Seats: 2

Main Construction: Tubular frame with fabric/metal

Engine/Hp: Rotax 912 ULS/100 hp

Propeller: Warp Drive, 2-blade, ground adjustable, 70″ diameter

Avionics: Non-integrated VFR analog, Garmin aera 660GPS

Top Cruise Speed: 97 kts

Stall, Landing Configuration: 28 kts

MaximumRange: 506 nm

Maximum Takeoff Weight: 1,320 lbs.

Payload: 424 lbs. (full fuel)

UsefulLoad: 580 lbs.

Takeoff/Landing Distance (No Obstacle): 300/340 ft.

The post 2017 Rans S20LS Raven appeared first on Plane & Pilot Magazine.

We had just returned to straight and level following a loop, a roll and a spin entered from an altitude that shall remain numberless just outside Florida’s Lakeland Linder Regional Airport airspace, where Sun ‘n Fun 2014 was in full swing. “Is this legal?” I asked Randy Schlitter, founder and president of RANS Designs, Inc., as he gleefully demonstrated from the right seat the handling characteristics of the new S-20 Raven high-wing STOL aircraft. “We’re experimental,” Schlitter answered. “The rules are a little different for us.”

Experimental today, but will it be an LSA tomorrow? The kit-built Raven light-sport bush plane was intended to become RANS’ flagship crossover into the LSA world, but Schlitter says recent FAA regulatory mandates for the LSA category require maneuvering through hoops and loops far more challenging than any aerobatic routine—requirements that could impede the Raven’s LSA approval. That would be a loss for the LSA world because the Raven provides a level of capability, performance and even comfort in its bare-bones interior that category customers would appreciate—not to mention the benefits of exposing more pilots to Schlitter’s no-nonsense practicality, expressed in more than a score of successful kit aircraft designs.

A Hybrid Aircraft
Not that there’s much new about the Raven, as Schlitter pointed out during the walkaround of N513DT at Paradise City Light Aircraft Park, Sun ‘n Fun’s home for LSA, ultralights, powered parachutes and other sport aircraft. The Raven is basically a hybrid of the S-7S Courier and the S-6S Coyote II, “The best of two great planes that have been in production at RANS since the ’80s,” he said.

The wings, aero servo ailerons, fuel system and tail come from the Courier, and engine system, control sticks, flap lever, rudder pedals, seats and instrument panel from the Coyote. “The intent was to answer the many requests for a side-by-side bush plane, equal to or beyond the Courier,” he said.

Firewall forward, it’s all Coyote II, right down to the engine mounts, though different mounts would likely be used if the new fuel-injected Rotax 912 iS Sport is offered as an option in place of the Coyote/Raven’s carbureted 100 hp Rotax 912 ULS, as Schlitter is considering. But, why mess with success? The CNC-machined aluminum boot cowling with its aerodynamic design and underslung radiator reduces cooling drag while keeping the engine exceptionally well cooled. An optional carbon-fiber cowl saves eight pounds.

The wing features the Courier’s two- and three-inch custom anodized aluminum extruded spars, stamped aluminum ribs and aero servo ailerons, which reduce control pressures on the stick. The two fuel tanks in the wings hold a total of 26 gallons. An optional and retrofittable “swing wing” kit allows the wings to be folded back by one person in about 10 to 15 minutes. “That’s to help people in places where hangars are rare and fees are high,” Schlitter said. “They can get three or four of these in a spot for one, and people in Alaska and Europe love that.”

The Raven’s wings feature two- and three-inch custom anodized aluminum spars, stamped aluminum ribs and aero servo ailerons.

Unlike the rest of the aircraft, the welded 4230 chromoly fuselage is uniquely Raven. Schlitter pointed out its tapered cross section, shaped to reduce the total plate drag area without sacrificing interior space, and also giving the Raven an aesthetically pleasing, classic appearance.

The landing-gear struts are made from 7075 aluminum alloy, which offers both great strength and fatigue resistance. Notably, the landing gear are “reversible;” the aircraft configuration can be switched between tricycle and tailwheel in a matter of hours.

