The Murphy 
The Rebel Sport is a standard Rebel, with a lighter engine choice, and
a reduced gross weight to meet Sport Pilot requirements. You get the
same strong, safe airframe that has been tested at 1,650 lb.
There are no structural differences other than reducing the fuel tank
size from the standard Rebel's 44 gallons to 32 gallons, which is more than enough for the smaller engines. You'll still have up to 8 hours
of fuel !
Having a choice of engines is one of the big advantages of the Experimental Rebel Sport
- you have choices ! Another advantage is that you have improved
resale value, because there is nothing preventing a buyer from safely
& easily moving up to a Lycoming O-320, of 150 hp., if they want
to. Of course, it would then no longer be Sport Pilot legal.... but they would have an oustanding performer, on wheels or amphib floats !
With the
standard floor in the aft fuselage, you can use the space for sleeping,
turning your Rebel Sport into a camper. There's lots of room for camping gear too !
You can do it! Building a Rebel Sport is
probably a whole lot easier, quicker, and more economical than you
think. You do not need any special skills, nor any materials beyond
what you can order for a kit.
For more pictures and information of
Wayne O'Shea's Rebel, click here!
We’ve even covered all the logical
options so you can get it all at once... from one source. If you have
access to the space of a one car garage, and some common hand tools,
you can start building. If you’re willing to give it your spare time
attention on a steady basis, you’ll be at the flightline in less than a
year.
Once there, you’ll find a wonderful
experience awaits you. Taking off in something you’ve built yourself is
a thrill. When that "something" happens to be a Rebel Sport,
the thrill
becomes an absolute joy.
Ground handling of the Rebel Sport is superb
due to excellent forward visibility, differential hydraulic braking, a
kick-out steer-able tail wheel, and the wide-stance gear. Pour the
coals to it and most people are startled to see how quickly the tail
comes up (about two plane lengths) and how soon the aircraft levitates
off the runway. It takes all of 175’ with two people on board. Solo rate of
climb, starting at sea level is around 900 fpm with the Rotax 912-S engine.
There are three powerplant options, ranging from 80 to 116 horsepower.
That puts cruise, at 75 percent power, in the 90 - 110 mph spectrum.
Full span flaperons are responsive in slow flight, right down to stall.
With a couple of notches of flap, you can cruise around for hours at 50
mph, taking in the sights below. Fly the final approach at 65 mph and
expect to flare around 45. Flying a tail dragger has never been easier.
Most pilots can transition from tricycle to conventional gear with a
few hours of dual... something you can do in your own Rebel Sport... even before
the first 25 hours are flown off.
When you’re done with the fun for the summer, two
people can remove the wings in about 45 minutes to 1 hour. The
stabilizer and elevator fold up to accommodate the wings for
trailering. In that configuration, the Rebel Sport can be towed on its own
gear for home storage or maintenance, or it can be mounted on a simple
trailer for longer hauls.
Rebel Sport Airframe
With the exception of the flaperon
covering, which is fabric, the Rebel Sport airframe is aluminum. We chose
aluminum over composites, wood, as well as tube and fabric, because it
has known measurable strength qualities, it stands up to ultraviolet,
is generally faster to build because it’s easy to work with, and it
gives a nice finish to any airplane. Aluminum aircraft also have better
resale value, though we doubt that consideration will come up for quite
some time once you discover the benefits of owning and flying a Rebel Sport.
Any welding required for the Rebel Sport is
done at the factory. Steel parts are powder coated to assure longevity.
Aluminum sheets are pre-punched to assure correct alignment and
expedite riveting. No jigs are required...just a straight, level work
table.
Rebel Sport Fuselage
 The Rebel Sport fuselage uses a semi-monocoque
construction. Bulkheads are stamped aluminum. The skins are .020"
6061–T6 aluminum, giving the fuselage exceptional strength. An aluminum
sub-floor installed over the lower bulkhead sections provides a good
base for seat mounting and, perhaps more importantly, a crushable floor
for energy absorption and crash protection. Pre-bent aluminum tubing is
used to frame the doors, which are covered by aluminum skins on the
lower half and large Lexan windows above. Hinges across the midsection
of the doors allow the large side windows to fold outward and
down...even in flight. Great for summer sight seeing, or photography.
Where high strength is required,
fittings are cut from 2024-T3 aluminum. For the engine mount, rudder
pedals, and control column , 4130 chrome-moly steel is used. All
hardware used in the fuselage and wings is AN spec aviation hardware.
There are no "left" & "right"
fuselage sides- and no "top" & "bottom" either! All 4 panels are
identical, eliminating any chance for confusion. Also, all of the
corner-wrap sections have the same radius, and are interchangeable.
This commonality of parts makes for much easier building.
