Photograph:
A Rotec Panther Plus in the United States (Author’s collection)
Country of origin:
United States of America
Description:
Single-seat ultralight sport monoplane
Power Plant:
One 21 kw (28 hp) Rotax 277 single-cylinder, two-stroke, air-cooled engine
Specifications:
- Wingspan: 10.36 m (34 ft)
- Length: 4.88 m (16 ft)
- Max speed: 97 km/h (60 mph)
- Economical cruising speed: 93 km/h (58 mph)
- Stalling speed: 35 km/h (22 mph)
- Service ceiling: 3,048 m (10,000 ft)
- Rate of climb: 122 m/min (400 ft/min)
- Range: 277 km (172 miles)
- Fuel capacity: 13 litres (2.9 imp gals)
- G limits: +4 / -2
- Empty weight: 113 kg (249 lb)
- Loaded weight: 215 kg (475 lb)
History:
The Panther was an American-designed strut-braced monoplane imported by Rotec Rally Australia of Queensland for sale on the Australian market. It was produced in a couple of models. The cockpit was of fibreglass construction with a rear dacron baggage area and Lexan windscreen. The engine usually installed was the Rotax 277 geared unit. A stretched variant was the Rally Panther 2 Plus with tandem seating, full span ailerons and large tail surface area. The fibreglass pod had individual doors for both occupants and the engine was either the 31 kw (42 hp) Rotax 477 or the 37 kw (50 hp) Rotax 503.
Examples registered with Recreation Aviation Australia (RAA) included 10-0458, 10-0585, 10-0624, 10-0813, and 10-1277. An unregistered example crashed 3 km east of Bulga, NSW on 21 November 1987. A variant was the Sea Panther fitted with full foam core fibreglass floats, which could take off from water in 37 m (120 ft).