Since I saw what had to be Randy Schlitter’s first appearance at Sun ‘n Fun, and since he is celebrating the 35th anniversary of the first flight of his S3 single-place Coyote I …well, we’ve been in this game for a good amount of time. And a “good time” is exactly what it has been. The videos (linked and below) capture the company and airplane story and I believe it is best to tell the Rans and Coyote story in this way. Nonetheless, since I’ve had the pleasure to fly nearly all Rans designs over the years, I want to say that I am pleased this company and its one-of-a-kind owner have continued to pursue light aviation. In Randy’s own words from his Facebook page (where he is quite prolific), “This Saturday (March 17, 2018) is the 35th anniversary of the first flight of the Rans Coyote I ultralight. This craft launched Rans into the world of kit and certified planes.” He continued about the Coyote S-3, “I still fly ole number 1 and it humbles me to do so.
Rans Incorporated S-6 Coyote (SLSA)
Website: http://www.rans.com
Email: rans@rans.com
Phone: (785) 625-6346
Hays, KS 67601 - USARans — S-6LS (2010)
The S-6 is one of the best-proven and most familiar airplanes among all SLSA and it comes from one of the very top American kit producers, Rans, Inc. Available as a kit or ready-to-fly, the S-6LS is also highly affordable starting at $63,000 reasonably well equipped. A kit starts at $20,000 so Rans can offer something for almost everyone.
The S-6 is one of the best-proven and most familiar airplanes among all SLSA and it comes from one of the very top American kit producers, Rans, Inc. Available as a kit or ready-to-fly, the S-6LS is also highly affordable starting at $63,000 reasonably well equipped. A kit starts at $20,000 so Rans can offer something for almost everyone.
Rans’ S-6 Evolves; Remains a Great Bargain
With my good friends over at General Aviation News, I recently published an article about Light-Sport Aircraft available for less than $96,000. While that is still a good chunk of change, it is far less than the top-tier LSA that can run $150,000 to more than $200,000. Yet brand-new, fully-built LSA don’t have to be so costly. You can read the article at this link.• The four aircraft I picked for my article are not the only well-priced choices in the Special LSA world. They happened to be four airplanes I had flown recently but I did mention at the end that buyers have even more choices in SLSA that were good values, some down below $50,000 … although those choices will not be carbon fiber speedsters with full glass panels and autopilots. Keep this in mind: When the SP/LSA regulation first came out in 2004, plenty of potential buyers expected prices in the $50,000 to 60,000 range.
Rans Aircraft in the News … Twice!
After losing the trim tab on the elevator of his Rans S-6, John Pederson of Lombard, Illinois grappled with a violent shaking and executed an emergency landing on Chicago’s Lake Shore Drive. He was flying very early so traffic on the multi-lane route was light. Pederson reported timing his landing to avoid any traffic, though local sources reported the airplane was struck by two autos both of which sped away afterward. Unable to regain stability, the 51-year-old electrician radioed a mayday to O’Hare International Airport and then set up for landing. A recording of the radio call revealed John behaving calmly and, indeed, no one was injured in the highly-publicized incident. “At the time of the mayday call, about 6 a.m., he was flying about 1,900 feet above [Chicago’s downtown] Millennium Park, he said,” according to a report on the Chicago Tribune‘s online website. The good news is no one was injured and while media reports poked fun at Pederson’s very visible downtown Chicago landing, the report can nonetheless be viewed more or less positively.
The Mid-Year View
I had some fun today talking with Jim Sweeney, guest host of Roy Beisswenger’s Ultraflight Radio Show. *** Our first topic was the state of the LSA industry. I first picked my pal Dan Johnson’s satellite-view brain of the LSA Big Picture to glean we’re looking at an industry that is weathering the economic storm and ready for an upswing. *** Once the economy really ramps up, many observers feel LSA, which remain an incredible bargain compared to new GA airplanes, should pick up smartly. Let’s toast that happy day! *** Meanwhile, Tom Peghiny of Flight Design USA tells me sales are picking up, particularly from his dealer network who are selling their inventory aircraft and ordering replacements. *** We’ll post fresh market stats from Jan Fridrich after Oshkosh AirVenture on FAA registrations through mid-year but in general it’s good to remember that companies are doing whatever it takes to survive in this prevailing market psychology of uncertainty.
Yankee Price Buster!
