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The S-17 Stinger brings
a new level of quality, simple elegance and
spirited
performance to
ultra-light flying. The heart of the design is the
factory welded and powder coated fuselage frame. This rugged
structure allows fast, accurate building plus a durable
mount for pilot,
engine,wings, and tail.
JUST PRIOR TO ASSEMBLY OF WINGS AND TAIL, THE S-17 SHOWS
OFF THE WELDED
STEEL COCKPIT STRUCTURE.
THE SEAT ADJUSTS FORE AND AFT AND IN TILT
THE STEERABLE TAILWHEEL FEATURES A HEAVY
DUTY SPRING AND GREASE
FITTING.
THE COMPACT PANEL RESIDES ON THE VERY NOSE OF THE PLANE, AND IS
SURPRISINGLY EASY TO VIEW. RUDDER PEDALS HAVE STIRRUPS TO HOLD THE FEET
SECURE.
HORIZONTIAL STABILIZER ADJUSTS IN INCIDENCE ANGLE
TO SUIT PILOT WEIGHT.
QUARTER FRONT RIGHT VIEW SHOWS OFF THE CLEAN LINES
OF THIS VERY LEAN
AND EAGER MACHINE.
QUARTER LEFT FRONT VIEW SHOWS OFF THE LOW CENTER OF GRAVITY
AND WIDE
GEAR STANCE FOR REMARKABLE GROUND HANDLING. GEAR
LEGS ARE MADE OF 6150
SPRING STEEL, THE SAME STUFF USED ON OUR
BIG BIRDS.
CLOSE UP OF THE WING STRUT ATTACH, AILERON CABLE MAIN PULLEY
AND RUDDER
CABLE GUIDES. THIS SHOT REVEALS THE COMPACT,
SIMPLE NATURE OF DESIGN USED
THROUGHOUT THE S-17.
HOOKER HARNESS IN MATCHED COLORS IS STANDARD.
AFT LEFT QUARTER VIEW SHOWS THE ROBUST COCKPIT CAGE AND HINTS AT THE
PILOT’S CLEAR FIELD OF VISION. BOOM ATTACHES TO THE CAGE VIA AN INTERNAL
"H" INDICATED BY THE ROWS OF RIVETS ON EACH SIDE OF THE ATTACH
POINTS.
In the air the plane is a sheer delight. Light on
the controls, very forgiving and off the ground in 100’ or less. It
climbs 900 fpm, fast enough to pop your ears! Takeoffs are easy: push in
the power, hold a little up elevator and fly right off. No rotation
needed. It handles so
gently you almost forget it has the wheel in the back!
Overall the S-17 Stinger is one sweet little ul that
fits the bill for open-air type flying to the tee.
Flying the S-17 Stinger
A quick walk-around reveals the simple clean nature
of the design. A 4130 cro-moly cage supports pilot, wings and tail with
neat, compact effect. Rugged it looks and rugged it is, with spring steel
main gear and tail spring, the guess is that it can handle rough fields. Stepping over the frame and settling into the seat
is done prior to engine start. The seat comfort is amazing and adjusts in
tilt and fore and aft position. Since you more or less sit on the Stinger
extra security is provided by the Hooker harness. The robust hardware and
belt ratchet creates the effect of being welded to the airframe. This
feels nice once airborne and the lack of surrounding structure becomes
apparent. To start the engine, step from the plane, set the
handy park brake on the control stick, flip the mag switches located just
under the left front side of the wing and yank the cord. Did I mention a
shot or two of primer? The Rotax 447 will pop to life with a mild rumble.
Sit back down and secure the belts; you now are ready to taxi. With the low overall height and wide-track gear, the
Stinger handles like a go-cart; sure footed, and tempting to taxi fast.
The fact that it is a taildragger is almost lost on the Stinger; it tracks
where you point it without a lot of rudder input. The hand brake does well
to sharpen up the turns, if applied after initiating. The takeoff roll is brisk; the best method seems to
be whatever you prefer. I like to hold just a little up elevator and let
it fly off when ready. This occurs in less than 100 feet. 45 MPH produces
a 900 ft/min. rate of climb at a pretty impressive angle. Speed builds quickly once you lower the nose,
bumping into 63 MPH will happen moments after leveling. To extract maximum
enjoyment, throttle back to 50 MPH or less and enjoy the lesser breeze.
Now the feeling of flight will sweep over you. The solid little airframe
of the S-17 backs you up with a pleasant hum. Light controls allow tight
turns in small chunks of air. It can turn on a dime and tempts you to hug
the terrain in intimate turns, dives and climbs. It is only you and the
sky; earthly details seem to spring up and be within reach as you gently
zip by. But stay sharp! Only thin air remains between you and the power
lines and other low-level surprises. A stall results in a gentle break at 28 MPH with a
non-dramatic release of the stick to gain back the flow. With no flaps to
deploy, the Stinger is operationally stark. Banking with the ball centered
happens with a little rudder and aileron. Using each alone will produce
decent turns; in fact, the ailerons roll couple with only a slight adverse
yaw, correcting in 2 seconds or less without rudder input. Rudder only
brings in roll reliably and is a pleasant way to make mild turns.
Elevators are heavy enough with a good g force build with speed, producing
a natural feel. To make the best landings, approach at 38 to 45 MPH
with a little a power; a fairly steep glide angle will be needed
otherwise. Avoiding a good landing only results in a solid shudder through
the airframe, the gear happy to bounce back to shape. A perfect landing
has the tailwheel touch an instant ahead of the mains. With a good squeeze
of the stick-mounted brake lever the S-17 can rumble to stop in less than
100 feet. The feeling is good at the end of a Stinger flight,
never too long (less than an hour’s range), but always rich in the buzz
we seek from the sky. The open-air cockpit of the S-17 is an
understatement; the air is the cockpit. Despite how this makes us feel, I
still want a windshield. Why? It’s a small price to pay for an extended
flying season and avoidance of involuntary in-flight meals!
About the nose
fairing/windshield:
we know how this works, everyone wants to fly open air, then the first
option they buy is a some sort of fairing. This is an option, see
the spec. sheet for pricing.
About ordering your S-17 Stinger
Production has begun on the S-17 and kits
are now shipping. We are constructing ready-to-fly
S-17’s; these will include the nose fairing
and grade II clear coat. Colors are solid blue, red, yellow or black
with matching belts, and gray booms and cage. Contact us for details on kits.
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