Sport Performance Aviation LLC

08/05/2026

Big thanks to one of our customers Brad Carter who flew in his gorgeous “unpainted” Panther! Here is his story!

07/24/2026

https://avbrief.com/progress-on-the-cougar/

Sport Performance SPA advances the two-seat Cougar kit, featuring folding wings, 4130 steel frame, and MOSAIC-eligible 51-knot stall speed.

07/22/2026

Brad Carter from Kansas City flew his PantherLS powered by the Lycoming O-235 up to OSH today. Check out the photos. This Panther is beautifully done. The silver is bare aluminum - not painted or polished. Look at how sharp it looks!

07/22/2026

Here is an update from Dan on the Cougar.

07/20/2026

Marc Loftin from Los Angeles, CA had a test pilot named Justin Gillen with FLTAero.com perform the Phase 1 Flight Test on his Panther N117XP AN 101 on July 4th at 7 AM from KWJF.

Congratulations Marc!

Here is his flight report and some photos - check out that Panther grin!

Hello Marc,

Here's the pilot report for today's first flight. Overall, it was a great flight with exceptional performance and handling qualities.

Takeoff and Climb
The aircraft demonstrated a short takeoff roll; the tail lifted at approximately 35 MPH, and liftoff occurred at 60 MPH. Initial climbout was performed at 135 MPH at full throttle, yielding a climb rate exceeding 1300 FPM. As the tachometer reached the high-yellow range at 135 MPH, I reduced throttle while maintaining speed to 5000' MSL.

Cruise and Engine Performance
I circled the airport for approximately 15 minutes at 5000' MSL. At 2200 RPM, max level flight speed was ~150 MPH. I maintained higher throttle settings to facilitate engine break-in.

- Temperatures: Max oil temp was 160F. Max CHT was 380C (Cylinder #2). In cruise, CHTs dropped to the low 300s, and EGTs remained below 1200 at +30% fuel.
- Fuel/Mixture: I observed appropriate CHT/EGT responses when reducing fuel percentage to 0%. Due to slight rough running at idle/130 MPH at +30% fuel, I reduced the mixture to +15%. At this setting, engine response was quick and smooth.

Handling Qualities (HQ)
The aircraft exhibits positive stick-free static stability in all three axes. Handling is exceptional, though a slight rudder trim adjustment (about 1/2 ball right foot) will be required to center the ball at cruise power.

Flaps and Low-Speed Handling
- Deployment: First notch at 100 MPH and second notch at 90 MPH resulted in no roll trim changes or HQ degradation.
- Retraction: Clean-up was smooth with minimal lift loss, indicating a low-risk go-around profile.
- Minimum Speed: 75 MPH.

Landing
Descent was performed at 50% throttle. I entered the pattern at 4500' MSL and slowed to 90 MPH with two notches of flaps to establish a better glide slope at 25% throttle. I crossed the threshold at 85 MPH. Despite a 10-12 kt left crosswind, touchdown on the left main occurred below 70 MPH with good directional control. The tail lowered as elevator authority decayed, and no braking was required to exit at taxiway A4.

Total flight time 24 minutes.

Justin Gillen
fltaero.com

07/16/2026

Starting the 2.5 day road trip across the country to the largest airshow in the world! 🌍 EAA - The Spirit of Aviation AirVenture ‘26 - here we come!

07/07/2026

We have a set of 3.0L cylinders heads in stock, packed and ready for immediate shipment No cores needed. We have the other 3.0L parts available, and can machine your case quickly. Contact us for details. First to pay gets them. Skip the wait!

06/30/2026

Air venture 2026 is almost here. We are looking forward to seeing current and future Panther builders and flyers. If anyone is planning to fly a Panther to the show please lets us know. We would love to have a customer built Panther in the booth to show off! We are there all week to talk airplanes, so please come by and see us at our normal site 620 behind Sonex and across from Vans. Safe travels, and see you at OSHKOSH!

05/20/2026

🚨 News🚨
The EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2026 Notice (commonly referred to as the Oshkosh NOTAM) is now available. It includes important procedure updates – and is a required reading – for any pilots flying into the event.
View here: EAA.org/NOTAM