Panther II (oz15875)

About this Plan

Panther II. Radio control sport model. Wingspan 64 in, wing area 575 sq in. For 3 to 5 cc engine.

Direct submission to Outerzone.

Quote: "The Panther II is an enlarged version of the Peerless Panther old timer, designed and published in 1940 by Walter Schultz and currently available on Outerzone, see Panther (oz5074). The Doc Mathews version I believe was published in 1979. It looks like these plans could use a bit of a clean up, I hope you find them usable [fixed now]."

Update 1/3/2025: Added article, thanks to theshadow.

Quote: "An exciting scaled-up version of Peerless' 1938 Panther for 25 power combines that 'pursuit plane' look with gentle performance and a float-for-ever glide. By Dee B Mathews

HAVE you ever noticed most model airplane 'freaks' tend to doodle drawings of fanciful aircraft whenever they are listening to boring lectures? They tend to drive their teachers insane by drawing instead of taking notes, marking the edges of church programs with far-out designs, and generally filling any blank piece of paper with whimsical dream designs.

Back in 1938 Walter Schutz was also inclined towards doodling, the important difference being that he followed up by building a model of one of his dream designs. As kitted by Peerless of Cleveland, the Panther was so unlike the usual slab-sided high-winged designs of that era that it stood out like a man in a tuxedo at a nudist convention. That it flew as a free-flight is testimony to his excellent understanding of aerodynamics.

Combined with a heavy undercarriage and sub-rudder the poly-dihedral wing places the center of lift close to the center of mass and provides surprisingly good stability, particularly for a model that looks so much like a 'pursuit plane' of that era.

I've admired the Peerless Panther for years, but always bypassed it as too small at 46 in span and 7 in chord for my RC conversion tastes. I find models that small extremely difficult to keep in sight, unless flown in tight spirals and close in. The undeniable eye appeal of the Panther finally induced me to enlarge the original to a more suitable size, simplify the construction, use a Clark Y section and modernize its appearance. The resultant model varies enough from the original to necessitate renaming it Panther II.

The stability has proven to be outstanding. Turns are are gentle or light as one prefers, the touch-and-go ability is truly outstanding. It will spin, Chandelle and loop with ease, yet is capable of riding a thermal. All in all, the Panther II is an excellent intermediate sport aircraft, gentle enough for a novice pilot, but great fun for the more advanced.

I would recommend the Panther II as a second step up the pilot skill ladder from a Kloud King (oz8545) or Ole Reliable. I'm confident someone is going to put ailerons on a Panther, as the thought has crossed my mind too. Could be very interesting.

If you're attracted to this out of the rut sport model and its obvious classic lines, here's how to build one.

General: All wood sizes are carefully selected and should not be substituted The plywood fuselage sides are 3/16 luan mahogany 3-ply unfinished paneling. These ply assemblies weigh about the same as 3/16 balsa plus 1/16 aircraft ply doublers and are much simpler to fabricate..."

Supplementary file notes

Article.

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