The Rans S-12 Airaile is a family of related American single-engined, pusher configuration, high-wing monoplanes designed by Randy Schlitter and manufactured by Rans Inc. The aircraft are available in kit form for amateur construction. 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.
The S-12 Airaile was designed by Randy Schlitter and introduced in March 1990 as a two-seat side-by-side, tricycle gearultralight 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. Like many Rans models, the family features a welded 4130 steel tube cockpit, with a bolted 6061-T6 aluminum tube rear fuselage. All fuselage, wing and tail surfaces are covered in Dacron 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 of, with the Rotax 582 of, the Rotax 912UL of and the Rotax 912UL 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 ;S-12S Super Airaile ;S-12XL Airaile ;S-14 Airaile ;S-17 Stinger ;S-18 Stinger II
