Chichester-Miles LEOPARD (2nd prototype)

	Wing span : 23 feet 6 ins / 7.16 m Length : 24 feet 9 ins / 7.54 m Max weight : 2,200 lbs / 998 kg (max T/O 4,000 lbs / 1814 kg) Service ceiling : 55,000 ft Cruise speed : 804km/h (434kt) @ 45,000 ft Engine : 2 Williams International FJX-2 turbofans
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Country of origin: United Kingdom
Type: High performance jet powered four seat light aircraft
Capacity: Standard seating for four, but could alternatively be equipped for the medevac role with a pilot, stretcher patient and medical attendant.
Production: Prototype and preproduction aircraft only built at the time of writing, with design of production aircraft continuing.
History: The sleek Leopard is arguably the most advanced high performance light aircfaft yet designed and flown. Despite this advancement, the Leopard dates back to the early 1980s when lan Cnichester-Miles, a former Chief Research Engineer at BAe Hatfield, estabiished Chichester-Miles Consultants. CMC completed construction of a Leopard mockup in early 1982 and then contracted Designability Ltd to perform detail design work and build the prototype G-BKRL

CMC originally hoped that the prototype Leopard would fly for the first time in early 1987, however various delays meant that it did not fly for the first time until 12th December 1988. Since then development has progressed fairly slowly.

The program suffered a setback when the Leopard's engine supplier Noel-Penny ceased trading, and all flying stopped while a preproduction aircraft G-BRNM powered by Williams International FJX turbofans was designed and buiit. This aircraft was displayed at the 1996 Farnborough Airshow and flew for the first time on 9th April 1997.

Production Leopards will incorporate a number of advanced design features including all composite construction: supercritical, laminar flow, swept wings; liquid deicing and decontamination system along the wings and tailplane; and EFIS avionics (the prototype features simpler avionics and pressurisation systems and liquid deicing on the tailplane only). The preproduction Leopard incorporates most of these features bar the FJX-2 engines.

Development flying of the preproduction Leopard has been undertaken from Bournemouth Airport since 1999, being based in the Museum's hangar from March 2003. A mock-up of the projected six-seat Leopard 6 was completed at the end of 2002.