Partenair Mystere
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| Mystere | |
|---|---|
 Prototype S45 Mystere landing at Lachute Airport in 2004 | |
| General information | |
| Type | Two-seat homebuilt monoplane |
| National origin | Canada |
| Manufacturer | Partenair Design |
| Designer | Saleem Saleh |
| Status | Kits no longer available |
| Number built | 3[1][2][3] |
| History | |
| First flight | 16 November 1996 (S44) 4 October 2001 (S45) |
The Partenair Mystere is a Canadian two-seat, pusher configuration monoplane that was designed by Partenair Design of Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Quebec and intended for amateur construction from kits.[1][4][5]
Two prototypes were completed and flown and one kit delivered before the project was ended. One customer-built S45 was eventually completed and first flew on 10 November 2015.[1][2][3]
The Mystere is an all-composite, low-wing monoplane powered by a pusher piston engine. It has a pod and boom configuration with a T-tail and a fixed tricycle landing gear with wheel pants.[4] The cockpit has room for two occupants in tandem with dual controls and a two-piece canopy and windscreen.[4]
The prototype S44 Mystere first flew on 16 November 1996 powered by a Rotax 912 engine.[4] The second prototype S45 was powered by a 160 hp (119 kW) Lycoming IO-320 flat-four piston engine and first flew on 4 October 2001.[4]
The kit was to be supplied in three sub-kits made from primer-surfaced parts of low-odour epoxy. The construction time from the kit was estimated to have been 1,000 hours.[5][6][7]
Variants
- S44 Mystere
- Initial 80 hp (60 kW) Rotax 912UL powered version. Empty weight 700 lb (318 kg) and gross weight 1,250 lb (567 kg), cruise speed 140 mph (225 km/h). The price of the complete S44 kit, including engine in 1999 was US$38,000. Only one prototype was flown.[6]
- S45 Mystere
- Second version with increased power. Acceptable power range 100 to 160 hp (75 to 119 kW), with the standard engine a Lycoming O-320 of 150 hp (112 kW). Kit price in 2003, without engine, was US$27,900. Only one prototype was flown.[1][7]
- S45 Mystere Mark II
- Third version with aerodynamic refinements, an increase in top speed to 180 mph (290 km/h) and an increase in gross weight to 1,925 lb (873 kg). The engine was raised so that the aircraft could accept a larger diameter propeller and to increase clearance between the tail boom and the propeller. The engine cowling was also re-shaped to smooth airflow into the propeller. These changes were all to reduce the original S45's noise signature. Kit price in 2003, without engine, was US$27,900. Only one prototype was flown and it was the original S45 prototype in a modified Mark II configuration.[1][8]
- S45 Mark III RG
- A proposed retractable gear model that was never built. The Mark III was announced by the company in 2003, with a first flight initially forecast for 2004. It was intended to have a shorter wing and accept engines up to 250 hp (186 kW) to greatly increase cruise speed.[8]
Accidents and incidents
The prototype Partenair S44 Mystère was involved in a fatal accident on 24 October 1998. While departing Montréal/Les Cèdres Airport, the Rotax 912 engine failed and the aircraft impacted the ground, killing both occupants.[9]
This accident led to the aircraft being redesigned as the S45 with a Lycoming O-320 engine replacing the Rotax powerplant. Kitplanes magazine described the subsequent S45 as a "repowered aircraft for better overall performance and reliability".[5]
