The Rans S-12 Airaile is a family of related American single-engined, pusher configuration, high-wing

monoplane A monoplane is a fixed-wing aircraft configuration with a single mainplane, in contrast to a biplane or other types of multiplanes, which have multiple planes. A monoplane has inherently the highest efficiency and lowest drag of any wing con ...

s designed by Randy Schlitter and manufactured by Rans Inc. The aircraft are available in kit form for amateur construction.Cliche, Andre: ''Ultralight Aircraft Shopper's Guide'' 8th Edition, pages B-48 & B-97. Cybair Limited Publishing, 2001. Downey, Julia: ''1999 Kit Aircraft Directory'', Kitplanes, Volume 15, Number 12, December 1998, pages 65-66. Primedia Publications. ISSN 0891-1851Downey, Julia: ''2005 Kit Aircraft Directory'', Kitplanes, Volume 21, Number 12, December 2004, page 53. Belvoir Publications. ISSN 0891-1851Downey, Julia: ''2008 Kit Aircraft Directory'', Kitplanes, Volume 24, Number 12, December 2007, page 69. Primedia Publications. ISSN 0891-1851Purdy, Don: ''AeroCrafter - Homebuilt Aircraft Sourcebook'', pages 240 and 356. BAI Communications. Bertrand, Noel; Rene Coulon; et al: ''World Directory of Leisure Aviation 2003-04'', page 156-7. Pagefast Ltd, Lancaster OK, 2003. ISSN 1368-485XVandermeullen, Richard: ''2011 Kit Aircraft Buyer's Guide'', Kitplanes, Volume 28, Number 12, December 2011, page 68. Belvoir Publications. ISSN 0891-1851 Production of the S-12S Airaile, S-14 Airaile, S-17 Stinger and S-18 Stinger II was ended as part of Rans' extensive reorganization of its product line on 1 June 2006. The S-12XL Airaile was originally intended to be cut from the line at the same time, but customer demand convinced the company to retain the model and it is still available in 2015 as a special order.

Design and development

The S-12 Airaile was designed by Randy Schlitter and introduced in March 1990 as a two-seat side-by-side,

tricycle gear Tricycle gear is a type of aircraft undercarriage, or ''landing gear'', arranged in a tricycle fashion. The tricycle arrangement has a single nose wheel in the front, and two or more main wheels slightly aft of the center of gravity. Tricycle ...

ultralight aircraft for recreational and flight training use. The single-seat version of the S-12, the S-14 Airaile, was designed one year later and entered production in 1991. The S-17 Stinger retains the wings, tail, boom tube of the S-14, mated to new forward 4130 steel tube cockpit and equipped with

conventional landing gear Conventional landing gear, or tailwheel-type landing gear, is an aircraft undercarriage consisting of two main wheels forward of the center of gravity and a small wheel or skid to support the tail.Crane, Dale: ''Dictionary of Aeronautical Term ...

to create an open-cockpit ultralight that complies with the US

FAR 103 Ultralight Vehicles Ultralight aircraft in the United States are much smaller and lighter than ultralight aircraft as defined by all other countries. In the United States, ultralights are described as "ultralight vehicles" and not as aircraft. They are not req ...

regulations. The S-18 Stinger II uses the S-12's wings, tail and boom tube, again with a new forward steel tube fuselage to create a

tandem Tandem, or in tandem, is an arrangement in which a team of machines, animals or people are lined up one behind another, all facing in the same direction. The original use of the term in English was in ''tandem harness'', which is used for two ...

seat, conventional landing gear, open cockpit ultralight trainer. Like many Rans models, the family features a welded 4130 steel tube cockpit, with a bolted 6061-T6

aluminum Aluminium (aluminum in American and Canadian English) is a chemical element with the symbol Al and atomic number 13. Aluminium has a density lower than those of other common metals, at approximately one third that of steel. It ha ...

tube rear fuselage. All

fuselage The fuselage (; from the French ''fuselé'' "spindle-shaped") is an aircraft's main body section. It holds crew, passengers, or cargo. In single-engine aircraft, it will usually contain an engine as well, although in some amphibious aircraf ...

