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| The S-19 program has been slow coming, but we are picking up steam, but part of why things moved the speed they did, is we were making subtle adjustments and improvements to the kits. The kit is already getting positive reviews by the over 100 builders. We have not been idle responding to suggestions, and in general improving the kit to make it easier to assemble and manufacture. I am very proud of the crew at RANS for keeping on the thinking caps and coming up with not only process improvement, but product improvement. Here are some of the things you should notice about your kit, and what makes this plane far and above anything close. |
| Improvements that go unsung like the spars for the ailerons, flaps, vertical fin, and Stabilator come hydro pressed for greater assembly accuracy. The stinger moldings are now three piece offering higher quality parts due to even material thickness. Even the muffler assembly features fittings that allow easy adjustment of the position. The overall direction of our efforts has been to increase quality, decrease your build time. |
| Over the next few months we hope to see at least 2 to 5 S-19’s take to the air. Many builders are getting close. For Oshkosh 2010 we are offering incentives to get your S-19 to the show. We want an impressive row of these planes. The plan is to have a builders and owners dinner to award prizes for the best EAB in Fabric and Metal. There will also be prizes for longest flight. The dinner will be held later in the week, around Thursday or Friday. Feel free to offer any suggestions in making this a memorable event. |
S-19 Kit Improvements since inception: |
a. The canopy comes in three pieces pre trimmed very close to the size needed
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| b. The spars assembled with corrosion protection |
| c. Many parts such as the spars for the ailerons, flaps, vertical fin, and Stabilator come hydro pressed for greater assembly accuracy |
| d. New fuel tank molds for improved fit and less assembly time |
| e. Lighter fuel tank install |
| f. Improved seat sliders for easier movement, they now feature no metal to metal contact |
| g. Lighter aluminum seat frames with holes for seat adjustment already milled in place |
| h. Stinger moldings now three piece meaning much higher quality parts, and easier to assemble |
i. Lighter gear legs, lower in drag, and featuring a brake line groove, omitting the weight of two fittings, and reducing leak potentials |
| j. Improved muffler featuring less weight, and easier installation |
| k. Lighter stronger single piece CNC machined nose wheel fork, replacing the bulky welded assembly |
| l. Improved engine mount to allow easier assembly between nose gear pylon and mount |
| m. Improved canopy assembly featuring compliant seal system eliminating many hours of fitting and matching canopy profiles |
| n. Extended joggles on wing tips for easy fitting |
| o. Access panel added to bottom of wing for fuel sender install |
| p. Flap PPT exit point pre-cut (late 2009) |
| q. Canopy Capture Strip (late 2009) |
| r. Full scale templates to for making and fitting flap fillet |
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| Pictorial review of improvements……….. |
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Lighter aluminum seat frames with holes for seat adjustment already milled in place, saves assembly time and reduces empty weight by 4 pounds. The seat also feature improved seat sliders for easier movement, they now feature no metal to metal contact. With a nylon to nylon contact the seats move even when heavy loaded, making fine tuning your seat position easy. |
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| Lighter gear legs, lower in drag, and featuring a brake line groove, omitting the weight of two fittings, and reducing potential leaks. |
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Improved canopy assembly featuring compliant seal system eliminating many hours of fitting and matching canopy profiles. |
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| Canopy capture strips are used on our production planes and may find their way into the EAB kits. |
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The canopy comes in three pieces pre trimmed very close to the size needed. The aft section is easy to work with Lexan, pre-cut to shape. This canopy assembly is destined to become one of the easiest out there, and our experience in doing them on the production line transfers directly to the kit builder. |
| Progress report Continued......................... |
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