The Light Business Jet That Never Was
, 2022-12-12 08:30:00
As another example of British aviation entrepreneurship in the 20th century, the CMC Leopard was a mind-wing monoplane formed in the 1980s. With its modern approach, there were strong prospects for the business jet. Yet, only two units were ever built, both being prototypes.
High hopes
Born in Harpenden, Hertfordshire, in 1926, Ian Chichester-Miles had an influential career in engineering. He was a former British Aerospace chief research engineer and started the CMC Leopard project at the turn of the 1980s. The target price of the Chichester-Miles Consultants (CMC) private jet was £270,000 ($472,000).
The twinjet was constructed with composite materials. It also stood out with its fighter jet-inspired swept surface.
A mockup was finished in 1982, giving way to a prototype, holding registration G-BKRL, being constructed by the Designability enterprise. However, the required engines were being searched for as late as the mid-1980s.
Early adaptations
Biz Jets: Technology and Market Structure in the Corporate Jet Aircraft Industry shares the following about the aircraft’s journey:
“A prototype Leopard was completed in late 1986 using Noel Penny NPT 301 engines with 300 lb st. Engines with 700 or 750 lb st were planned for the production models. The wings were “mirror-smooth,” supercritical, laminar flow, with a 35-degree sweep. First flight was in December 1988 and for certification was scheduled for 1989. The Noel Penny engines…
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