The Murphy SR3500 Moose
Introduction • Description • Specs • Performance • Quick Build • Order Info
Photo Credit - Aerotek Aviation
Since its conception, the
Super Rebel has had its gross weight increased from 2,500 lbs. to
3,000 lbs. and now to 3,500 lbs. with the Murphy Moose. This top of the range aircraft is also
engineered to accept engines ranging from 250 h.p. to 360 h.p.
including the M-14P, nine-cylinder radial engine.
The Moose is offered as a taildragger only and supports a
useful load ranging from 1,700 to 1,850 pounds. Designed in
response to numerous builder and prospective customer requests to
handle the M-14P radial engine, Darryl Murphy wanted to do more
than just add an engine option. He saw no purpose in adding 110
h.p. if it could not be practically and safely used. As one
customer based in Africa put it, "the Murphy
Moose is perhaps the bush plane everyone has long been
waiting for".
When you choose to mount
the M-14P on your Moose, you will be the
proud owner of an aircraft that not only looks like its distant
cousin, the de Havilland Beaver, but will sound and perform like
one too. There are few things that make pilots stop and look, but
a radial engine starting up will always have that magic.
Bushplane
Heritage
The two large main doors,
removable seats, seat rails that double as cargo tie downs, plus
the standard extra large cargo door make the Moose a real utility airplane. The huge cabin interior (two
inches wider than a Cessna 180) easily accommodates bulky or long
loads such as bikes, skis, furniture, lumber, 55 gal. drums, or
camping supplies for four! The Murphy Moose can even accommodate a class of parachute jumpers or be used as a
photographic platform.
You can fly almost anywhere carrying
just about anything you want. This is a kit aircraft with great
performance and airframe strength, the ability to carry a load and
room to stow it... one fantastic bushplane! |
Photo Credit - Doug Beechel |
If a semi-monocoque
all-metal 4 to 6 seat kit airplane seems intimidating, fear not!
The Moose expands on the Murphy
tradition of engineering excellence and simplicity. The Moose is designed for the first time
builder with no jigs required, pre-punched match hole technology
and a well laid out manual that leads you through the construction
sequence step by step with CAD illustrations. As you gain
confidence, you move from easy, introductory builds into more
complex areas of the kit. As with all our kits, the principle of
pre-punched holes matching substructures to skins ensures all
assemblies are self-aligning. The kit builder is spared the task
of critical measurements as all the attach points incorporate our
unique alignment system. In most cases, ribs, spars and skins have
no "lefts" or "rights" until they are assembled (you ultimately
assign and assemble a part to its specific duty on the aircraft).
For example, with the flaps, ailerons, horizontal stabilizer and
elevator, most of the ribs are identical and the stabilizer and
elevator spars are symmetrical... you will find it hard to install
a spar upside down or use a left rib on a right surface.
Probably the best feature
of sheet metal construction, from a builder’s standpoint, is that
when you finish a component, i.e. flap, elevator or rudder, the
part is ready to go flying... no fabric covering or dope required.
Photo Credit - Gerry Halsall
|
The majority of the Moose's structure employs the Avex rivet
for final assembly. This is a blind rivet used by many certified
aircraft on flight and control surfaces. Quite often mistaken for
a "Pop" rivet, the Avex rivet was developed during World War II by
the Allies to facilitate field repairs on fighter planes. It’s
extremely "user friendly", due to the rivets ability to draw
material together and expand into elongated holes. The builder is
assured a finished product built as it was designed, even if every
hole is not drilled to perfection. |
Since these are pulled rivets,
you do not need a second person for bucking and therefore the work
progresses more quickly and much more quietly than with solid
rivets and without fear of damaging skins. Obviously the major
advantage of using a blind rivet is a simplified final assembly.
No great planning is required to finish a part. Just close it up.
Designed for safety and
serviceability, many design features incorporated in the Murphy Moose make this kit easy to assemble,
inspect and service. Every critical nut and bolt in the aircraft
is accessible through pre-punched inspection panels. Major load
bearing members have been designed with fail safe redundancy. They
are all constructed of 2, 3, or 4 separate parts ... should one
part fail the other parts continue to maintain structural
integrity.
The Moose’s assembly manual outlines standard practices and
techniques adopted by the aviation industry to ensure your
aircraft will live a long and healthy life. Clear and concise CAD
drawings are used throughout to make certain you understand the
task at hand. With our recommended corrosion proofing and the use
of 6061-T6 aluminum, a highly corrosive resistant alloy, you can
build an airframe that is virtually maintenance free for many
years to come.