Back at the empennage, the horizontal tail and redundant double-diamond flying wire bracing is taken from the Courier, as is the tailwheel, while the vertical fin was modified just enough to accommodate a choice of rudders: the straight, signature RANS rudder or the newly introduced “classic” rounded rudder, its shape harkening back to the Golden Era of aviation. Aerodynamically, they’re identical, but the straight tail weighs a half-pound more, as thicker tubing is required to resist shrinkage during fabric curing that could damage its structural integrity, compared to the arched shape of the rounded rudder. N513DT has the classic version.

Our walkaround wasn’t performed without interruption. Members of the RANS Clan, as Schlitter’s longtime customers and fans are known, are ever eager to seek his advice or opinion on a variety of aviation matters or report progress on a project under construction. Many of the questions at Sun ‘n Fun were about the Raven. “This is getting all the attention at the show, pretty much,” Rick Hayes, a RANS dealer from Michigan, said about the Raven during one such brief interruption. “He hit everything right on the nose that people have been asking about for years, plus some, and rolled it all into this.” Hayes singled out the side-by-side seating and chromoly construction as features drawing customer interest, especially among those who had been considering buying the tandem Courier. “We’re going to sell a lot of [these] planes,” Hayes said.

Randy Schlitter opted for steam gauges to keep the Raven’s instrument panel as simple as possible.

A Day In Paradise
Paradise City had the ambiance of a medieval fair, as all day long, flying machines were pushed into and out of the exhibit area’s aerodrome, a 1,400-foot grass strip, while the sound of whining Rotaxes filled the air. But, there’s method to the superficial madness. Anyone wanting a demo flight had to first register at Paradise City HQ and be briefed on procedures before receiving their authorizing documentation.

We rolled the Raven toward the roped-off runway, volunteers dropped the flag-festooned cordon, and in a few moments, we were strapping in. The Raven’s welded-frame cabin doors are 51 inches wide and hinged at the top, held in the open position by gas struts, making entry easy. Simply park your butt on the seat and swing your legs in, clearing the stick with your inboard leg. Rudder pedal position is fixed, but seats can be adjusted forward and aft, also easing ingress and egress. To reposition before entry or while seated, simply pull the seat back forward, releasing the seat lock and slide in the desired direction. The reclining angle is also adjustable. “You can practically lay down and fly,” Schlitter said. At 46 inches across, the cockpit qualifies as roomy, as does the more than 20-cubic-foot, 80-pound-capacity baggage area behind the two fold-down seats. “Camping gear and folding bikes are bulky,” Schlitter said, explaining the copious space. A metal liner in the baggage area prevents any cargo from punching through the aircraft’s fabric covering. Schlitter is considering designing an optional tube for the rear fuselage to carry skis or golf clubs. The interior of the LSA version would have a standard beige or grey interior.

Unlike many of the current LSA crop, the Raven has steam gauges rather than a glass panel. “It’s a simple panel, and people think that makes sense,” Schlitter said, adding, “A lot of guys losing their medicals are used to flying a six-pack [steam gauge panel], and they’d rather just jump in something they’re familiar with.” Schlitter notes many younger pilots and sheriff’s departments are also showing interest in operating this type of aircraft.

The Raven Takes Wing
RANS’ performance data says that in standard conditions, the Raven will take off in 300 feet at maximum weight and climb at 900 fpm. We had no way to measure ground roll accurately, but we seemed to be airborne almost as soon as the throttle reached the stop, and the VSI was in sync with projected climb rate. We didn’t spend much time ascending, though, before making a beeline for Linder’s airspace boundary. At about 100 knots top cruise speed, the Raven is several knots faster than either of its parents, and the feeling of speed across the ground at our low altitude was visceral. We quickly reached the Class D airspace perimeter, and Randy put on his aerobatic display, starting with knife-edge flight to the left and right before pitching the nose down, looking for 110 indicated, and pulling back on the stick smoothly, the earth passing beneath us.

As it turns out, very few customers use his aircraft for aerobatics, Schlitter said, but he likes to demonstrate maneuvers to prospective customers anyway to “reassure them the plane can handle it,” and showcase the energy retention of his designs. He noted that the builder of an Experimental Amateur Built aircraft can specify in its operational limits that it will be tested for aerobatic flight, but if not so listed, it’s not to be flown or tested for akro.

After climbing to a higher altitude, we did power-on and power-off stalls, clean and dirty. All were docile, and recovery was immediate. Power-off in the landing configuration, the stall occurred in the low 30s IAS, and Schlitter thinks with a bit of tweaking he can get the stall speed to about 30.

