Rans S12XL Aircraft - How I Took A 22 Hour Vehicle Trip And Cut It Down To Only 9 Hours.
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 24 ต.ค. 2024
- My trip summer of 2016 transporting a Rans S12 xl from Forest City, IA to Burnt Chimney, VA.
The airplane I'm flying is a light-sport aircraft with a Rotax 912 engine. It is a beast. 80 horsepower and very reliable. Since it's a pusher-mounted engine interestingly enough when you add power as in a take-off roll it pushes the nose down requiring more runway to get off the ground. Around 350 feet or so depending on the time of year with heat and humidity.
One of the great features of this airplane is its visibility. It is like flying a helicopter. There's visibility all the way to my feet. Some of the other great features of this bird are the 18 gallons of fuel it carries in its wings, hydraulic breaks in the pedals, two seats, trim, and lights! Yes, lights. I added panel lights and landing lights for safety. As sport pilots, we are not allowed to fly at night so in case you get back late to your home field you have lights! Once you drop below the tree line you're in total darkness for a few seconds. It's not a good feeling at all.
This trip was planned a year in advance and only took me 9 hours to get to my destination in VA. In a car, it would take 22 hours without stopping. I ended up spending three nights along the way to extend the trip so it wouldn't go by so fast.
A couple of times in the morning VFR was not recommended due to haze or cloud cover so as what a good pilot should do I waited a couple of hours for it to clear up and off I went.
![ILLSLICK - THE KING'S LANDING [Freestyle]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/feIJJnNkTfk/mqdefault.jpg)
![เปิดใจ “ต้นหอม ศกุนตลา” หลังโดนพาดพิงธุรกิจที่เคยทำ และผลกระทบทำถูกปลดฟ้าผ่า! | แฉ 24 ต.ค.67 [2/3]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/vCi5OIqlxaE/mqdefault.jpg)
N61617. This is the first airplane I ever owned. Bought it when I was 17 and flew it off of a grass strip on a farm in Nebraska. Put around 350 hrs on it. Used to take my little brother up flying in the evenings and come back in time for supper. By far the most fun I’ve had flying and I’ve graduated to a Falcon 900. Was pretty cool to stumble on this video. Hopefully someday it will be back in my hangar!
That's awesome!! Previous owner.
Great video, thanks for not having stupid music ruining the video like so many others do.
agreed. Once I hear anything from Top Gun I don't even watch the video.
Compliments for yours airplane and how you fly It. Beautiful and very large are fields of yours country. Greeting from Rome Italy 👍
Thank you!
Omero, the flatlands and fields are mostly in the mid-west or central part of the country. From the eastern part of Ohio through West Virginia to my destination in SW VA it becomes very mountainous.
Thank you for the video, Sir, with aircraft prices climbing now a days, it's good to see a video showing that you don't have to go out and buy a $50,000 to $75,000 airplane to do trips across the country. Would you happen to know to know what the crosswind component is for the S12? Thank You Sir and God bless.
I can only dream to fly a toy like that
Hey everybody, thank you for viewing this video! We have nearly 51,000 views. Not too shabby. If I added more content to this channel what questions would you like answered about this airplane or about ultralight aircraft or light-sport aircraft or aviation in general? Let me know and I'll get to it.
What is the cost of the airplane?
How much fuel does it hold?
What is the maintenance cost?
What type of fuel does it take?
What is the top airspeed?
What is the safety rating?
@@deepnpla Around $20,000.
18 gallons
Mo gas
@@deepnpla Uses Mo Gas. 18 gallons. Around $20,000 or so to purchase it. VNE is 100. Average AS is around 65-70
Great video! I had an S14 clipped wing with a Rotax 582. Flew great but wouldn't have trusted it for a 9 hour flight. The 4 stroke 912 makes the difference.
Knowledge is everything when it comes to engines. Because of many years of Rotax 2-Stroke knowledge and flying, I would easily find the 582 or any of the other Rotax 2-Strokes just as reliable as the 912. Many people judge without understanding the priorities and simple requirements of the 2-Strokes. The 912 is a very complex engine with many parts.
@@davidwebb4731 I agree with you somewhat - knowing your engine and proper maintenance is essential, but the 2 cycle TBO is what, 300 hrs tops? Most 4 strokers are 2000 hrs. They're just made heavier and more durable. To say that the 2 cycles are just as reliable is a stretch in my opinion.
@@LeeKobe1 I understand. Opinions vary with knowledge. I am very good at jetting and maintaining all of the Rotax 2-strokes, and can easily fly way past the 300 TBO thanks to the improvement in oils and technology. That wasn't the case 25 years ago. The 2-strokes are easy to remove, lighter, and cost much less to overhaul than the 912...hands down. Easily, I would choose the Rotax 2-stroke over the 912. Yes, I had one once and got it running great, but wouldn't want another. Having to "burp" the engine was the end game for me. Fuel injected engines like the Vikings or Aeromentum is the way to go.
