruise speed at sea level, etc. - all which the Panther meets), but you will need to comply with the limitations of the Sport Pilot certificate when you fly the plane.
And that is where the 10,000 ft MSL (or 2,000 AGL, whichever is higher) altitude limitation kicks in. (Along with the rules requiring "daytime only" operation, no flight in Class A airspace, no towing objects, no flying for compensation or hire, and no flight in furtherance of a business.)
And while it may be technically "legal" for a builder to declare the maximum gross weight of the airplane they build to be whatever they want to state it to be, it would not necessarily be safe or prudent to do so...
In that case of the Panther, I believe I remember Dan telling me at Oshkosh that the maximum gross weight was set where it is both to ensure the airplane could meet the g-loading requirements for aerobatic flight, while also meeting the maximum stall speeds required to meet the LSA requirements. That way Sport Pilots can legally fly the airplane.
Hopefully, Dan can chime in on this and confirm that my recollection of our conversation at Oshkosh is correct...
Thanks again for all of the great feedback! I talked with Dan yesterday and he laid all of my concerns to rest. For the life of me, I can't find the 700 fpm number that referenced above. I obviously misread something somewhere. Dan said 1400 - 1500 fpm climb is to be expected. This is easily seen on his climb out in the Thanksgiving video. Hence the reason I was so confused.
After talking to Dan, I have decided to continue with the Corvair and switch to the longer wing.
Thanks!
Sean Sullivan
Based at KFWS
Fort Worth, TX 76110
Panther Builder SN048
The Panther has been to around 13,500-14,000 ft with the Corvair in a test, and still had over 250 FPM rate of climb. So it hadn't reached service ceiling yet. Of course if you want it in the LSA category, that is more than you are supposed to go.
sowell wrote:Is there an o-320 short wing Panther flying? If so, what is the useful load?
It makes designers cringe when it happens, but the manufacturer can set any gross weight he or she chooses. The builder is the manufacturer. And maybe cringe isn't a strong enough word.
Not sure where you got the 700 fpm climb rate with Corvair/Long wing. We easily get at least twice that here in Florida on hot days. The very first flight was showing 1500 fpm+ on initial climb out without pushing it. Certainly, I have seen 1700+ fpm on the playbacks from the GRT unit.
Brian, Don't have a sports version of the Panther flying yet. I, most likely, will be the first of the 0320's to take to the air with the short wing. My Panther is in the final assembly stage and should be ready for flight in the spring. The watershed monent will be the first weight and balance to see all those numbers and the empty weight. The initial test flights will give us the data and I'm sure that it will be posted here.