Most of our time airborne was spent maneuvering around at under 1,000 feet, enjoying the S-20’s responsive handling characteristics, its impressive visibility, and the montage of glimpses into lives and everyday events unfolding below. Meanwhile, the Raven’s 14,500-foot service ceiling and 340-foot landing roll will get it into high backcountry just about anywhere an aviator would care to venture.

The last demonstration of the Raven’s handling came on final for Paradise City. All aircraft must maintain at least 300 feet AGL when coming over the parking lot just west of the runway, which pretty much dictates they all must execute a rather steep slam-dunk approach. The Raven easily slipped in as if coming over the tops of sequoias into a postage stamp-size backcountry strip.

Stark Raven Mad
Now, about that LSA approval: As a result of recommendations from the ASTM’s F37 committee—the group that wrote and maintains standards for LSA approval—the FAA now requires a factory audit be performed by an FAA Air Safety Investigator before a U.S. manufacturer can have any new LSA approved. Prior to the adoption of the factory auditing requirement, a Designated Airworthiness Representative (DAR) could inspect and approve new LSA. “It means [Schlitter’s] got to jump through extra hoops, no doubt,” said Dan Johnson, president and Chairman of the Board of the Light Aircraft Manufacturers Association.

Johnson reckons that given Schlitter’s history, the audit would be relatively pro forma, and he estimates the audit process would cost the equivalent of the retail price of one of the aircraft being approved, in this case, about $125,000.

RANS had advertised the LSA Raven for $112,000, but at Sun ‘n Fun, Schlitter said he was considering bumping the price to $125,000. He’s since withdrawn advertisements for the LSA variant. “A lot of people want to buy a ready-to-fly-airplane,” Schlitter said, “but more want to buy kits.”

For those who don’t want to wait for LSA approval, several design features make the Raven a relatively easy build. The complete fuselage and tail are factory welded, and the CNC-drilled spars eliminate almost all critical drilling and locating of holes. One-piece stamped ribs are punched with final hole sizes, and many parts are anodized, eliminating the need to prime or corrosion-proof them. The kit is $25,500 without instruments, paint or engine. When everything is done, the completed cost is $62,000-$65,000, Schlitter estimates.

The post The Raven Takes Wing appeared first on Plane & Pilot Magazine.

S-20 Raven
AIRFRAME SPECIFICATIONS
Wingspan:	30 ft. 3 in.
Area (sq. ft.):	152.7
Mean Chord (ft.):	5.05
Aspect:	6.0:1
Length:	21 ft.
Height—Taildragger:	6 ft. 7 in.
Height—Tricycle::	7 ft. 11 in.
Number Of Seats:	2
Doors:	2
Baggage Volume (cubic ft.):	21.2
Baggage Capacity (lbs.):	80
Fuel Capacity (gals.):	26 U.S.
POWER PLANT
Engine:	Rotax 912 ULS
Output (hp):	100
Oil Capacity (qts.):	3
Coolant Capacity (qts.):	4.4
Propeller Diameter (in.):	70
Propeller Type:	Ground Adjustable
Gear Reduction:	1:2.43
Fuel gph @ 75%:	5
ESTIMATED PERFORMANCE
Take Off Roll (ft.):	300
Rate of Climb (fpm):	900
Service Ceiling (ft.):	14,500
Cruise (mph):	112
Vne (mph):	130
Stall—Clean (mph):	39
Stall—Flaps (mph):	33
Roll Rate:	80 degs./sec
Glide Ratio:	9.4:1
Landing Roll (ft.):	340
Endurance (hrs.):	5.2
Range (miles):	582
WEIGHTS AND LOADINGS
Gross Weight (lbs.):	1,320
Empty Weight (lbs.):	740
Useful Load (lbs.):	580
Wing Loading (lbs.):	8.64
Power Loading:	13.20
Limit Load Factors:	+4 -2

The post Rans S-20 Raven appeared first on Plane & Pilot Magazine.

The Rans S-7LS Courier, newly reworked for 2012 by its brainy, creative, airplane-loving designer Randy Schlitter, has been around for a number of years. As such, the classic taildragger enjoys a loyal following of owners who typically fly it for pure fun, whether around the local patch or in and out of some downright hair-raising backcountry turf.

