Photograph:
The prototype Pilatus during construction at Wedderburn, NSW (David C Eyre)
Country of origin:
Australia
Description:
Two-seat home-built sport monoplane
Power Plant:
One 90 kw (120 hp) Jabiru 3300 six-cylinder horizontally-opposed air-cooled engine
Specifications:
- TBA
History:
The Pilatus was a high-wing two-seat in tandem light sporting aircraft with a tailwheel undercarriage designed and partially built by David Nightingale in Sydney, work commencing in about 2009, but was not finished. The aircraft commenced as a Conroy Sparrow kit but received some major changes to meet the requirements of the builder.
The project was then sold to Messrs Robert Greig and Robert Hazell and was completed in late 2014. Testing commenced at Wedderburn Sport Aircraft airfield south-west of Sydney. It had a couple of names during the construction period, at one stage being known as the Platapus, and later as the Pilatapuss but eventually the name Pilatus was adopted.
Construction was of metal framework with fabric covering, with a fibreglass cowling and painted in a semi-camouflage colour scheme. It was registered with the RAA as 19-7975. However, on 27 January 2015 the aircraft left Wedderburn, NSW flown by Robert Greig of Balgownie, NSW on a flight down the coast and it crashed on the Illawarra escarpment near the top of Bulli Pass killing the owner, the aircraft being destroyed.