Photograph:
Murphy Maverick 19-3266 (c/n DA24) at Inglewood, QLD in August 2010 (David C Eyre)
Country of origin:
Canada
Description:
Two-seat light amateur built aircraft
Power Plant:
One 40 kw (53 hp) Rotax 503 DC two-cylinder two-stroke fan-cooled engine with electronic dual ignition
Specifications:
- Wingspan: 8.97 m (29 ft 5 in)
- Length: 6.30 m (20 ft 8 in)
- Wing chord: 1.52 m (5 ft)
- Wing area: 13.66 m² (147 sq ft)
- Max speed: 153 km/h (95 mph)
- Cruising speed at 75% power: 129 km/h (80 mph)
- Stalling speed: 51 km/h (32 mph)
- Max rate of climb at sea level: 183 m/min (600 ft/min)
- Range with max fuel at 75% power: 450 km (280 miles)
- Empty weight: 191 kg (420 lb)
- Loaded weight: 431 kg (950 lb)
History:
The Maverick is a two-seat ultralight derivative of the Murphy Rebel, with 40 per cent commonality of parts. Construction is semi-monocoque, the fuselage being all metal and the wing being metal with fabric covering. Available in kit form, an optional extended wing is available, this increasing the wingspan to 9.88 m (32 ft 5 in). Standard fuel capacity is 19 litres (4.2 Imp gals), but optional wing tanks increase this to 53 litres (11.7 Imp gals).
The aircraft was originally designed in the early 1990s but was shelved for a period whilst the company concentrated on the Rebel. However, it was revived in 1994 and a prototype, which became the Company demonstrator (C-MYSS), was built to gain certification. A variety of engines is available, most aircraft being fitted with the two-cylinder two-stroke Rotax 503 of 40 kw (53 hp), or the two-cylinder two-stroke liquid cooled 48 kw (65 hp) Rotax 582. However, in recent times more engines have become available and examples have appeared fitted with the 45 kw (60 hp) HKS two-cylinder, horizontally-opposed four-stroke air-cooled engine built in Japan.
A number of examples have been built in this region, one of the first being ZK-SPC (c/n 114M). Named the Spirit of St Paul, this machine is powered by a 60 kw (80 hp) four-cylinder four-stroke Jabiru 2200 engine. A couple have been built in Australia, including 19-3266 (c/n DA-24) fitted with a Jabiru 2200 engine and registered in December 1999.
A variant is marketed by Phoenix Aircraft of Pelheim near Munich, Germany. This company worked with Murphy Aircraft using parts from the Canadian kit but much of the airframe has been manufactured in Germany. Whereas the original Maverick had fabric covered wings, the PA-912, as it is known, has metal skinning and a stronger main spar. The ailerons and tail surfaces remain fabric covered, and control surfaces are pushrod operation in lieu of cables. Engine is the 60 kw (80 hp) Rotax 912.