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. Both models offer side-by-side seating and a choice of tricycle or tailwheel landing gear, and both will accept engines in the 47- to 110-hp range. The S-6ES II, the second generation S- 6, was introduced in April 1990, with an extended wingspan over the original S-6, which was introduced in 1988. The ES model features ultralight-like Dacron covering and comes in three different wingspan options. S-6S II, dubbed the Super Six, was introduced in 1993 and features standard aircraft covering. While more labor intensive and heavier with the added weight of paint, the doped covers promise longer life and offer slicker surfaces than the Dacron (although Dacron treated with Mylar can be very competitive). It is this aircraft that’s captured the most attention. A Little Tweaking After two decades in the business, Randy is too savvy an aviation entrepreneur to radically overhaul the Coyote. In the traveling I am privileged to do, I see RANS Coyotes at many airports and airparks in many countries. I’ve also seen several copies of the design, a sure sign the aircraft is perceived to be what customers want. But, anyone who knows Randy knows he’s constantly refining his aircraft to improve the designs and increase his factory’s productivity. In his refinement of the S-6S, Randy altered the upper tail fuselage deck of the Coyote II. This had been a flat surface that Randy admits gave builders some challenges during assembly, especially in the jig building to ensure a square fit. As part of this modification, RANS also increased the S-6S II’s tail surface area. RANS also changed the Coyote II’s main aft fuselage so it is now a razorback, resembling its single-seat sibling, the S- 4/5, and giving it more flowing lines. Randy indicates this change, along with more pre-drilled junctions, makes it easier to jig accurately. RANS also cleaned up the Coyote II’s belly. The flat area under the cockpit transitions more smoothly to the tail cone, which improves airflow movement across the tail. Another popular feature for kit buyers is RANS’ folding-wing option. For about $500, an older Coyote II can be retrofit with the new option. The retrofit kit will include several new hardware parts that allow “one person to fold the wings in a matter of minutes,” according to RANS. Buyers of new kits can order folding wings as an optional accessory. No Wonder It’s Popular Before you enter the S-6S Coyote II, you’ll appreciate how the seats fold forward to give access to the cargo area. That space behind the seats can hold 50 pounds of gear, and it can be accessed while aloft. The cargo area is a fabric pouch running the width of the airplane, and it’s about 1-foot deep from front to rear, allowing some bulkier items to be carried with you. RANS also provides a compartment outside of the cabin that can accommodate up to 30 pounds of cargo. Its door is located directly aft of the cockpit. While the folding seats aid access to rear storage areas, easily moved seat cushions allow closer inspection of vital components like control linkages. About a decade ago, RANS invested in equipment to make molded plastic panels. Today’s Coyotes reflect extensive use of molded plastic interior panels. These smooth panels hide the guts of the airplane (cable or push/pull linkages, wires, and support members), creating a modern appearance, but sometimes they hide important parts from easy inspection. Sitting in the Coyote II, especially the taildragger version, most pilots will find forward visibility has been improved by the airplane’s flatter deck angle. I found flight visibility to be enhanced by the big door windows and the overhead skylight. With no detail left out of its continuous redesigning, RANS also changed ordinary components like rudder pedals. Newer Coyotes have a little angled portion at the base of the rudder pedals that allows your feet to sense position before operating the brakes. Since they now tilt forward like Cessna aircraft pedals— combined with a nosewheel-disconnect feature—I felt the rudder pedals were quite intuitive to operate in flight, though I found them on the stiff side while taxiing. Stable Flight Characteristics Despite the structural design changes, the S-6S II’s flight characteristics were largely left the same with only minor improvements. One of the most notable affects rudder control as mentioned above. All wheels had large fairings on them, and Randy reported getting the same cruise speed with 200 rpm less power, thanks partly to the wheelpants. Of course, correctly shaped fairings should help a plane slip through the air, but this result is diluted when a large nosewheel fairing turns sideways. This happens on many planes when the rudder pedals are employed to coordinate a turn. Now, like a few high-end general aviation airplanes, the S-6S does something about that sideways nosewheel fairing. The Coyote II’s nosewheel drops down on liftoff, and its fork centers itself in a cam that keeps the wheel pointing forward. When you work the rudder pedals in flight, the nosewheel and its fairing stay fixed. Consequently, the rudder pedal feel is better because you aren’t pushing harder to deflect the nosewheel with its large wheelpant. In the past, Schlitter says the tail had to work harder just to offset the turbulence created from the large, sideways wheelpant. Thus the enlarged tail area of the new Coyote can be employed to improve flight characteristics rather than simply offset the effect of the nosewheel fairing. On landing, the weight of the aircraft pushes the nosewheel fork back into the steering cam, giving the pilot nosewheel steering control again. Like the folding-wing option, RANS is also offering a retrofit kit for the dropdown nosewheel. The “Nosewheel Disconnect System” kit is available for about $200. Always Something