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| STANDARD DATA: Gross wt. 2,950. Empty wt. 1,500. Fuel capacity 154. Wingspan 23′. Length 21’6″. Engine 195-hp Continental. PERFORMANCE: Top mph 209. Cruise mph 201. Stall mph 80. Climb rate 1,800. Takeoff distance (50′) 2,500. Landing distance (50′) 2,500. Range 3,400. |
The Melmoth first flew in 1973 and was developed by Peter Garrison from the British Practavia Sprite (also partly a Garrison project). The Melmoth represented considerably more work than the average homebuilder would like to tackle. In fact, it was more of a research prototype than a backyard project. The Melmoth was conceived and designed as an exercise in extreme efficiency in all aspects of flight. It carried an unusually large amount of fuel for an aircraft of its size with a 41-gallon main tank and two 35-gallon tip tanks on each wing, which yielded the exceptional range. Some of the Melmoth’s extras included double-slotted flaps, adjustable incidence ailerons, autopilot, and retractable landing gear. Unfortunately, the aircraft was destroyed in a highly unusual accident in which a landing aircraft struck Melmoth while waiting on the ground at the end of a runway. Garrison survived the accident and proceeded to design and construct a replacement.
