Sport Performance Aviation Panther LS
These figures describe a typical build. Each aircraft of this design was built by its owner, and the one you are looking at may differ.
The Panther is Dan Weseman's single-seat aerobatic sport plane from Green Cove Springs, Florida, first flown in 2013 and sold as a kit by Sport Performance Aviation: an all-metal low-wing with quick-fold wings, a 23.5 ft span in the LSA version (21.5 ft on the Sport), 650-750 lb empty and 1,115 lb gross on an 80-120 hp Corvair, Continental, Jabiru or UL Power engine, with the factory quoting 140-180 mph and a 44-knot stall.
The Panther was designed around the Corvair car-engine conversion that its designer also sells parts for, and that is its character: an aerobatic single-seater that is cheap to build and feed, folds to fit a trailer or a shared hangar, and runs an automotive engine with no certified parts chain that the owner must understand. The LSA version is designed to meet light-sport performance limits and the Sport version is faster, so the wing and gross weight on the paperwork are the identity. It is a recent kit with matched-hole parts, so airframes are consistent and the builder's engine installation and the aircraft's own weight-and-balance are what vary; there is no two-seat Panther, so tailwheel currency comes first. The owner may maintain it and the condition inspection needs an A&P or the repairman certificate; SPA is in business and supports builders.
Variants of the SPA Panther
- Panther LS · 2013 · 33 active · this page
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TAILFAX SCORE
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Among 1–2 seat pistons (319 models)
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What it is
| Seats | 1 |
|---|---|
| Landing gear | tailwheel |
| Engines | — |
| Engine | Corvair conversion (100-120 hp); O-200/O-240, Jabiru 3300, UL Power |
| Horsepower | 100 hp |
| Fuel | — |
| Certification basis | amateur-built |
| Production start | 2013 |
| Production end | — |
| Endorsements required | — |
Performance
| Cruise speed | 140 KTAS |
|---|---|
| Range | — |
| Service ceiling | — |
| Climb rate | — |
| Stall speed (Vso) | 44 KCAS |
| Takeoff over 50 ft | — |
| Landing over 50 ft | — |
Load and fuel
| Seats | 1 |
|---|---|
| Useful load | 365 lb |
| Full-fuel payload | — |
| Max takeoff weight | 1,115 lb |
| Empty weight | 750 lb |
| Usable fuel | — |
| Fuel burn at cruise | — |
Cost of ownership
| Price, low | — |
|---|---|
| Price, high | — |
| Prices as of | — |
| Engine TBO | — |
| Overhaul cost, low | — |
| Overhaul cost, high | — |
The fleet and its record
| Registered, all time | 36 |
|---|---|
| Active fleet | 33 |
| Median year built | 2018 |
| NTSB events, last 10 years | 0 |
| Fatal events, last 10 years | 0 |
| Events per 1,000 active, last 10 years | 0 · thin base (low)1 |
| Personal-flying events per 1,000 active | 0 · thin base (low)2 |
| Ownership transfers, last 24 months | 3 |
| Transfers per 100 active | 9.09 · thin base (low)3 |
| Airworthiness directives | 1 |
| Directives, last 5 years | 0 |
| Rate confidence | low |
- Events per 1,000 active, last 10 years: per 1,000 active aircraft · base 33 active.
- Personal-flying events per 1,000 active: per 1,000 active aircraft · base 33 active.
- Transfers per 100 active: per 100 active aircraft · base 33 active.
Peer scores6
| Peer class | Fixed wing single-engine, piston, 1 engine, 1-2 seats |
|---|---|
| Accident record | —1 |
| Severity | —2 |
| Access | —3 |
| Support | 2.5 of 104 |
| Liquidity | 0.8 of 105 |
- Accident record: class median 36.69 · 319 models in class.
- Severity: class median 13.33.
- Access: class median 1,000.
- Support: class median 79.
- Liquidity: class median 19.91.
- Each of the five categories places the model within its peer class, from 0 (the worst of the class) to 10 (the best): a position among comparable models, not a grade. The overall score is the sum of the categories shown that are scored, out of 10 for each (50 when all five are); it is given only when at least 4 of the five are scored, and it can be set against another model's only when both are in the same peer class and scored on the same categories. When accident record and severity cannot be scored because the model has too few records, the other three give a partial score out of 30, labelled as such; it is never set against a full score.
Data as of: FAA registry Sep 28 · NTSB Oct 2 · ADs Oct 6 · scores Sep 30