When Rotax made the fuel injected 912, they incorporated more complications and too much $$$$$$$$......so that is an easy "NO" on my engine choice. The EPA isn't on my side, but I'm a big fan of the 2-strokes.
Hello. my name is William and i have a plane rans s 12. the plane is a great machine. my plane is only a 30 hours of use. I live in Puerto Rico Island. sorry for mi inglish is bad. in the Island have a 5 s12 but my plane is a new plane. i like your fligth video. it a great video . i like you plane . nice color. my plane is yellow and black color.
Thank you!
Really nice looking plane. Next video add cockpit views from the pilots seat and add navigation audio. Thanks.
Good idea. This was my first attempt at shooting video on any kind of camera. A gopro. I barely knew how to turn it on. I didn't spend much time with the camera as I was mostly concerned with getting back to Virginia. :)
Great Video!! Was wondering what is the average cruise speed in knots??
Around 70
BRAVO Chris Miller ! SUCH A Great Little Aircraft - From A New Sub
Yeah, it's a fun little bird. The visibility is sick. All the way down to my feet.
Hi. How do You refill fuel? Because not every airport has regular gas . Thanks.
You can burn av gas. But only 50% or less of the time. On this trip I carried 2 5 gallons cans of fuel.
Hey there!
I'm starting to look for used aircraft, but yours is about twice the price of what I'm going to be able to have as my top most level!
Your rig is worth it, without a doubt, but just out of my league financially.
I've been looking at the Warner radial engines, because I prefer 4-stroke to 2-stroke, and they have electronic ignition and fuel injection!
They also make engines from 38 horsepower to 117 horsepower with electric start!
Would it be possible to mount a radial engine on your type of model?
I have subscribed and clicked on the little bell, and I look forward to your future videos!
Thank you for your time.
I'm sorry it took so long to respond. I'm just now seeing this. I'm not sure about the radial.
@@cfmill74
Sometimes life intrudes on us all; especially these days! Stay safe!
@@jrbailey3208 Back atcha JR.
How many miles can you fly with this rans with rotax 80hp?
be good idea to turn the volume down to 50% during flight its not a good sound track,
What does your Rans cruise speed at?
Just now seeing this. Around 65-70
I believe I may sell this rocket. Great airplane. I love it!
What is your price? How may I contact you?
$23,000 if interested let me know
I'll call you
Chris Miller what is cabin width and useful payload?
Useful payload is 490 lbs. Cockpit width 41".
Chris Miller is the back enclosed? Never mind, I can see that it is. What are the performance numbers with one and two aboard?
What's in the tank up front? Smoke oil?
What engine do you have and what is your cruise speed?
912 Rotax. 70
What is the small tank that is forward of the instrument panel? It looks like a small beer keg ;-)
Weight ballast
Also a small beer keg. WWII style.
hi how many miles and how much flying time did it take? thank you
1,000 miles 9 or so hours
It was 1,000 miles, 8 legs and about 9.5 hours.
Novice question, why so many legs? Also, is the aircraft tail heavy or is it an optics thing?
Optics, it flys level and stable
I wanted to extend the trip and take in the sites and the experience. A vacation of sorts. Otherwise i could have been back in a day. This trip lasted four. Fun!
Hello! Is that a Rotax 2 stroke?
No, it is a Rotax 912 UL 80hp four stroke
Like your tee shirt.
Thanks Ken
Wanted to see landing,,,, dangit
It wasn't pretty. I had to go around. I was too high. :)
I just don’t like the sound of this engine. Most likely a carborated one. At idle, it seems everything is going to fall apart.
Yeah, I hear that too. It's not the engine. I've had this 912 now for 4 years and it purrs like a kitten with great temps and pressures and sounds and runs great. I've since flown it to Tangier Island and OBX from SW VA and it runs just great!
Nice shirt
Nice flight and video. Subbed.
MAGA!
chris miller Thanks
Might of been a great video - then I saw the trump t-shirt.
So. You MUST hate this video because the man in it disagrees about a non-related subject even though he never brings it up? You are a baby .
Show
th-cam.com/video/cXuw0KNJauo/w-d-xo.html
Couldnt watch this video...the trump tee shirt turned my stomach
Mine Too!
To each his own I guess. When I watch videos on a particular subject and there's some political token somewhere in the shot I don't lose sight of what the story is being told. But that's just me.
I love your shirt! 😋
@@cfmill74 Let's go Brandon!
@@erik_dk842 :D - I didn't intend for this video to be politcal. Just aviation!