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Thread: Building a Panther

  1. #21
    Tony Spicer's Avatar
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    Glen,

    Just to keep from forgetting how, I took the liberty of posting your drawing. My comments in no particuliar order. Months ago, I did a drawing very similiar to yours, as I thought maybe the canopy extending aft of the roll bar would make it so large as to be floppy. Turned out to not be an issue. As to making it into a slider, there are a couple of things to consider. The canopy support rails must be parallel. In this case, the fuselage sides are not. The rails can go inside the cockpit like the RV-8, or outside like the CX-4. The build is much more complicated. When your body parts start wearing out, it's nice to be able to grab the roll bar and launch yourself up on the wing. Hard to do with a slider. Yep, it's cool (in two ways) to taxi around with a slider. But once the canopy closes, the slider looses its cool with the canopy bow. I've had a Sonex, RV-3 and RV-4 and much prefer the unobstructed view that comes with the bubble canopy flopper. The Panther canopy has a taxi position, so there will be no lack of fresh air.

    A VW? Sure! I've flown the Sonex with both an AeroVee and a Jab 3300. Differences? Climb rate and top end. And the biggest difference? Price.

    Fuselage fuel? The original RV-3's had a 24 gal fuselage tank. The RV-12 has a fuselage tank. I'm guessing a roto molded fuselage tank wouldn't be a big deal for those not wanting to build wing tanks, but that's up to Dan.

    And here's why things have been slow lately:



    Wings are finished!

    Tony

  2. #22

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    Tony,

    Thanks for posting the line diagram. I couldn't figure out how to make it stay posted instead of going to the link button. I can't believe how nice your wings look and how quickly you built them. A sliding canopy might be to much of a pain to do, but it could still be a flip over canopy. I have always liked the razor-back look of a P-51 B Mustang, or the early Spitfires. I wonder if Dan will have an air-leakage problem with the front of the canopy skirt on his plane. Not a problem in the summer, but it might let in some cold air in the winter. I would choose a VW mainly for the fuel burn, and fewer parts to maintain (2 less cylinders). I know you can throttle back, but I'm in no hurry anyway. I know a lot of RV pilots have had problems with leaking wing tanks. A VW powered Panther probably wouldn't need more than 15 gallons. It might fit in the fuselage.

    Glen
    Last edited by GlenNJ; 03-25-2013 at 05:53 PM.

  3. #23
    Tony Spicer's Avatar
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    Glen,

    Not to worry about the flipper canopy leaking. Hundreds of RV-3's and -4's, including mine, have proved it's not an issue. Rachel Weseman built the Panther prototype tanks. She says not to worry about building leak-free tanks. I suspect factory-built tanks will be offered as an option. No option for a fuselage tank, as there are already fuselage diagonals that have called dibs on that space. Once you get more familiar with the Corvair, you'll learn to love the smoothness of those two extra cylinders.

    Tony

  4. #24

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    Tony,

    It's to bad diagonals are taking up the space of a fuel tank. I figured if the instrument panel was moved back towards the pilot, it might give enough room for a small fueslage tank. If the panel is moved back though, it might interfere with the pilots knees. Leaky fuel tanks is not the only reason why I don't like the wing tanks. I don't have access to a cheap hangar, and would have to fold the wings and transport the plane often. Folding the wings is enough work, but to drain fuel and disconnect the fuel lines would make it harder. I understand the need for wing tanks in the Panther. It's being designed around the Corvair engine, which is going to burn more fuel than a VW. A fuselage tank is out of the question for the bigger engines. I know Dan says a large VW will work in a Panther, but I suspect very few will be built with the smaller engines.


    Glen
    Last edited by GlenNJ; 04-01-2013 at 05:14 PM.

  5. #25

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    Tony , that is a COOL Plane, I could not find a yahoo group, is there one? I'd follow it

    tml

  6. #26
    Tony Spicer's Avatar
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    Yes, it's a COOL plane!

    The Yahoo group didn't see much action, so this thread has taken its place. Click the correct box, and you'll get an email every time somebody posts to this thread. Go here and click on the + in the lower right corner. Whenever Rachel updates the Panther blog, you'll get notified. There will be very big news on her blog soon. Don't miss it!

    Tony

  7. #27
    Tony Spicer's Avatar
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    The DAR went for a Panther visit on Friday and left this behind:




    Rumor has it the first flight will happen in the next few days. Have a look here for a few detail photos.

    Tony

  8. #28
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    It's Ready!

    The Panther prototype is ready to fly!





    Details here, along with many more photos and a short video.

    Tony

  9. #29
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    The weather in central Florida hasn't been what one would want to fly a first flight for the last week. But today that changed. The Panther has flown! Rachel is working on an update to the blog with photos and video. Look for it later tonight.





    Tomorrow it will get loaded on the trailer and head for S&F, where it will be on display in booth N57, which is in front of hangar C.

    Tony

  10. #30
    Tony Spicer's Avatar
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    Here's the Panther on takeoff roll.



    And here's Dan Weseman, the very happy designer, builder and pilot.



    For more photos and a really slick video, have a look at the 4/8/13 blog update here. I'm building a Panther and have only seen bits and pieces of the prototype. Would somebody please check it out at booth N57 at S&F this week and let me know what you think? It's not too late to turn my wings back into beer cans.

    Tony

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