Photograph:
Maurice Paton Monoswift ZK-MPS (c/n MPS001) shortly after completion (Maurice Paton)
Country of origin:
New Zealand
Description:
Single-seat sport monoplane
Power Plant:
One 104 kw (140 hp) [at 3200 rpm] Rover 3.9-litre (238 cub in) alloy eight-cylinder VEE liquid cooled engine
Specifications:
- Wingspan: 6.0 m (20 ft)
- Overall length: 5.5 m (18 ft 3 in)
- Height: 2.4 m (8 ft)
- Wing chord: 1.2 m (4 ft)
- Undercarriage track: 1.8 m (6 ft)
- Wing area: 7.8 m² (84 sq ft)
- Never exceed speed: 306 km/h (190 mph)
- Max manoeuvring speed: 259 km/h (161 mph)
- Cruising speed: 250 km/h (155 mph)
- Normal cruising speed: 259 km/h (161 mph)
- Glide speed: 111 km/h (69 mph)
- Stalling speed: 70 km/h (44 mph)
- Empty weight: 414 kg (910 lb)
- Loaded weight: 545 kg (1,200 lb)
History:
The Monoswift is a single-seat high-performance sporting monoplane designed to resemble in many ways a scaled down P-51 Mustang. It was designed and built in New Zealand by Maurice Paton. Power plant is a converted 3.9-litre Rover eight-cylinder VEE converted motor vehicle (Land-Rover Discovery) engine driving a three-blade Warp Drive propeller, this later being replaced by a 1.73 m (68-in) diameter variable pitch propeller. The undercarriage is driven by a hand crank via a worm drive gearbox.
Construction is all wood and plywood with fabric covering, the engine cowling, wingtips and radiator belly scoop being constructed of fibreglass. Construction of the aircraft began in August 2000 after it was designed on a computer and the first flight was made on 27 October 2003 at a private airstrip at Fernside near Rangiora. It was built in a workshop above Mr Paton’s garage where it was designed. Its design was based around the Thorp T-18 structure and aerodynamics. Flight load limits are +5 and –2 G. Fuel capacity is 95 litres (21 Imp gals) and at cruise the aircraft uses 25 litres (5.5 Imp gals) per hour.
The first and only aircraft completed became ZK-MPS (c/n MPS001) on 24 September 2003 registered to the designer/builder. It made its first flight a few weeks later. However, Mr Paton passed away in 2010. The aircraft made a memorial flight at the time of his funeral and was then put into storage. In May 2016 ownership was changed to Lucky Tiki Oil Company and on 6 January 2017 the aircraft was flown to its new base at Forest Field on the south island of New Zealand.