The Rans S-19 Venterra (English: ''wind over the earth'') is an American single-engined,

tractor configuration In aviation, the term tractor configuration refers to an aircraft constructed in the standard configuration with its engine mounted with the propeller in front of it so that the aircraft is "pulled" through the air. Oppositely, the pusher c ...

, two-seats in side-by-side configuration, low-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 confi ...

light-sport aircraft A light-sport aircraft (LSA), or light sport aircraft, is a fairly new category of small, lightweight aircraft that are simple to fly. LSAs tend to be heavier and more sophisticated than ultralight (aka "microlight") aircraft, but LSA restrictio ...

and manufactured by Rans Inc. The Venterra is available as a complete factory-built aircraft and in kit form for amateur construction.Vandermeullen, Richard: ''2011 Kit Aircraft Buyer's Guide'', Kitplanes, Volume 28, Number 12, December 2011, page 68. Belvoir Publications. ISSN 0891-1851Downey, Julia: ''2008 Kit Aircraft Directory'', Kitplanes, Volume 24, Number 12, December 2007, page 53. Primedia Publications. ISSN 0891-1851Bayerl, Robby; Martin Berkemeier; et al: ''World Directory of Leisure Aviation 2011-12'', page 72. WDLA UK, Lancaster UK, 2011. ISSN 1368-485XTacke, Willi; Marino Boric; et al: ''World Directory of Light Aviation 2015-16'', page 76. Flying Pages Europe SARL, 2015.

Design and development

The S-19 was designed by Randy Schlitter in 2007 as a purpose-designed aircraft to take advantage of the new US LSA category, with the intention of offering the aircraft as a factory-complete Special LSA and as a kit-built Experimental LSA or amateur-built. Unlike most other Rans models, which feature a welded

4130 steel 41xx steel is a family of SAE steel grades, as specified by the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE). Alloying elements include chromium and molybdenum, and as a result these materials are often informally referred to as chromoly steel (common ...

tube cockpit with a bolted

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 has ...

tube rear fuselage, the S-19 is an aluminum

semi-monocoque The term semi-monocoque or semimonocoque refers to a stressed shell structure that is similar to a true monocoque, but which derives at least some of its strength from conventional reinforcement. Semi-monocoque construction is used for, among ot ...

design, with

stressed skin In mechanical engineering, stressed skin is a type of rigid construction, intermediate between monocoque and a rigid frame with a non-loaded covering. A stressed skin structure has its compression-taking elements localized and its tension-taking e ...

construction supported with bulkheads, formers and stringers. The

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 aircraft t ...

, wing and tail surfaces are covered in sheet aluminum. The wings are equipped with flaps. The S-19 has

tricycle landing 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 g ...

with a fully castering nosewheel and steering via differential main wheel braking. The standard engine is the

Rotax 912ULS 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, late ...

of . The designer originally intended to break with the company tradition of providing a name for the aircraft and just designate the aircraft as "S-19". Early aviation media reports referred to it as the "S-19 Sport Plane". But after confusion and inquiries by

air traffic control Air traffic control (ATC) is a service provided by ground-based air traffic controllers who direct aircraft on the ground and through a given section of controlled airspace, and can provide advisory services to aircraft in non-controlled airs ...

during early flights, Schlitter decided a name was needed, saying, "It is a bit of poetic license, but with 19 designs it has become a challenge to create names that are original, we like the sound of Venterra over the radio, it is easy to say, and should satisfy ATC."

Operational history

In March 2017 there were 41 S-19s registered in the United States, none in Canada and one in the UK.

Variants

;S-19 :Initial version, kit-built aircraft for the US ELSA or experimental amateur-built categories, powered by a

;S-19LS :Factory-built version, for the US SLSA category, powered by a

Accidents and notable incidents

On 25 June 2017 a Rans S-19 crashed near Hyde, Central Otago, New Zealand, resulting in one death and one serious injury. The

Civil Aviation Authority of New Zealand The Civil Aviation Authority of New Zealand (CAA; Māori: ''Te Mana Rererangi Tūmatanui o Aotearoa'') is the government agency tasked with establishing civil aviation safety and security standards in New Zealand. The CAA also monitors adherence ...

investigation found that the design of the

stabilator A stabilator is a fully movable aircraft horizontal stabilizer. It serves the usual functions of longitudinal stability, control and stick force requirements otherwise performed by the separate parts of a conventional horizontal stabilizer and el ...

anti-servo tab __NOTOC__ A servo tab is a small hinged device installed on an aircraft control surface to assist the movement of the control surfaces. Introduced by the German firm Flettner, servo tabs were formerly known as Flettner tabs. Servo tabs are not ...

trim control resulted in inadvertent activation and a sudden departure from controlled flight. The investigation led to the issuance of a Continuing Airworthiness Notice about deficiencies in the stick grip design and associated hazards.

Specifications (S-19LS)

References

External links

Official page - homebuilt S-19

Photo of S-19LS on Airliners.net
{{Rans aircraft 2000s United States civil utility aircraft Homebuilt aircraft Light-sport aircraft S-019 Venterra Low-wing aircraft Single-engined tractor aircraft Aircraft first flown in 2007