From all appearances right now Randy is thinking of putting some UL Power engines on it. Their 180 HP model is under consideration. I have no idea what the weights of the UL engines are. But I think Randy is also making some compromises for the guys that prefer the Cont's and Lyc's too.

That's 180 horse, at 3200 rpm, not at 2700, FWIW! I just hate seeing their HP numbers thrown out there with no RPM disclaimer/derating.

242 lbs. installed. My previous point stands, a boat anchor compared to the Rotax. 400 hrs or so is the high time on those engines, at least I read that, I'll wait a while until the fleet hours build, lets see if it reaches TBO.

I am the last person that should be defending the Rotax, I was dragged kicking and screaming into their camp, and then something happened. Actually nothing happened.... the first 1,000 hours flew by and now coming up on 1400 and still NOTHING HAPPENED. It's like my Toyota's, zero problems and no oil usage or leaks, the suckers just RUN. The lightness is the bonus, it's reliability would still make it a great engine even if it weighed more, the fact that it's such a featherweight makes putting up with the Rotax company worth it, and paying their price

You're preaching to the choir. I love my Rotax. I was always a Lyc and Cont guy too. I still like them but my horizons have widened.

The worst thing about the Rotax is that it's not available in a 220+ hp model

Randy test flew the S-20 with the classic tail. Says it handles great.

I really like the S20 and if I had the money for a 60K kit build it would be my first choice. The classic tail looks nice, but it seems missplaced with the square elevator instead of an elevator shape more cub like.

Marc

^ I agree. The round rudder looks good; needs round elevators to go with it.

Nice looking plane... I could get in trouble in that!

+1 re Rounded Horizontal Stabs.

I'd love to see one decked out in Yellow like a classic Yellow Cub or Battson's Yellow 4 place Bearhawk.

Oh yeah. How about a Rans S20 decked out in light weight yellow ORATEX.

I am a big Oratex Fan. I have a sample of their Yellow Oratex 6000 and it is perfect..

I'd also like to see one of their factory models with an AOA. I'd be keen to see which one they chose and where they might have chosen to place the sensor.

I never cared for the squared off tail surfaces look on the S-7, but after flying two different ones for 20 years now, it has grown on me. The bottom line is I can't see them in flight.

Having said that, what the hell, if they have the same control authority, and I'm sure they have that figured out, why not? Just a little more hassle when covering as compared to straight is the only disadvantage.

Here's a (so far anyway) one off from Joel Milloway, that really shows how much a modified S-7 can be made to look like a Cub. Note the painted on "air filter"! I think he said this weighed 723 lbs with the 31" Bushwheels (not the lighter Airstreaks), may have been 743, either way nice and light.

If you ever look closely at a Savage Cub, they are very VERY close to the S7 design. Not identical but close I think.

Joel sent us a picture of one he built with a D window even. He does some beautiful work. Funny that RS denies knowing of him.

...ABOUT THAT FOLDING WING OPTION FOR THE S20...

Will it happen..??

Back a long long long time ago ...Rans said that they would have a folding Wing Option available for the Raven S20. Now I agree that, unlike say the KitFox, the chord and strut of the S20 makes such a folding option complex and difficult to manage.

Nevertheless, I think many folks are interested in that option mainly for folding for storage when needed, and not necessarily folding it after every flight, or for towing down the road.

Just curious if people thing this option will in fact make it out of the Hayes, Kansas Skunkworks, or just die a quiet death..??

Zzz wrote:If you ever look closely at a Savage Cub, they are very VERY close to the S7 design. Not identical but close I think.

They are pretty much identical. Fuselage and cabin wise, a dead ringer. Ran's does make nice looking planes, especially the 7, and the 6's are looking better than the older ones now.

Here's a link to a 360 veiw of the interior of the Savage. Anyone who owns a 7 can see its a direct copy. These 360 views are very cool. I wish all manufactures would put them on their websites. Not enough attention is given to the interior of the aircraft in promotional materials. Zlin covers this well. Complete with pan, tilt and zoom. Ultra cool.
http://www.zlinaero.com/images/savage/cockpit.html

Rather than use the on screen control buttons just move the mouse in the direction of pan while holding the L button down, and use the wheel to zoom.

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I know this is an OLD thread started in 2013, but now that it is 2016, who here has one or is building one?

- How is it going ?
- How many hours build time?
- Did you build to LSA spec or opt to EAB and to the higher design gross ( 1550 lbs?? )
- What Engine & Prop did you select?
- In your opinion how do you feel it compares with the Rans S6 or S7 re your defined mission ?

Back to building after life getting in the way. Getting ready to put the wings on.

The build time is long, just like any of them. I'd say a little more streamlined than the 2013 S7S. Depends on radio choice, level of finish, paint, etc. We had a wing issue unrelated to Rans (destroyed in shipment) so we ended up with white wings on a silver plane. Ours ain't gonna be as pretty as the one in the pic.

It's E-AB. Stock 912 Rotax and 75" Whirlwind prop. Test run OK.

It's going to be faster than S7S. More refined creature comforts.

Absolutely beautiful airplane.

I love my s6s... it has the main things that count. But the s20 is definitely upgraded in many ways and it makes me a little jealous . Well, mine is lighter, and with the zipper 912 and other mods I've done it has pretty serious performance... but the 20 just makes my 6 look dated. And the roomier cabin and more baggage capable would be nice for a guy like me who's 6'4" In the end, we all have to find a place we can afford to be, and the 6 was that for me... I think the biggest thing I would like to have is the alunimum gear on mine. But I learned to fly in flight designs and their gear is pretty flimsy, so the 6 seems like an upgrade and with the 21's has been doing well on the semi rough surfaces it sees.... someday though.. someday I'll upgrade to a 20 I imagine...

I'm also interested to hear builders' reports. I've been thinking hard about buying a piece of the S-20 to start working on with my son.

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Lovely plane with lovely lines.

As has been mentioned earlier, RANS does offer a classic rounded vertical stab/rudder. I wonder how hard/feasible it would be to modify the horizontal stab to have rounded ends as well. Maybe even offer some light weight carbon fiber pieces like on main wings tips.

Of course, tail flutter can be really a nasty thing. Some one slightly modified the empenage on a tough as nails Murphy Moose and the results were near catastrophic again due to resulting tail flutter.

The wing tips and engine cowl are carbon fiber. Other than using Oratex, I'm not sure where you'd lighten up what Randy has done much more.

The round tail looks OK, now I like the square one better.