My last thread post contains comments by me responding to your posts from two threads back (7 comments as of this writing). For the first time, a new thread comes hot on the heels of an old one. Since this blog is about us aviation enthusiasts, I figured I would post about something that enthused me very much yesterday. :-)
For purposes of this post, GA means personal light non-turbine aircraft. Let's say 2-6 seats. One of the email newsletters I subscribe to is AVwebFlash. Yesterday, I saw a fascinating article about the coming Pipistrel Panthera. The company's website can be found here. A PDF of the Panthera program can be found here.
We know that small aircraft manufacturers hardly ever hit their performance predictions, but even if Pipistrel comes close, the Panthera promises to be an extremely exciting aircraft (to me anyway). Aside from great performance with current engine technology, Pipistrel is working on hybrid and full electric versions. I know that's a pipe-dream to many here, but look at how far battery technology has come in recent times. Who's to say that technology won't make major leaps over the next decade. Even if it doesn't, the Panthera promises to be an amazingly fast and efficient aircraft with the aforementioned current engine technology. If the thing cost $800K, it wouldn't be very exciting. However, according to AVweb, they are shooting for a price of around $300K--for 200+ knots on 10 GPH.
What do you guys think (other than of the company's name ;-))?