Just a few minutes into an hour flight in the Courier recently with company pilot (and gal-next-door-type) Jana Morenz, it was slam-dunk obvious this is another super-refined Schlitter masterpiece.

First, this is a pilot’s airplane. In Schlitter’s ouevre, that means, first and foremost, impeccable handling, top-quality fit and finish, suitable performance for its type and affordable pricing. The Courier is a rear-wheeled bird, thus heir to a good STOL performance that pays homage to the great tandem-seat, fabric-covered club that includes the Piper Cub and Super Cub, Aeronca Champ and Taylorcraft, as well as the popular modern LSA versions from American Legend and Cub Crafters.

Schlitter heads up one of the most successful all-American aircraft companies ever. Over nearly 30 years, the prolific designer has produced roughly 5,000 airplanes—kits and ready-to-fly alike—that have from the beginning epitomized ingenuity, economy, form and function.

The S-7LS Courier is a handsome taildragger with clean, modern lines that serves up even more than meets the eye. More in this case triggers starts with a 70-degree roll rate and lighter stick forces than any other taildragger you’re likely to find (other than a Pitts!). Courier is one lively bird.

Roll rates are so light and quick. And there’s a balanced, clean feel in all three axes that makes you really want to turn it loose on the sky. It’s nimble, sporty and plain fun to fly.

The handling comes by virtue of an update to the 2012 model: an aero servo aileron linkage system that delivers a pushrod-solid feel, though it’s a traditional cable setup. (Rudder is also cable linked, while pitch is through a push-pull tube.)

In my too-brief flight with adorably pink-capped, pony-tailed Jana Morenz, I didn’t achieve the deft coordination I know would come with a bit of practice—it’s a spunky bird. Yet the S-7 is also so reassuring in its handling that I shot a good landing my first try without too much coaching in the nuances, and found it very easy to three-point on the grass—and this when I hadn’t flown in a couple of months. Friendly bird.

I flew from the rear seat, with Ms. Morenz handling flaps from the front, even though the airplane is rated as solo from the front seat. I like apples-to-apples comparisons to the 1946 Piper Cub I’m used to flying.

Rans company pilot Jana Morenz takes LSA Editor James Lawrence for a demo flight in the S-7LS Courier, a tandem-seat fabric-covered taildragger. The LSA has a gross weight of the max 1,320 pounds and an increased fuel capacity of 26 gallons.

Easy As Pie
I dropped us into a right-hand pattern at a grass strip, took Morenz’s suggestion to hold about 65 mph on final, then eased into a modest flare, and the Courier settled politely into that three-pointer without any neurotic undercurrents. Visibility was plenty good from the rear throughout landing and rollout, since the S-7 taxies at a less pronounced deck angle than a classic Cub, providing better visibility all around.

Ground handling is a breeze, too, thanks to the steerable, full-swivel tailwheel and dual toe brakes. And you can swing the airplane around real fast on one tire by locking up its Matco brake—great for maneuvering on tight backwoods strips.

New For 2012
Randy Schlitter gave the tried and true Courier quite a makeover. The upgraded S-7LS has greater range and payload to match its more responsive handling. Gross weight is now the full LSA-maximum 1,320 pounds.

Also new is increased fuel capacity: 26 gallons (up from 18), which is carried in two integral wing tanks (with latch-down, flush-fuel caps). The wing is built with one-piece stamped aluminum ribs now, replacing eight-piece, ultralight-style tubular ribs, and yielding lower weight with higher strength.

The aero servo linkage hinges to the ailerons a few inches aft of the (beefed-up) aileron leading edge spars. This neat trick brings in aerodynamic forces to help with the work of displacing ailerons, rather than relying on mechanical forces do it all. Simply described, when deflected, the aileron’s leading edge encounters the relative wind above or below wing, which more cleanly diverts chord wise airflow down or up.

The aero servo approach has another benefit: no more aileron spades, which reduces drag and no doubt will save many craniums from walk-around head trauma. Also worth noting: differential aileron linkage (see sidebar), which reduces adverse yaw.

Modern technologies are brought to bear in shedding around 20 pounds of weight through the use of carbon fiber in the boot cowl, cowling, prop spinner and wing tips. And the large 6×00 main tires and eight-inch pneumatic tailwheel, along with robust spring steel main gear, help optimize the Courier for operations in and out of the weeds.

