This first year I ever saw Randy Schlitter fly one his models at an airshow seems a hundred years ago. Indeed, since that distant memory at Sun ‘n Fun, this Kansas company has created a profusion of designs and delivered nearly 5,000 aircraft. To say it has been a great run qualifies as a significant understatement. Today’s S-21 Outbound (pilot report video) or S-20 Raven (pilot report video) seem a long ways off from those very early models yet it does not take an expert eye to see they are clear descendants from the original Rans aircraft. What began this fascinating evolution of a light airplane company started almost 40 years ago — here’s a report on the very first model, still flying! That humble little Coyote (Kansas is a U.S. prairie state so coyotes are a logical name) began something great but it remains a wonderful light airplane that you can buy today for a song.
Ultralight April 2020 — Ninth in the Vintage Series: Rans S-4/5
Rans S-4 and S-5
"The founder of Rans Aircraft, Randy is one of the most prolific designers of ultralight, experimental and Light-Sport Aircraft that I know," said Videoman Dave in his production of these ten vintage ultralight videos on his The Ultralight Flyer YouTube channel.Even before S-4, Randy Schlitter created S-3, which he flies in this image taken 35 years after first flight. He said it still flies great. Image by Joey Bahr.
https://youtu.be/uUGv5nkINgE