New To be honest, I couldn’t tell much difference in control feel because of the larger tail surfaces. However, over many years and many pilot reports, I have become a supporter of large tails. Many designers feel you just about can’t have too large a tail. Airplanes with big tail feathers seem to be more stable and more controllable, a great combination any pilot can enjoy. Nonetheless, I really liked the nosewheel disconnect feature. I found the rudder pedals were rather stiff on the ground, but as soon as you lift off and the nosewheel slips down, the pedal pressure gets lighter, resulting in better overall coordination. The S-6S Coyote II, with standard wing, 1,010-pound gross weight, and 100-hp Rotax 912S engine, has lively speeds for takeoff and landing, just as we’ve found in European-built fiberglass light-sport aircraft (LSA). Seventy-five mph is a good speed for approach and takeoff, but you can slow down to 70 or even 65 mph, I found. Sixty mph is starting to get too slow. Many genuine ultralights use 50 mph for approach, and that number often has a generous margin of safety. The Coyote II’s numbers translate to longer approaches and longer ground rolls—which many LSA will exhibit—but these faster speeds are helpful in crosswinds when more speed and control are valuable. Higher speeds and the crisper controls that accompany faster speeds guarantee that the Coyote II has plenty of control authority. The Coyote’s faster speeds don’t hurt its overall performance, and those speeds are what many are waiting for in LSA. But the slightly lighter Coyote II has some advantages over heavier fiberglass LSAs with smaller wing areas. Randy says his Coyote II has a glide ratio of about 9-to-1, which can be crudely estimated by the amount of float in ground effect. Even with power at idle thrust from well out on approach, I floated well down the runway. Such an evaluation of glide angle isn’t scientific, but I did measure sink rate on several occasions, seeing 300 to 500-600 fpm with overall average as low as 400- 450 fpm. I found this a good improvement over several fiberglass LSAs that use heavier weights and smaller wings to assure faster cruise speeds. Randy recommended that I use two notches of flaps for normal takeoffs and landings, and indeed this produced good results. A third notch of flaps is available for use on the shortest or softest field, and it adds perceptibly to drag. Because of Randy’s advice, I never tried a takeoff or landing without flaps. Given the speeds of the Coyote II with flaps, I suspect speeds might rise unnecessarily high without flaps. Flaps change stall characteristics considerably, confirming their value. Stalls with no flaps had a pronounced though easily controlled drop of the nose. When two notches of flaps were added, the stalls became benign. Because you are advised to use two notches for takeoff or landing, the incidence of a departure or approach stall should pose few problems. Stalls fell modestly to one side or the other, but none was consistent, and the problem raised by this is minor. Leaving Well Enough Alone The venerable S-6S Coyote II has long enjoyed market success, and it became a major influence on light aviation when the two-seater complemented the older and onetime Part 103-eligible single-seat Coyote S-4/5. Outside of the United States, the S-6 Coyote II line is likely the most popular light plane in the world, while Van’s RV series of aircraft obviously captures that title in the United States. As we see more and more fiberglass LSAs from abroad, it is obvious that Coyote —without changing what it is today—will continue to have great appeal. If you have a pilot certificate and valid medical, you have no reason to wait for the SP/LSA rule changes to become law before you start building or flying. Even given the refinements mentioned in this article, RANS mostly left well enough alone with its highly successful Coyote II series. Under the 51-percent rule, Randy and the rest of his company’s engineers can continue to tweak Coyote to make it even better…and the same will be possible under LSA rules as long as the developer tests to industry standards and employs accepted quality control procedures. The complications and costs associated with making changes to Part 23-certificated aircraft won’t apply to LSA. While we await LSA, RANS remains a major veteran player in the light aircraft industry because models like Coyote II and its regular improvements still have enormous appeal. Whether the company jumps on the LSA bandwagon or not, Randy Schlitter and his Kansas staff still have plenty of tricks up their sleeve. Their quick-build kits are some of the most refined in the industry while still being completely 51-percent compliant. As Randy says, “Customers have given us their wish list for quick-build kits, and we’ve tried to give them what they want while still being legal. Our ‘12 Easy Pieces’ kit for the S-6S is a great example. The kit actually has only 12 major pieces that need to be assembled, yet by the time the builder does all the assembly and connections, it still meets the 51- percent rule. We feel a responsibility to protect our privilege to build light aircraft, so we work hard to keep our kits compliant.” The S-6 Coyote II series is priced well below $30,000 even with the Rotax 912 and other desirable equipment. At half the price of last month’s CT2K—and many other fiberglass creations like it— Coyote II is sure to continue to make sales. And buyers like you can go ahead and purchase today, building under the 51-percent rule and flying with your FAA certificate and medical. When the sport pilot rule changes are final, you can choose to fly under the provisions of that new pilot certificate with no change to your aircraft’s certification status or its maintenance requirements. That’s the best of both worlds.