The standard-version Courier instrument panels come with steam gauges. Two other versions are available: the Deluxe Analog panel gets a Garmin SL 40, PM 3000 Intercom, Garmin Aero 560 GPS, VSI and Garmin GTX 330 Transponder, while the Deluxe Digital gets all of that, plus a Dynon D180 EFIS glass panel and smaller two-inch ASI and ALT gauges to fit it all in.

And if you like to build, you can save around $30,000 off the $87,000 ready-to-fly base price with the kit version, which takes 500 to 700 hours (Quickbuild version: 250 to 350 hours).

Back To The Sky
The Courier (named after Schlitter’s enduring affection for another STOL bird, the legendary Helio Courier) curves happily through the sky but also showed me some impressive “Impossible Turn” performance.

Climbing at max power, we simulated takeoff engine failures by chopping throttle at full power on the 100 hp Rotax 912 ULS, establishing best glide speed (65 mph), then turning at a 35- to 45-degree bank through 180 and 270 degrees of heading to simulate a turn back to the airport.

The biggest altitude loss during a 180-degree turn was 180 feet. For a 270-degree turn, we lost just 270 feet. That kind of floaty efficiency is reassuring: Even if you double minimum altitude for a 270-degree airport turnback, that’s still just over 500 feet…and we were well above 4,000 feet MSL.

What other praises to sing for this lovely taildragger? Takeoff: Give ‘er the gun, the tail comes up pretty much on its own, and she’s off in a surprising few seconds. Ergonomics: Plenty of room for big feet on both sets of pedals. The stick-top electric elevator trim is rigged for light, quick taps—just right. Visibility even from the rear seat is very good, with lots of window area. And the overhead skylight brings good forward view in steeper banks.

Headroom in the rear and front seats is about the same: I’m 5’11” and had a good four inches clearance below the airframe. A 6’6″ pilot might feel a bit challenged here, but it’s probably doable.

More on handling: Light, quick-response personality that prefers fingertip rather than ham-fist/lead-foot control inputs. Block the rudders to keep from overcontrolling, suggests Ms. Morenz. Once trimmed, she says 10-hour trips are easily done without undue fatigue: This docile bird doesn’t need an autopilot.

Stalls? Typically LSA benign: There are no nasty wingovers or other silliness, and they’re preceded by gentle burbled warnings around 40 mph indicated. Courier feels inherently forgiving.

And then there’s flying with the windows open, one side or both. So, as we motor back to the airport, I’m happy to be alive and breathe in the great blue sky, enjoy Jana Morenz’s pink-hatted pony-tail dance in front of me, and feel snug as a bug in the most excellent Rans S-7 Courier, an airplane any pilot who loves sheer flying will enjoy on the very first date.

The post The Lively Bird appeared first on Plane & Pilot Magazine.

Rans S-7LS Courier
Wing span (ft.):	29.25
Wing area (sq. ft.):	147.1
Cabin width (inches):	30
Fuel capacity (gals.):	26
Engine:	100 hp Rotax 912ULS
Max takeoff weight (lbs.):	1320
Empty weight as flown (lbs.):	732
Useful load (lbs.):	558
Baggage volume (cu. ft.):	10
Baggage capacity (lbs.):	50
PERFORMANCE
Rate of climb (fpm):	850
Roll rate (degrees/secs.):	70
Glide ratio:	8:1
Cruise (mph):	110
Range (miles):	572
Vne (mph):	130
Vs (mph):	50
Vso (mph):	45
Price as flown:	TK
Base price:	$87,500
Source: Rans

The post Rans S-7LS Courier appeared first on Plane & Pilot Magazine.

In American Indian lore, the coyote is a mythic totem, known variously as the prairie wolf, God’s dog and the trickster. The coyote was respected for its intelligence, resourcefulness and adaptability. As an airplane, the Rans Aircraft Coyote II seems aptly named by making the most of its straightforward aerodynamic pedigree: It’s lean, attractive, playful, and handles the elements athletically and with minimal fuss.

A Long Pedigree

“Just as a bit of trivia,” Rans Aircraft’s eclectic founder and head honcho Randy Schlitter says, “if we lined up wingtip to wingtip the 4,500 airplanes Rans has sold since the company began, it would stretch more than 25 miles.”

