Rans S-12 Airaile

The S-12 Airaile was designed by Randy Schlitter and introduced in March 1990 as a two-seat side-by-side, tricycle gear 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 to create an open-cockpit ultralight that complies with the US FAR 103 Ultralight Vehicles 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 seat, conventional landing gear, open cockpit ultralight trainer. ==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-14 Airaile :Single-seat version of the S-12, with Dacron covering introduced in 1991. Standard engine was the Rotax 447 of , with the Rotax 503 of and the Rotax 582 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 FAR 103 Ultralight Vehicles category. Production completed with 125 completed by December 2004. ;S-17 Stinger :Open-cockpit, conventional landing gear, single-seater, equipped with a standard Rotax 447 of with the Rotax 503 of optional. Empty weight of places the S-17 within weight of the US FAR 103 Ultralight Vehicles 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-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 tandem, standard engine is the Rotax 503 of with the Rotax 582 of , or the Rotax 912UL 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)==

aircraft sits on its tail when unoccupied. ==See also==