, wing and tail surfaces are covered in

Dacron Polyethylene terephthalate (or poly(ethylene terephthalate), PET, PETE, or the obsolete PETP or PET-P), is the most common thermoplastic polymer resin of the polyester family and is used in fibres for clothing, containers for liquids and foo ...

or on some models dope and fabric. The wings are built from aluminium tube and ribs, feature flaps and are folding or removable. The present-day S-12XL is powered by the

Rotax 503 The Rotax 503 is a , inline 2-cylinder, two-stroke aircraft engine, built by BRP-Rotax GmbH & Co. KG of Austria for use in ultralight aircraft.Raisner, William: ''LEAF catlog'', pages 6-105. Leading Edge Airfoils, 1995. As of 2011 the Rot ...

of , with the

Rotax 582 The Rotax 582 is a two-stroke, two-cylinder, rotary intake valve, oil-in-fuel or oil injection pump, liquid-cooled, gear reduction-drive aircraft engine manufactured by BRP-Rotax GmbH & Co. KG. It is for use in non-certified aircraft operating ...

of , the

Rotax 912UL The Rotax 912 is a horizontally-opposed four-cylinder, naturally aspirated, four-stroke aircraft engine with a reduction gearbox. It features liquid-cooled cylinder heads and air-cooled cylinders. Originally equipped with carburetors, l ...

of and the

of available as options.

Operational history

The aircraft family has been very well received with over 1000 S-12s delivered. In 1998 Kitplanes magazine said that the S-14 has "squeaky clean handling feels like a little jet, but lands like an ultralight".

Variants

;S-12 Airaile :Original model. Production completed. ;S-12S Super Airaile :Similar to XL, but with dope and fabric covering. Production completed. ;S-12XL Airaile :Current production model, two seats in

side-by-side configuration Tandem, or in tandem, is an arrangement in which a team of machines, animals or people are lined up one behind another, all facing in the same direction. The original use of the term in English was in ''tandem harness'', which is used for two ...

, Dacron covering. Full cockpit fairing is optional. Estimate construction time 175 man-hours without the full enclosure or 300 with it. Standard engine is the

of , with the

of , the

of or the

of optional. Can be equipped with floats. Over 1000 S-12s of all versions delivered and flown in more than 40 countries.Bayerl, Robby; Martin Berkemeier; et al: ''World Directory of Leisure Aviation 2011-12'', page 117. WDLA UK, Lancaster UK, 2011. ISSN 1368-485X ;S-14 Airaile :Single-seat version of the S-12, with Dacron covering introduced in 1991. Standard engine was the

Rotax 447 The Rotax 447 is a , inline 2-cylinder, two-stroke aircraft engine, built by BRP-Rotax GmbH & Co. KG of Austria for use in ultralight aircraft.Raisner, William: ''LEAF catlog'', pages 6-105. Leading Edge Airfoils, 1995. Design and development ...

of , with the

of and the

of optional. Reported construction time 200 man-hours including complete cockpit fairing. Empty weight of places the S-14 above the maximum category weight of the US

category. Production completed with 125 completed by December 2004. ;S-17 Stinger :Open-cockpit, conventional landing gear, single-seater, equipped with a standard

of with the

of optional. Empty weight of places the S-17 within weight of the US

category. The aircraft uses the wings, tailboom and tail of the S-14, but is fitted with a new steel tube cockpit structure. While it retains the

flap Flap may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Flap'' (film), a 1970 American film * Flap, a boss character in the arcade game ''Gaiapolis'' * Flap, a minor character in the film '' Little Nemo: Adventures in Slumberland'' Biology and he ...

-equipped wing of the S-14, the flaps are fixed. Production completed with 38 completed by December 2004. ;S-18 Stinger II :Open-cockpit, conventional landing gear, ultralight trainer with two seats in

, standard engine is the

of with the

of , or the

of optional. The aircraft uses the wings, tailboom and tail of the S-12XL, but is fitted with a new steel tube cockpit structure. Production completed, with 30 completed by December 2004.

Specifications (S-12XL)

References

External links

* {{Rans aircraft 1990s United States civil utility aircraft Homebuilt aircraft S-012 Airaile Single-engined pusher aircraft High-wing aircraft

Design and development

Operational history

Variants

Specifications (S-12XL)

See also

References

External links