Randy likes to conjure abstract visuals like that. His artist/engineer/
entrepreneur mind has brought forth, since 1983, a virtual air force of interesting aircraft, including a lifting body, ultralights that can handle brisk Kansas winds, full-on lightweight aerobats and both production and kit versions of popular models such as the current S-6LS and S-7LS high-wings and S-19LS all-aluminum low-winger.

A Randy Schlitter-designed airplane is a pilot’s delight. It’s impeccably hand-constructed and can be counted on for inventive design implementations in the service of performance and pilot contentment. The Coyote II S-6LS in particular is the classic Rans design: fundamentally functional, cute and spirited, but always in faithful service of number one—the pilot.
I had the pleasure of flying the ELS version a few months ago when it was briefly offered as a $63,000 S-LSA, which put it head to head against other budget-focused LSA.

I had thought the Coyote, with its slip-cover frame that carries the light and airy look of the ultralight breed, would feel similar to those “budget” birds. But that was a merely skin-deep assumption.

Randy has certainly made good use of that iconic bolt-together tube-style construction, but the Coyote is, by no means, an “ultralighty” airplane: It’s responsive yet stable; and feels tight, balanced and solid yet is thoroughly enjoyable to fly around the local patch. Poking through some chop, pulling in a couple notches of flaps to curve down into a short-field landing or trimming up for a nice, longish cruise, it behaves like a “real” airplane—with no hidden vulnerabilities or nasty surprises in its highly evolved construction and flying personality.

The Good Doggie

Coyote began life 28 years ago as a single-place, sewn Dacron-covered, 28 hp ultralight. In continuously refined production as an experimental two-seat kit since 1989, the official S-LSA version was ASTM certified in 2008.

Coyote has come a long, long way through a tuning process responsive to customer input—and Randy Schlitter’s tirelessly creative brain. Some people are born to think natively outside the box. Far fewer also have the business acumen to produce excellent products and successfully pilot their company through major economic recessions—and in the aviation industry, yet!

All Rans airplanes are completely American made. More than 2,000 iterations of the venerable Coyote design have gone out to 50 countries, including Japan and Great Britain. There are specific reasons for success across national borders and a variety of pilot preferences. At the top of the S-6LS’s brag list are a no-nonsense, fun-flying personality; economical operating cost and the hybrid airframe construction that melds a welded chrome-moly-steel passenger cage with an aluminum tube tail. The wings also conjoin beefy tube spars with metal ribs. The airplane is covered the tried-and-true way: with dope and fabric. The stabilized Dacron envelope, clear coated for a surprisingly beautiful, airtight finish, can still be had in the S-6ES kit version. Simply put, the Coyote II has quietly become one of the most popular single-engine sport airplanes ever made.

We Bombed In Hays

Surprising then, and instructive of the vagaries of the airplane business, is how the S6-ELS model didn’t attract droves of buyers. Of course, the big factor was the crummy economy. “We put this experiment out at the wrong time,” Randy acknowledges.

Still, Google the term “LSA” these days and you’ll hear an enduring howl: “LSA are too expensive! What hap-pened to our cheap Saviors of Aviation? Waaaah!”

This popular lament is, of course, unrealistic. “It’s a chicken-or-egg thing,” says Randy. “Without a volume market, prices won’t drop. But without low prices, the market won’t grow and businesses won’t be successful.”

LSA airplanes, ASTM certified, are sold in the very low hundreds per year. Why, then, should buyers expect them to price in the same marketing universe as the automobile, which pours out of factories worldwide by the millions each year?

So wouldn’t you think, as Randy did, that serving up—piping hot and ready-to-fly—a $63,000 all-purpose fun flivver like the S6-ELS would bring out all those winged bargain hunters with checkbooks and credit cards waving over their heads? Au contraire. “No one wanted it,” he says.

He exaggerates—several of the ELS models were sold—but insufficiently to fuel the economies of scale necessary to bring profits to the company and its dealers. Never a stranger to candor, Randy says simply, “Our customers wanted that super-cheap price…but they also wanted a high degree of customization, all the bells and whistles like digital screens and autopilot, that add thousands to the cost.”

