Murphy Elite

The Murphy Elite is a Canadian light aircraft that was designed and is produced by Murphy Aircraft of Chilliwack, British Columbia. The aircraft is supplied as a kit for amateur construction.

When it was introduced in April 1996 it was originally known as the Rebel Elite.

Design and development
The Elite was originally designed as a tricycle gear version of the Murphy Rebel, although it is now also offered with conventional landing gear as an option. It also incorporated some improvements over the Rebel, including a reinforced airframe, cantilever tailplane with a one-piece elevator, all-metal control surfaces, split configuration flaps, and upgraded wing attachment points and leading edges. This enabled the design to achieve a gross weight of 1800 lb, and to mount engines of up to 180 hp. The Elite features a strut-braced high-wing, three seats, tricycle landing gear and a single engine in tractor configuration.

The aircraft is made from aluminum sheet. Its 30.3 ft span wing is supported by single lift struts. The occupants are accommodated in an enclosed cabin of 44 in width, with doors for access and egress. With a standard empty weight of 1100 lb and a gross weight of 1800 lb, the Elite has a useful load of 700 lb. Acceptable power range is 115 to 180 hp, and recommended engines include the 180 hp Lycoming O-360, 150 to 160 hp Lycoming O-320 and the 115 hp Lycoming O-235.

Construction time from the factory kit is estimated at 1400 hours. The Elite can be operated on wheels, including tundra tires, skis and floats.