Product Code Database
The Murphy Renegade is a family of Canada two-seats-in-tandem, single engine, conventional landing gear, , produced by Murphy Aircraft and intended for amateur construction.Vandermeullen, Richard: 2012 Kit Aircraft Buyer's Guide, Kitplanes, Volume 28, Number 12, December 2011, page 62. Belvoir Publications. ISSN 0891-1851Purdy, Don: AeroCrafter - Homebuilt Aircraft Sourcebook, page 212. BAI Communications. Downey, Julia: 2008 Kit Aircraft Directory, Kitplanes, Volume 24, Number 12, December 2007, page 63. Primedia Publications. ISSN 0891-1851Kitplanes Staff: 1999 Kit Aircraft Directory, Kitplanes, Volume 15, Number 12, December 1998, page 57. Primedia Publications. IPM 0462012Bayerl, Robby; Martin Berkemeier; et al: World Directory of Leisure Aviation 2011-12, page 66. WDLA UK, Lancaster UK, 2011. ISSN 1368-485XTacke, Willi; Marino Boric; et al: World Directory of Light Aviation 2015-16, page 69. Flying Pages Europe SARL, 2015.
In Canada all Renegade variants are eligible to be registered as amateur-builts, or advanced ultralights. In the USA the Renegade is not on the list of Special light-sport aircraft, but is eligible for the Experimental - Amateur-built category.
After taking the aircraft to a number of and other aviation events, Murphy was encouraged by the large number of people who wanted him to build one for them. In 1985 he quit his job and started Murphy Aviation (later renamed Murphy Aircraft Manufacturing), with his brother Bryan and located the company in Chilliwack, British Columbia. The original Renegade design was turned into a two-seater by relocating the fuel tank from the centre fuselage to the upper wing, installing a second seat and designating it Renegade II. Initial sales were disappointing as only one kit was sold in the first six months. Sales improved greatly once the aviation press began reviewing the aircraft. By 1986 the company had a backlog of orders, including many from outside North America. Murphy displayed the Renegade at the EAA Convention, Oshkosh and returned to Chilliwack with a substantial order book. During 1989 sales totalled 129 Renegade IIs.Murphy Aviation: News Bulletin, page 4. Murphy Aviation, Spring 1988
The Renegade two was initially offered to buyers in six different configurations:Murphy Aviation Limited: Renegade, page 3. Murphy Aviation Limited, 1986.Murphy Aviation: News Bulletin, page 2. Murphy Aviation, Summer 1987
In May 1987 a new version of the basic Renegade design first flew. Named the Renegade Spirit it added a radial engine-style round cowling and additional fuselage stringers to give the aircraft a rounded look. The standard engine was the Rotax 532 and later the Rotax 582 of the same output, with the four-stroke Rotax 912UL added as a later option. Fibreglass wheel pants are also an option.Armstrong, Ken: Catching the Spirit, Kitplanes MagazineMurphy Aviation: Catching the "Spirit" in a Murphy Rengade - Info Package. Murphy Aviation, 1990Campbell, Jim: Getting the Spirit. Sport Pilot, pages 20-25, 66-70, April 1989
The Renegades's wings have a positive stagger and incorporate a single faired interplane strut and cabane struts as well as wire-bracing. The top wing has a span of and incorporates a 10 degree sweep to improve visibility from the pilot's back seat, accessibility for the front seat passenger and reduces adverse yaw. The lower wing has 3 degrees of dihedral. Ailerons are of the Friese type, with two ailerons on the lower wing standard and four ailerons optional. The front wing spar was initially a aluminum tube and the rear spar is "C" channel. Starting 1 January 1989 the front spar was changed to a rectangular spar and an outboard drag brace was added, increasing wing rigidity. The ribs are stamped aluminum and mate with an aluminium sheet leading edge. All surfaces are covered with aircraft fabric. Controls are via torque tubes.
The Renegade II wing design was sand-bag tested on 16 February 1988 to , or +7.2 g-force working load, with a +10 and -6 gs ultimate load.
The company indicates that construction time varies between 300–500 hours, depending on builder experience.
In his 2015 review Marino Boric said, "the Renegade can take less powerful engines like the Rotax 582, but the higher power of the 912 gives it the sprightly performance it deserves."
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