Sport Performance Aviation (SPA) is showing their 2-place Cougar project, which will shortly undergo load testing. The two-place has been incubating since SPA was formed. From the SPA website:
“The Cougar is a two place, tandem version of the Panther. Although – the truth of the matter is the Panther is a shrunken version of the Cougar. Only the Panther prototype was built first. Why? Because we needed to break ourselves into bringing a kit airplane to the market with a model that #1 will attract a smaller builder base and #2 attract builders who have built before. Bringing a kit airplane to the market is no small feat, and pacing ourselves on the Panther has helped us solidify the foundation required to bring a two seat aircraft to fruition.”
Dan Weseman, SPA designer and owner, told KITPLANES it was time to make the Cougar, “…job one. We were busy and covid struck and we became even busier. Hopefully we’ll finish the wing load testing later this year and the empanagge in August. Then we’ll build the first prototype with the goal of flying later this year. We had a Titan 370 to go on it but Titan became back-logged and asked for it back. We may have to test fly with a used engine.”
Targeted build time is 1,000 hours but, as with all homebuilts, the final tally depends more on the individual builder than the airplane.
“We were able to get rid of some parts and complexity on the Panther by using more CNC-machined parts. The forward fuselage, like the Panther, will be welded and powder coated. The controls simply bolt in. In 500-600 hours a builder should be able to sit in their cockpit and make everything wiggle.”
Wessman’s goal is to take orders at AirVenture 2025. However, SPA won’t hesitate to let that goal slip if it results in a better product for the builder. “I’d like to show up with a nicely painted Cougar with 100 hours of flight testing and hit the ground running. But only if things go well.”
SPA can be found in the Homebuilt Aircraft Display, booth 620 and online at www.flywithspa.com.
