Wallace and Robert McNair started the Mynah II design in Septem¬ber 1988, intended right from the start for series production, a two seater at the top end of the microlight performance range. This aircraft had no commonality with the earlier single seat Mynah aircraft, although both were designed by Wallace and Robert McNair of Auckland, New Zealand.

The fuselage is a one piece moulded fibreglass unit, with integral verti¬cal fin and bottom wing fairings. Moulded in at construction time are wooden longerons, to which the engine mount is bolted at the firewall, and strength is added by the compound curves everywhere, the only straight surface being on the bottom be¬tween the wings. Bulkheads are located around the cockpits and form the structural unit on which the wings, struts, wires and fibreglass landing gear legs are mounted.

The wings, of Clark Y aerofoil, have folded aluminium channel extrusions for the spars, pressed aluminium ribs and Mylar covering, an aluminium leading edge, laced along the lead¬ing edge and each end, with the lacing covered by tips and leading edges, applied after covering. They have marked forward stagger, the bottom wing rear spar passing behind the rear seat and the top wings with a large amount of sweepback to keep the centre section well forward, clear of the front cockpit. Fuel tanks with a total capac¬ity of 50 litres are incorporated in the in¬board ends of the bottom wing leading edges.

Everything is designed around the 390 kg microlight category and standard 4G loading. Empty weight is 170 kg, allowing a pay¬load total of 220 kg, plenty for two occu¬pants, full fuel and a bit more. The Mynah II has a safe endurance of two and a half hours. Motive power is a two cylinder horizon¬tally opposed two stroke Arrow engine from Italy, pulling 65 hp at 6800 rpm, with the three blade carbon fibre propeller of 66 in diameter geared down at 2.77/1.

It was designed with an eye to production but this never eventuated.

ZK-FWT (c/n 001/MAANZ/450) was built by the McNairs and also by Alan Stewart of Tuatapere, to whom the aircraft was first registered on 25/10/90. It flew well with a cruise of around 70 mph. Empty weight was around 220 Kg and MAUW was 449 Kg.

It was sold to RA Hansen of Huntly on 30/8/93. It is still registered and it is kept in a hangar at Glen Murray, although I believe it hasn’t flown for several years.

Designed and built by Wallace McNair, Auckland, NZ, and owing much to the Lincoln Sports design, the Mynah has a unique folding fuselage for transportation by trailer. The wings are therefore able to be permanently rigged while the wire bracing from the wing struts to the rear fuselage takes only a matter of minutes to rig. The engine is a two-cylinder “half-a-VW”.

Hi I currently own the mcnair mynah pictured and one partialy built, mine has a rotax 447 engine although i have seen one with a 503 rotax. There were about 6 built and 3 in flying condition that i know of.
Michael Jones 13 December 1013

Engine: Kornatsu Zenoah, 40hp
Cruise: 50 mph
Stall: 20 mph

Engine: ½ VW