The Murphy Elite is a Canadian

light aircraft A light aircraft is an aircraft that has a maximum gross takeoff weight of or less.Crane, Dale: ''Dictionary of Aeronautical Terms, third edition'', page 308. Aviation Supplies & Academics, 1997. Light aircraft are used as utility aircraft co ...

that was designed and is produced by Murphy Aircraft of

Chilliwack Chilliwack ( )( hur, Ts'elxwéyeqw) is a city in the province of British Columbia, Canada. Chilliwack is surrounded by mountains and home to recreational areas such as Cultus Lake and Chilliwack Lake Provincial Parks. There are numerous outdo ...

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

. The aircraft is supplied as a kit for amateur construction.Vandermeullen, Richard: ''2011 Kit Aircraft Buyer's Guide'', Kitplanes, Volume 28, Number 12, December 2011, page 61. Belvoir Publications. ISSN 0891-1851Downey, Julia: ''1999 Plans Aircraft Directory'', Kitplanes, Volume 16, Number 1, January 1999, page 58. Primedia Publications. ISSN 0891-1851Purdy, Don: ''AeroCrafter - Homebuilt Aircraft Sourcebook'', page 212. BAI Communications. Bayerl, Robby; Martin Berkemeier; et al: ''World Directory of Leisure Aviation 2011-12'', page 112. WDLA UK, Lancaster UK, 2011. ISSN 1368-485XTacke, Willi; Marino Boric; et al: ''World Directory of Light Aviation 2015-16'', page 118. Flying Pages Europe SARL, 2015. When it was introduced in April 1996 it was originally known as the Rebel Elite.

Design and development

The Elite was originally designed as a

tricycle gear Tricycle gear is a type of aircraft undercarriage, or ''landing gear'', arranged in a tricycle fashion. The tricycle arrangement has a single nose wheel in the front, and two or more main wheels slightly aft of the center of gravity. Tricycle ...

version of the

Murphy Rebel The Murphy Rebel is a two- or three-seat, strut braced, high wing, taildragger monoplane which is sold in kit form by Murphy Aircraft in Chilliwack, British Columbia, Canada.Vandermeullen, Richard: ''2011 Kit Aircraft Buyer's Guide'', Kitplanes, ...

, although it is now also offered with

conventional landing gear Conventional landing gear, or tailwheel-type landing gear, is an aircraft undercarriage consisting of two main wheels forward of the center of gravity and a small wheel or skid to support the tail.Crane, Dale: ''Dictionary of Aeronautical Term ...

as an option. It also incorporated some improvements over the Rebel, including a reinforced airframe, cantilever

tailplane A tailplane, also known as a horizontal stabiliser, is a small lifting surface located on the tail (empennage) behind the main lifting surfaces of a fixed-wing aircraft as well as other non-fixed-wing aircraft such as helicopters and gyropla ...

with a one-piece elevator, all-metal control surfaces, split configuration flaps, and upgraded wing attachment points and

leading edge The leading edge of an airfoil surface such as a wing is its foremost edge and is therefore the part which first meets the oncoming air.Crane, Dale: ''Dictionary of Aeronautical Terms, third edition'', page 305. Aviation Supplies & Academics, ...

s. This enabled the design to achieve a gross weight of , and to mount engines of up to . The Elite features a strut-braced

high-wing A monoplane is a fixed-wing aircraft configuration with a single mainplane, in contrast to a biplane or other types of multiplanes, which have multiple planes. A monoplane has inherently the highest efficiency and lowest drag of any wing co ...

, three seats, tricycle landing gear and a single engine in tractor configuration. The aircraft is made from aluminum sheet. Its span wing is supported by single lift struts. The occupants are accommodated in an enclosed cabin of width, with doors for access and egress. With a standard empty weight of and a gross weight of , the Elite has a useful load of . Acceptable power range is , and recommended engines include the Lycoming O-360, Lycoming O-320 and the Lycoming O-235. Construction time from the factory kit is estimated at 1400 hours. The Elite can be operated on wheels, including tundra tires, skis and floats.

Specifications (Elite)

References

External links

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Photos of the ElitePhoto of an Elite on amphibious floats
{{Murphy Aircraft Homebuilt aircraft Single-engined tractor aircraft Murphy aircraft, Elite High-wing aircraft Aircraft first flown in 1996