Huntair Pathfinder II Microlight Aircraft

Huntair Pathfinder II microlight aircraft, 1983. Registration G.MMCB, makers serial no. 136

The Pathfinder II is a microlight/ultralight aircraft designed in 1983 as a direct improvement of Huntair Limited’s highly successful Pathfinder aircraft designed in 1979. The original Pathfinder I was notable for its compact three-axis control design. In 1982 the original model received small refinements and nine of these improved models were used in the landmark 1982 London-Paris ultralight race, seven of which entered the top ten.

The Pathfinder II was a direct and overall improvement to the 1982 model, with emphasis placed on an improved wing, fuselage and engine design which made the aircraft lighter, more compact and more powerful than its predecessor. Huntair took particular advantage of recent improvements to fuselage tube design, as well as better manufacturing methods for their Rotax 377 engines.

With its improved design, the Pathfinder II had a max takeoff weight of 260 kg, a max cruise speed of 60 mph, could climb at a rate of 600 feet per minute, and had a range of around 125 miles fully fueled.

A total of 45 Pathfinders were built by Huntair, ten of which being Pathfinder II’s, and like many microlights were purchased as kits to be assembled by their owners.

This example, registration G.MMCB (serial no. 136), was built in 1983, and was primarily flown in Sussex, but was also taken overseas where it was involved in a serious crash which resulted in it being grounded by the Civil Aviation Authority in 1984.

The Pathfinder series was part of the development of the first generation of modern microlight aircraft, which began in the late 1970s when small engines were attached to hang-gliders. The aircraft gradually evolved into a microlight aircraft with an undercarriage and a seat for the pilot. Contemporary microlight aircraft are capable of carrying two people distances of 400 miles or more on a single tank of fuel safely and in relative comfort.