Rans Aircraft seems determined to reverse the trend in ever-higher SLSA prices with a new package for its long-popular (2000 flying worldwide), constantly refined bird: the S-6ELS Coyote II. *** The 26 year old Kansas company, highly successful purveyors of more than 4,500 kit and ready-to-fly aircraft (and a thriving bicycle builder as well) offers the turnkey Coyote II for $63,000. *** That’s half or less what many Euro-built SLSA are priced at. *** But the side-by-side two-seater is no mile-mannered local-patch ultralight: cruise with the 80hp Rotax 912 (100 hp power package also available) is 105 mph, with a 950 fpm climb and 41 mph stall. Landing Rollout is a scant 260 ft. *** The Coyote comes with a steam gauge (round analog dial) panel and you can have it in tricycle or taildragger gear flavors. *** Step up a few large, and you can buy the deluxe version for $69,995.
American LSA Bargain Extraordinaire: RANS S-6ELS
Much lamenting has been heard regarding the price of Light-Sport Aircraft. It isn’t hard to understand given prices that now exceed $140,000. Was such inflation supposed to happen? I’ve explained how this occurred, and the biggest culprit, by far, is the exchange rate difference between dollars and euros. (Other factors include the time value of money and the desire by many buyers to have high-end instrument panels and features.) *** For a time, we thought the low costs of labor in Eastern European countries would overwhelm Yankee producers… and for a time they did. However, RANS — one of America’s most successful kit suppliers (more than 4,000 delivered!) — is offering the S-6ELS at only $63,000. This equates to only $53,500 in 2004 dollars when the new rule came out, which was about the cost of a Flight Design CT at that time. *** The S-6ELS comes with the 80hp Rotax 912 and a decent analog panel in either trigear or taildragger configurations.
Sebring Excitement Grows! American SLSA Increase
After three days of Sebring 2009, the upbeat mood has mushroomed. I heard zero negative comments and dozens of positive statements defining the Fifth Annual Sebring Expo as an unqualified success. As cleverly keyboarded by aviation writer, Jim Lawrence (LSA Editor for Plane & Pilot magazine — read his blog on Sebring): “Take that, bad economy!” *** EAA Editor Mary Jones and I compared notes to count 14 reported airplane sales in three days. Such good results show buyers are indeed in the market. In addition to the best Thursday ever, Friday was the “best day ever for Sebring”, said Expo Chairman, Bob Wood. *** At the show, I was pleased to find two new all-American aircraft to add to our SLSA list, now 91 models long. Welcome to M-Squared’s Breese 2 and RANS’s S-6 Coyote. The Breese won approval last summer and has been overlooked by the media… a mistake as the Alabama manufacturer offers the fully built two seater for just $34,995.
Rans S-6S Coyote II
Seating | 2, side-by-side, 42 inches wide |
Empty weight | 600 pounds |
Gross weight | 1,010 pounds |
Wingspan | 34.5 feet |
Wing area | 155 square feet |
Wing loading | 7.1 pounds/square foot |
Useful Load | 500 pounds |
Payload (with full fuel) | 392 pounds |
Height | 9 feet |
Fuel Capacity | 18 gallons |
Max Speed | 120 mph |
Cruise speed | 95/100 mph*/** |
Stall Speed | 36 mph |
Rate of climb at gross | 1,000/1,400 fpm */** |
Takeoff distance at gross | 200 feet |
Landing distance at gross | 250 feet |
Notes: | * Variable figures based on use of 80- or 100- hp Rotax 912/912S engine. ** RANS also offers a 116-square-foot wing that changes speeds and climb rates. With a gross weight of 1,200 pounds and cruise speeds of 105/110 mph, this model may also meet light-sport aircraft requirements. |
As the dawn of the sport pilot rule changes approaches, Kansas-based RANS Inc. is one of the most successful kit aircraft manufacturers in the light aviation industry. Randy Schlitter, RANS’ boss and founder, is now a seasoned veteran of the kit airplane business. Over his years in business, he has created several popular aircraft designs that have found favor in the United States, Europe, and about 50 other countries around the globe. Of the broad RANS line, the one model that has most revved up buyers is the S-6S Coyote II. Despite competition from hundreds of other aircraft, the Coyote line has sold an impressive fleet of 1,500 aircraft. The single-place version, S-4/5, first flew 20 years ago and has also sold reasonably well, but it is the Coyote II that has become the single most successful RANS design. The two-place Coyote II is available in two models—the S6-S and the S-6ES.