Experimenter is a magazine created by EAA for people who build airplanes. We will report on amateur-built aircraft as well as ultralights and other light aircraft.
Issue link: http://experimenter.epubxp.com/i/84816
What our Members are Bui lding While still in the construction stage, it's easy to see this will be a sporty airplane to fl y. Panther Sport Plane By Patrick Panzera, EAA 555743 Photos by Pat Panzera My guess would be that the average homebuilder attending EAA AirVenture Oshkosh is probably most interested in seeing what's new and different. Sometimes that takes the form of progress by an emerging design. In 2010 we were introduced to David Algie's fi re-breathing LP1 (an all- composite, Corvette engine-powered speed demon) that was shown at AirVenture; in 2011 we were privileged 24 NO. 2/OCTOBER 2012 to see its progress. Although David is close to getting signed off by his DAR, he wasn't able to make it to AirVenture 2012. Hopefully we'll see his fi nished project at AirVenture 2013. But this year we were introduced to something on the other end of the spectrum. Although it's also powered by a Chevrolet automobile engine (the air-cooled, six-cylinder Corvair), Sport Performance Avia- tion's Panther – brainchild of the company's president, Dan Weseman – is a single-seat aerobatic aircraft with ample room for even the most robust pilot. While it's primarily aimed at the light-sport market and has folding wings that take two minutes to rig, the Panther also can be built to exceed the light-sport aircraft (LSA) performance limits for pilots who want to have a little more fun. And although the cockpit is roomy, the seat and rudder ped- als are fully adjustable so nearly anyone can fit without compromise, with or without a parachute.