Six inch wheels with high profile tires
are standard for the Rebel Sport, giving it rough field and river bed landing
capability. The standard bungee suspension provides excellent shock
absorption. Murphy 1500 and 1800
Series straight floats, and amphibious floats are also available. The
Rebel Sport also flies and lands beautifully on skis.
Rebel Sport Cabin
Spacious is the word for it. The wide
doors and track mounted seats were designed to allow big, tall people
easy access to the cockpit. Unless you can make Michael Jordon look
short, you’ll be able to run the seats back to the point that your legs
fall short of the rudder pedals. Same thing applies to headroom. The
doors of the Rebel Sport are four inches farther apart than those on a Cessna 172. So
there’s plenty of shoulder and hip room. The seats are designed for
long cross country endurance and offer exceptional comfort as well as
freedom of movement. As noted earlier, there is an enormous cargo area behind the seats.
The instrument panel is wide and has a
wrap-around look that makes checking instruments very convenient.
There’s enough room to accommodate a full IFR panel. There’s plenty of
room for personalizing your Rebel Sport panel. Wiring the Rebel Sport for night
flying is easy.
Visibility, as we’ve said, is
extraordinary. In addition to the sights provided by the standard
blown, one-piece windshield and the two fold-down windows mounted in
the doors, it’s possible to add up to six skylight ports in the
ceiling. If that isn’t enough, fly your Rebel Sport without the doors... the
aircraft doesn’t seem to know the difference... but you sure will.
Fuel read outs are accomplished by
looking at clear sight tubes that are mounted in front of the root rib
and give instant, accurate indications, at a glance, of fuel on board.
Optional vacuum formed interior panels
will add to the finished appearance and reduce noise levels in your
Rebel Sport.
Rebel Sport Wings
There are three spars, 14 nose ribs and
13 main ribs in each wing, which are all covered with three sheets of
pre-punched aluminum sheet. Pre-formed leading edge material covers the
nose ribs creating a D-Cell, which ties into a box section that is
formed by the main ribs and upper and lower skins. This results in
exceptional strength. 12 full-length extruded stringers help stiffen
the skin against torsion and shear loads. The wing is joined to the
fuselage by extra heavy fail-safe 2024-T3 aluminum fittings. A single
streamlined, custom extruded strut is used for high strength and low
drag. Wing tips are gel coated fibreglass.
The Rebel Sport features "wet" wings for fuel
storage. Two 22 (U.S.) gallon tanks are standard, giving the Rebel
Sport considerable range, even with the larger engines.
Most
builders reduce the tanks to 16 gallons each to reduce weight for Sport
Pilot flying - that still gives an easy 6 hours range !
Rebel Sport Controls
The control system on the Rebel Sport uses
push-pull tubes connected to a massive 2-inch torque tube which
operates the full span flaperons. This results in swift and accurate
response to control input. The flaperons are lowered with a mixer box
controlled by a teleflex cable and flap lever which has been placed
within easy reach of the pilot. Flaperons have the advantage of being
lowered in 6 degree increments to a maximum of 18 degrees and can be
put into a 5 degree reflex position to increase cruising speed and give
a smoother ride, thus giving the Rebel Sport a very large flight envelope.
Rebel Sport Tail Group
 A simple box design, utilizing pre-bent
channels, covered with aluminum skins forms the vertical and horizontal
surfaces of the tail. The horizontal members fold upward for storage or
transport and are braced in flight position by small aluminum struts.
The elevator and rudder are controlled
with 1/8-inch stainless steel aircraft cable. For elevator control
these cables are attached to dual push-pull tubes.
Rebel Sport Ease of Assembly
The Rebel Sport design uses pre-punched pilot
holes to locate most parts, reducing and almost eliminating the need to
make difficult measurements which can result in errors and, in some
cases, ruined parts.
For example, the pre-punched wing skins
are located and attached by clecos. The pilot holes are then drilled to
size and deburred so the 1/8-inch AVEX rivets may be installed.
Stringers attached to the wing skins can be located by clecoing the
ends, and aligning with the row of pre-stamped holes in the skin. These
holes are then drilled through the stringers so the rivets may be
installed.
Similar methods are used when attaching
the bulkhead quadrants to each other for the fuselage. Pre-punched
guide holes allow the bulkhead quadrants to be aligned, drilled and
riveted by the builder. This simple type of construction is backed up
by superior-quality exploded assembly drawings and parts lists in the
builder’s manual. A tool list is included at the beginning of each
sub-assembly and the instructions provide easy-to-follow step-by-step
procedures.
Easy-to-follow instructions combined
with the simple type of construction mean even a novice builder can
build the kit with relative ease. Assembly times are significantly
reduced in comparison to what might be expected for an all-metal
aircraft of this type. Indeed, we estimate the first-timer’s assembly
time of the kit at an average of 1000 hours, less instruments,
interior, and paint.
For pricing details please contact the
Murphy Aircraft Sales Team at ... Kits@PattersonAeroSales.com .
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