The current price for the base S-6LS model is $82,000, with a dope/fabric covering instead of the less costly, ultralight slipcover style and a day-VFR analog instrument panel. The increase reflects the greater cost of the covering process, as well as a sufficient margin to “give our dealers a chance to actually turn a profit.”

Rans calls its new marketing style A la Carte. “The new system means S-6LS buyers can now get it ’loaded'” says Randy, “for a discount of around $5,000, (roughly $94,000) over what they were paying before for our ’deluxe’ $99,000 package.” Even the $82,000 base price comes in four flavors: as a tailwheel or tricycle version, and with either of two Rotax variants—the 80 hp 912UL or 100 hp 912ULS.

The Coyote kit caught on back in the day because it delivered on the promise as a short-build project that owners completed in 250 to 350 real-world hours. With so many out there flying for more than two decades, its reputation and accomplishments have approached legend.

“It’s been flown across the Atlantic a couple times,” says Randy. “A French sailor took his to Oshkosh from France in the ’90s…then flew it back via the Azores. He brought his girlfriend with him!” The Frenchman also fitted a 54-gallon tank to his experimental-built Coyote to give it 18-hour legs!

All that pond-hopping bravura was delivered on the reliability of an 80 hp Rotax. The Coyote has some competition chops, too—it has won five World Microlight championships.

Vicarious Thrills

Before we wrap, here’s some stick-and-rudder candy for those of you who like me to drag you into the pilot’s seat. My intrepid demo pilot is Mark Pringle, a Rans dealer with his own Utah airpark of 20 buildings and mostly Rans airplanes.

We pull out on the runway, push in the vernier, left for just a second, and all of a sudden, we’re climbing at nearly 1,000 fpm, ultralight style. That nice, fat wing with a notch of flaps gives a good short-field feel, call it three seconds of rollout and liftoff between 45 and 50 knots…happened so fast, I missed the exact number!

First impressions: great visibility; immediate response (thanks to pushrod ailerons and elevator); little rudder needed in climb or descent; easy to trim with the slide/lock lever on the panel; turns require little rudder to keep honest, and the Coyote likes to stay where you bank it.

Stalls: so docile as to not merit further discussion.

Coyote handles the punchy morning air surprisingly well for a plane that grosses out at 1,252 pounds (useful load is 557 pounds, which leaves you with 449 for passengers and gear).

There’s plenty of room in the 45-inch cabin width, and the top of my head is below the wing bottom, so pilots over six feet still fit nicely.

Like the Kitfox, Aerotrek, Cheetah, X-Air and other lightweight tube-and-fabric aircraft, the S-6LS may not evoke sufficient substantiality for those who feel safer in an aluminum cocoon. Even so, you owe yourself a test flight if you’re even remotely persuadable: The Coyote II offers enough happy surprises that it might change your mind.

Cranking and banking through fast roll reversals or just lazing into turns, I loved the quick but measured response: neither twitchy nor tanklike. The big rudder gives lots of crosswind authority too, and needs minimal foot dancing.

Landings, conventional or round-the-curve short-field style, are a breeze. My first, on grass, was total fun. The airplane gives plenty of feedback and settles on agreeably, with enough of a float and good at-stall control that you don’t feel you need to nail the numbers right on the button.

Oh yeah: Randy, a veteran pilot who test-flies all his creations, routinely flits around in the Coyote in 20-plus-knot Kansas winds.

Similar in pedigree to the J-3 Cub or similar GA classics, and proven kitplanes like the Avid Flyer, Kitfox, Aerotrek and their LSA variants, you’ll be hard pressed to find and enjoy a more-refined, balanced, GA-feeling, joyful 100-knot-cruise airplane than the Coyote.

The post Rans Coyote II S-6LS: The Proud And The Playful appeared first on Plane & Pilot Magazine.

Rans Coyote II S-6LS
Base price	$82,000
Engine make/model	Rotax 912 UL
Horsepower	80
Wingspan (ft.)	30.4
Doors	2
Baggage capacity (lbs.)	50
Fuel capacity (gals.)	18
PERFORMANCE
Cruise speed (kts.)	98
Vo (kts.)	37
Vso (kts.)	31
Vne (kts.)	111
Best rate of climb (fpm)	950
Service ceiling (ft.)	16,000
Takeoff ground roll (ft.)	342
Landing ground roll (ft.)	260
Source: RANS Designs Inc.

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