Photograph:
First Strike SuperCat 19-5408 (c/n 1 – ex 10-0308) at Watts Bridge, QLD in August 2010 (David C Eyre)
Country of origin:
United States of America
Description:
Single-seat light sport aircraft
Power Plant:
(SuperCat)
One 31 kw (28 hp) Rotax 477 two-cylinder, two-stroke, air-cooled engine
Specifications:
- Wingspan: 8.32 m (27 ft 3 in)
- Length: 4.81 m (15 ft 8 in)
- Height: 1.92 m (6 ft 3 in)
- Wing area: 10.03 m² (108 sq ft)
- Max speed: 137 km/h (85 mph)
- Cruising speed: 113 km/h (70 mph)
- Stalling speed: 43 km/h (27 mph)
- Range: 225 km (140 miles)
- Service ceiling: 3,048 m (10,000 ft)
- Rate of climb: 274 m/min (900 ft/min)
- Take-off run: 46 m (150 ft)
- Landing run: 61 m (200 ft)
- Fuel capacity: 30 litres (6.66 Imp gals)
- Empty weight: 147 kg (325 lb)
- Loaded weight: 295 kg (650 lb)
History:
Designed by Robert Baker, and built for the ultralight / microlight market, the First Strike Bobcat was a development of the Company’s SuperCat, being a single-seat light sport aircraft. The SuperCat was usually fitted with a Rotax 503 engine and with this it had a cruising speed of 113 km/h (70 mph), a landing speed of 80 km/h (50 mph), and an empty weight of 185 kg (408 lb). The Bobcat, introduced to the range in 1984, was usually fitted with the Rotax 277 engine.
The designer aimed the aircraft at the utility microlight market, being available for use for spraying. It has been marketed by Bowdler Aviation Inc of Beaver Creek, Ohio and was introduced to the market at the 1994 Oshkosh Airventure event in Wisconsin and won the Grand Champion Light Plane trophy. It was constructed of wood and was simple to build, having a tailwheel undercarriage. It was constructed from plans only. Some examples have been fitted with the KFM 107ER engine of 334 cc which provided 19 kw (25 hp).
All examples of the SuperCat and Bobcat completed in this region have been built for sport flying.Those built and registered in Australia, being registered under Recreational Aviation Australia (RAA) and Australian Ultralight Federation (AUF) Regulations, have included: SuperCats 10-0130 (c/n TAS1) with a Hirth 2706 engine; 10-1276 (c/n 1431) registered in March 1991 with a Rotax 503 engine; 19-5408 (c/n 1 – ex 10-0308) registered in June 1988 with a Rotax 503DIDC engine; 10-0449 registered on 15 July 1988 with a Rotax 447 engine; 10-1161 registered on 12 December 1992 with a Rotax 447 engine; and 10-1886 registered on 11 March 1997 with a Rotax 503 engine.
A Super Bobcat 10-1393 (c/n 218) was registered in September 1993 with a Rotax 503 engine.
Aircraft registered in New Zealand have included: Bobcat ZK-JBB (c/n MAANZ/477); ZK-JKI (c/n RAANZ/627) and ZK-RDL (c/n MAANA/351). Examples of the SuperCat have included ZK-JMO (c/n 1052) and ZK-WIM (c/n 1051). One was at one stage used as a testbed for an indigenous 924 cc two-cylinder air-cooled engine.