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One of the most successful ultralight manufacturers in North America is Rans Aircraft out of Hays Kansas. The success of the company can be traced back to it's owner Randy
Schlitter. Randy has a very unique way of producing aircraft, he builds NEW planes from parts from his already proven designs. This cuts down on stock, tooling, etc. and gives his line of aircraft a distinctively "RANS
look."
Another reason for his success is that he "designs" things for specific markets, in both single and two place configurations. You want a hot little aerobatic plane, he has it in his S 9 and S 10. Looking for front and back seating two place in a "CUB" he has it in his S-7. Want a side by side seating two place, or a single place tractor he has it in his Coyote series. How about a pusher? He has his S12 and S 14 in various
configurations.
Last year he introduced his S 17, Stinger a little single place, high wing pusher which can be built in as little as 100 hours - with a published weight of just under the legal ultralight limit in the U.S. of 254 lbs. when equipped with a 447 Rotax engine.
This year at Sun N Fun he introduced the S -18 Stinger 11. The S 18 is a front a back seating high wing two place in a pusher configuration. It mates a welded steel fuselage front section to an aluminum boom and tail
section.
One of the most notable changes from Randy's previous designs is the landing gear. In the past he has used round steel tubing, plugging into welded sockets in the fuselage. The S 18 has a one piece sprung aluminum gear which bolts to the underside of the welded front section. Another noticeable feature is the front pilot seat. It is located in front of the wing, which gives the pilot a panoramic view - and would make it a great platform for shooting pictures
from.
Kit construction is simple bolt and rivet construction, and builders using the very accurate and easy to follow manuals should take approximately 200 hours to build the kit. One of the reasons for the low building times is that dacron sail cloth body socks are used to cover the wings, control system, and tail sections. The more conventional fabric covering process will also be available, if there is a demand for it in the
future.
Once up and flying the S 18 can be powered by a number of Rotax engines including the 503 and 582. With these engines the Stinger fits right into the U.S. ultralight training exemption. Listed performance of the Stinger 11 using a 503 Rotax engine are take - off roll at gross 330 feet using two notches of flap, climb rate of 500 fpm, cruise of 60 mph, and stall with flaps 36 mph. Empty weight of 478 lbs and a gross of 920 giving a useful payload of 442 lbs.
For more information contact
RANS Inc.
4600 Highway 183 Alternate
Hays, Kansas 67601 U.S.A |
