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Sun and Fun 2009
The trip down was fast, as a dip in the jet stream provided strong tailwinds. This dip also provided a large weather system that pushed south almost into Texas. Typically, we only make it to Greenville, Alabama; but, since the wind was strong we made it to Enterprise, Alabama. It was a nice airport with a friendly staff and one of the best airport cars seen to date.
We flew in three planes: S-19LS, S-7LS and S-6ES. All three planes made the trip without a sweat. I especially enjoyed the fuel efficiency and speed of the S-19LS. The wheel pants make a difference and will pay for themselves in fuel savings alone, not to mention maybe getting home instead of spending another night in the motel. I flew with the other two planes piloted by Mark Pringle from Utah and Neil Salmi from Montana, loafing along at 4300 RPM. Approximately 50 miles out from the next stop I ramped up to 5300 RPM. The fuel burns were never much over 3.5 GPH except when I ran 5400 for the leg to check out cruise. That produced a burn of 5.5 at 123kts with no wind.


We arrived in Lakeland about noon. The tent was set up and our two crates that doubled as display cabinets, were waiting. We tried something different this year: a crew of only three and shipping all items via common carrier. The cost was less, as well as convenient and the new booth went up in about one hour. The reaction to the booth was great. Most liked the airy, open space. It was time for change. The old display has been in play for more than a decade.
 
We enjoyed visiting with the many RANS owners who stopped in to say hello and the constant stream of new interest. Other companies were complaining about the attendance which was down a double digit percentage but we were content. It must have been the small crew, since I was busy most the time, the days went by fast.
No one complained about the weather since it was letter perfect. No rain all week just a couple of days with light winds blowing the traditional dark sand fines into everything. I think we all felt the effect of sand in our eyes and trooped about with ankles covered in black grunge.
We opted to not demo any of the planes. The impact was not as adverse as we feared. Most were happy with the task of heading to our factory where we cannot only provide a more in depth demo but a factory tour.
I had a little time to look over the show. The LSA mall looked forlorn with only about six brands on display. I think the melt down has started despite an economic downturn, it had to happen. The LSA vendors I talked with had mixed reviews about the show; some were up, some were down. The more popular brands definitely complained about a lack of sales. The outcome is predictable: the steady brands with both quality and staying power will survive. We plan to be one of these brands.
Another buzz at the show was the issue with Zenair and the 601. Flutter issues have caused shoppers concern. We were asked plenty of times what we do to prevent this problem in our planes. Our approach is to do the traditional time proven method of counter weights and as play free control system as possible. The S-19 in both kit and SLSA have counterweights on the stabilator and ailerons. All of our designs have endured dive testing to determine if the design is flutter free. Other models, minus the counterweights, have proven flutter free. This is due to more subtle measures such as the shaping of the surfaces relative to the airfoil. With almost 2000 Coyote II's and 1000 Airailes flying and no reports on flutter we think we are safe to assume it will not be an issue on these models either.
Other excitement centered on the 0-200 D, the lighter version of the 0-200. The engine is being installed into Legend Cubs. My talk with Kurt Sehnert ( one of the principles of the firm) produced a “so far so good” response. We were offered an engine for testing; but, we are still very happy with the Rotax product and would like to see how this engine works out before adapting it to the S-19. However, if Continental drops one on our doorstep, it may prompt development of a mount for the S-19.
The show was weak in ultralight attendance, both crowd and vendors. I miss the days we flew our hearts out at Paradise City and feel compelled to make an updated version of the S-4 (so please convince me this is a bad idea before I start cutting metal). There is something about flying a simple plane that does not require any paper work to enjoy.
On the other end of the spectrum was the Comp-Air 9. I spent a few minutes talking to the designer and had to hand it to him for being prolific. The other brand doing a similar effort was Epic. They showed up with no less than a couple of turbo props and a jet. The booth was sprinkled with models of things to come: eight seat twins and a two place single engine. Between Comp Air and Epic the airplane is being re-invented many times over, all in plastic.

We flew out early Monday with our first fuel stop at Zephyr Hills, saving us $1.48 per gallon. The weather was good up to Tulsa where we bunked for the night. Due to IFR conditions, we were delayed from departing Tuesday until about noon. All planes were safely back in the showroom by late afternoon. The trip was one of the best in terms of weather coming, going and during the show. The demeanor of our crew and the ease we performed together was also one of the best. I hope to repeat the adventure at either Oshkosh ( if we decide to go) or at Sebring (still one of the most productive and affordable shows out there). My deepest thanks go to Mark, Neil and all the wonderful folks who either own a RANS or simply stopped by to say hi.