It's a Leopard, Bwana.

[JayBee]

The history of the CMC Leopard light jet is a tale of varying fortunes, particularly concerning the Williams EJ-22 which was the planned powerplant. However the main customer for this unit, Eclipse Aviation for use in their Eclipse 500 VLJ (Very Light Jet) kept asking for changes in the product specification and this eventually caused the termination of the project.
Eclipse then using the Pratt&Whitney Canada PW610F engine.
However there was a light at the end of the tunnel for CMC as Denel Aviation in South Africa were interested in entering the field of producing a VLJ, and signed a deal with CMC to share the development of the Leopard.
They also undertook to develop a suitable small turbofan engine (which in the end was remarkably like the EJ-22).
Development continued, and once it was put into production international sales were reasonable.
Then in 2009 tragedy struck with the death of the designer, George Chichester-Miles.
Denel immediately bought the full design rights from from the Chichester-Miles Estate and continued with production.
The largest order they received was from the South African Air Force who procured the Leopard as a small, fast, communications aircraft.
They would have liked to call it the Cheetah but they already had a more potent aircraft of that name in service.
In total they procured 28 of the aircraft. 8 were painted in a civil type colour scheme of mostly gloss white with blue and orange cheatlines.
19 were painted in standard SAAF brown/green camouflage.
One was given a special colour scheme.

[PR19_Kit]

One was given a special colour scheme.

I think I know what's coming Jim, and knowing you it'll look pretty darn good. 

I hope you're taking note of my build for 'my' Leopard, especially the bits about the nose weight.

[JayBee]

Indeed I am Kit. Have you noticed that there is a tiny bit of space either side of the nose wheel well. 

[PR19_Kit]

Indeed I am Kit. Have you noticed that there is a tiny bit of space either side of the nose wheel well. 

I had spied that, yes Jim, but my size shot won't fit in there. I've got the instrument cowl on now, and I've filled up ALL the space under it, so I don't think there'll be a weight problem now.

Probably the nose wheel will collapse instead, as it's so tiny!

[JayBee]

Unfortunately (for me) my local fishing tackle shop no longer has any real lead shot available, so I now have to rely on "Liquid Steel" which I get from Little Cars (usually at Telford). This is very small balls of steel and while they are not as dense as lead they are so small you can get quite a lot of them in to tiny spaces.

[PR19_Kit]

Mine aren't led either, but they're some modern day substitute. But they're too big to get in that MINUTE gap you mentioned. 

Living here right alongside the Severn we're knee deep in fishing tackle shops. But they think I'm totally round the bend as I buy stuff from them that's NOTHING to do with fishing. 

[JayBee]

I know the feeling well, Kit.

However on that subject of weight distribution, here is where I am going 





You can see that I have stuck some of the little balls into the underside of the dash panel. I use plastic slurry to stick them in place.
You can also see the small space either side of the nose wheel bay where hopefully a few will go in.

[Gondor]

Unfortunately (for me) my local fishing tackle shop no longer has any real lead shot available, so I now have to rely on "Liquid Steel" which I get from Little Cars (usually at Telford). This is very small balls of steel and while they are not as dense as lead they are so small you can get quite a lot of them in to tiny spaces.

Would you like me to pick some up for you Jim?

Gondor

[JayBee]

Alistair,

PM inbound. 

[PR19_Kit]

You can see that I have stuck some of the little balls into the underside of the dash panel. I use plastic slurry to stick them in place.
You can also see the small space either side of the nose wheel bay where hopefully a few will go in.

That all looks vaguely familiar Jim, I wonder why? 

At the risk of giving our Global Moderators apoplectic fits, your balls are bigger than mine Jim............. 

The shot that I have are maybe 2/3 the size of yours, and I have got some down the side of the nosewheel bay on my Leopard, but I thought you were talking about the spaces forward of the bay.

See some more notes on my thread in a mo.

[NARSES2]

I got a load of proper lead shot from a guy at Southern Expo a few years ago, those and a load of old tyre weights a mate who worked at Quick Fit before he retired got me should see me through  Mind you I don't build many kits with nose wheel undercarriage and when I do I sometimes forget 

[PR19_Kit]

Even the smallest tyre weight would be larger than the Leopard kit! 

[NARSES2]

Didn't realise it was that small Kit 

I did melt some of the tyre weights down and "cast" them into smaller more managable shapes and sizes.

[loupgarou]

Beg your collective pardon, but, concerning weights, don't there are HUNTING shops, besides fishing ones?
They should sell, apart from ready cartridges, also shots of every size (and gunpowder, but I'd avoid it) for people that prepare their own.
I think I have somewhere a lot of them, bought somewhen.

[PR19_Kit]

Beg your collective pardon, but, concerning weights, don't there are HUNTING shops, besides fishing ones?
They should sell, apart from ready cartridges, also shots of every size (and gunpowder, but I'd avoid it) for people that prepare their own.
I think I have somewhere a lot of them, bought somewhen.

Not in the UK, or not many of them anyway. Guns of almost any kind are endangered species over here.