The Pipistrel Panthera is a lightweight, all-composite, highly efficient four-seat aircraft under development by

Pipistrel Pipistrel d.o.o Ajdovščina is a Slovenian Ultralight aviation, light aircraft manufacturer established in 1989Or 1989... --> by Ivo Boscarol and based in Ajdovščina. Its facilities are located in Ajdovščina, Slovenia, and near Gorizia, It ...

Slovenia Slovenia, officially the Republic of Slovenia, is a country in Central Europe. It borders Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the south and southeast, and a short (46.6 km) coastline within the Adriati ...

.Bernard, Mary and Suzanne B. Bopp: ''What's Coming?'', Kitplanes, Volume 29, Number 12, December 2012, page 29. Belvoir Publications. ISSN 0891-1851 The petrol-powered version of the Panthera is intended to cruise at 198 KTAS (366.7 km/h) at 8,000 feet for over 1,000 nmi (1,852 km) with a 14.8 gph (56 L/h) fuel burn. There are two other versions planned, one with a 145 kW hybrid-electric power system, and the other with a 145 kW pure electric system. These two latter variants will only seat two people to accommodate the electric systems. The company is offering the Panthera as an

experimental aircraft An experimental aircraft is an aircraft intended for testing new aerospace technologies and design concepts. The term ''research aircraft'' or '' testbed aircraft'', by contrast, generally denotes aircraft modified to perform scientific studies, ...

, either factory-built or as a kit for amateur construction, with the

type certified A type certificate signifies the airworthiness of a particular category of aircraft, according to its manufacturing design (''type design''). Certification confirms that the aircraft of a new type intended for serial production is in compliance w ...

variant expected in 2022.

Development

In May 2011, Pipistrel was working on constructing the prototype, powered by the Lycoming engine, with all of the aircraft molds already completed. The first flight was planned for autumn of the same year, with the aircraft being tested the following summer with the electric technologies derived from the Green Flight Challenge electric

Taurus Taurus is Latin for 'bull' and may refer to: * Taurus (astrology), the astrological sign ** Vṛṣabha, in vedic astrology * Taurus (constellation), one of the constellations of the zodiac * Taurus (mythology), one of two Greek mythological ch ...

project. It should be initially offered in kit form, and Pipistrel indicated that construction will take place in Italy. A test aircraft was presented at

AERO Friedrichshafen AERO Friedrichshafen is a trade show dedicated to European general aviation. It is held yearly in April on the shores of Lake Constance at the exhibition center of Friedrichshafen, Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Ger ...

2012 in April 2012. On March 29, 2013, the Panthera had its first successful engine start, using a Lycoming engine, and subsequently began taxi tests in preparation for the "complete flight test programme". The Pipistrel Panthera made its 54-minute maiden flight less than one week later on April 4, starting the evaluations of performance, handling and systems in flight. Less than one month later, the Panthera flew over the

Alps The Alps () are some of the highest and most extensive mountain ranges in Europe, stretching approximately across eight Alpine countries (from west to east): Monaco, France, Switzerland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Germany, Austria and Slovenia. ...

to the Aero fair at the

Friedrichshafen Airport Friedrichshafen Airport (, ; also known as ''Bodensee Airport Friedrichshafen'') is a minor international airport 1.9 miles (3 km) north of Friedrichshafen, Germany, on the banks of Lake Constance (German: ''Bodensee''). It is the third bi ...

. In March 2014 it was announced that the intended four-cylinder

Lycoming IO-390 The Lycoming IO-390 engine is a Flat engine, horizontally opposed, four-cylinder aircraft engine, manufactured by Lycoming Engines. There is no carburetor, carburetted version of the engine, which would have been designated O-390 and therefore ...

powerplant will be replaced by a six-cylinder

Lycoming IO-540 The Lycoming O-540 is a family of air-cooled six-cylinder, horizontally opposed fixed-wing aircraft and helicopter engines of displacement, manufactured by Lycoming Engines. The engine is a six-cylinder version of the four-cylinder Lycoming O-3 ...

. The change was made due to

Lycoming Engines Lycoming Engines is a major American manufacturer of aircraft engines. With a factory in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, Lycoming produces a line of horizontally opposed, air-cooled, four, six and eight-cylinder engines. The company has built more ...

not planning to certify the IO-390 for automotive fuel as an option. The IO-540 will provide the same cruise performance and fuel economy, but it weighs more. However, it will allow the Panthera's gross weight to be increased by to make up for the extra weight. The aircraft will use the existing cowling, which was originally designed to accommodate a six-cylinder engine anyway. The EU-funded the Hypstair program over three years till 2016: a Panthera mockup received a

serial hybrid Hybrid vehicle drivetrains transmit power to the driving wheels for hybrid vehicles. A hybrid vehicle has multiple forms of motive power, and can come in many configurations. For example, a hybrid may receive its energy by burning gasoline, but swi ...

-electric powertrain, ground testing a 200-kW motor driven by batteries only, by a 100-kW generator-only and by both combined. It is followed by Mahepa project from 2017, EU-funded over four years. The Panthera drivetrain will be divided in modules:

electric motor An electric motor is a machine that converts electrical energy into mechanical energy. Most electric motors operate through the interaction between the motor's magnetic field and electric current in a electromagnetic coil, wire winding to gene ...

thrust generator and

internal combustion An internal combustion engine (ICE or IC engine) is a heat engine in which the combustion of a fuel occurs with an oxidizer (usually air) in a combustion chamber that is an integral part of the working fluid flow circuit. In an internal comb ...

power generator in the nose,

human-machine interface In the industrial design field of human–computer interaction, a user interface (UI) is the space where interactions between humans and machines occur. The goal of this interaction is to allow effective operation and control of the machine fro ...

and

computing Computing is any goal-oriented activity requiring, benefiting from, or creating computer, computing machinery. It includes the study and experimentation of algorithmic processes, and the development of both computer hardware, hardware and softw ...

, fuel and batteries in the wing. Ground testing is planned for 2019 before flight tests in 2020. In October 2021, Pipistrel and the Mahepa consortium announced the hybrid-electric version of the Panthera has completed the first phase of its flight test program.

Design

Features of the aircraft will include an airframe

ballistic parachute A ballistic parachute, ballistic reserve parachute, or emergency ballistic reserve parachute, is a parachute ejected from its casing by a small explosion, much like that used in an ejection seat. The advantage of the ballistic parachute over a co ...

designed for use at high speeds and low altitudes and a

glass cockpit A glass cockpit is an aircraft cockpit that features an array of electronic (digital) flight instrument display device, displays, typically large liquid-crystal display, LCD screens, rather than traditional Analog device, analog dials and gauges ...

. The Pipistrel Panthera has an all-composite airframe, made from carbon fiber, glass fiber, and kevlar, and it sports trailing-link electrically retractible landing gear made of titanium and aluminum alloys, which will be of benefit for operations from grass runways. The composite materials used for the exterior of the aircraft were selected in part based on their ability to withstand lightning strikes, which merit increased consideration when employing composite materials instead of a traditional aluminum airframe.

Variants

;Panthera (IO-390) :Initial experimental variant powered by a Lycoming IO-390, engine. 1 unit built. ;Panthera (IO-540) :Experimental variant powered by a Lycoming IO-540, engine. ;Panthera Individual :Experimental homebuilt kit variant powered by a Lycoming IO-540 engine. ;Panthera EASA TC :EASA CS-23 type-certified variant, powered by a Lycoming IO-540 engine. Launch expected in 2022. ;Panthera Hybrid :Variant equipped with a hybrid-electric powertrain. In development. ;Panthera Electro :Battery-powered fully electric variant. In development.

Specifications

References

External links

Manufacturer WebsitePanthera Website
31 July 2011
AVweb video about the Pathera development processVideo interview published by US distributorVideo of Maiden flight
on AVweb
AVweb video review
{{Pipistrel aircraft Homebuilt aircraft Single-engined tractor aircraft 2010s Slovenian sport aircraft Low-wing aircraft Aircraft first flown in 2013 Hybrid electric aircraft

Panthera ''Panthera'' is a genus within the family (biology), family Felidae, and one of two extant genera in the subfamily Pantherinae. It contains the largest living members of the cat family. There are five living species: the jaguar, leopard, lion, ...