The Rans S-7 Courier is an American single-engined,

tractor configuration In aviation, a tractor configuration is a propeller-driven fixed-wing aircraft with its engine mounted with the propeller in front, so that the aircraft is "pulled" through the air. This is the usual configuration; the pusher configuration ...

, two-seats in

tandem Tandem, or in tandem, is an arrangement in which two or more animals, machines, or people are lined up one behind another, all facing in the same direction. ''Tandem'' can also be used more generally to refer to any group of persons or objects w ...

, high-wing

monoplane A monoplane is a fixed-wing aircraft configuration with a single mainplane, in contrast to a biplane or other types of multiplanes, which have multiple wings. A monoplane has inherently the highest efficiency and lowest drag of any wing con ...

Rans Inc Rans Designs, previously called Rans Inc. (styled all in capitals as RANS), is an American aircraft and, formerly, a leading American recumbent bicycle and tricycle manufacturer, based in Hays, Kansas, United States. The company name is a portmant ...

. The Courier is available in kit form for amateur construction or as a completed

light-sport aircraft A light-sport aircraft (LSA), or light sport aircraft, is a category of small, lightweight aircraft that are simple to fly. LSAs tend to be heavier and more sophisticated than ultralight (aka "microlight") aircraft, but LSA restrictions on weigh ...

.Downey, Julia: ''1999 Kit Aircraft Directory'', Kitplanes, Volume 15, Number 12, December 1998, page 65. Primedia Publications. ISSN 0891-1851Downey, Julia: ''2008 Kit Aircraft Directory'', Kitplanes, Volume 24, Number 12, December 2007, page 69. Primedia Publications. ISSN 0891-1851Purdy, Don: ''AeroCrafter - Homebuilt Aircraft Sourcebook'', page 239. BAI Communications. Bertrand, Noel; Rene Coulon; et al: ''World Directory of Leisure Aviation 2003-04'', page 157. Pagefast Ltd, Lancaster OK, 2003. ISSN 1368-485XTaylor, John (ed): ''Jane's All The World's Aircraft 1986-1987'', pages 701-702. Jane's Publishing Company, 1986. Taylor, John (ed): ''Jane's All The World's Aircraft 1987-1988'', pages 698-699. Jane's Publishing Company, 1987. Taylor, John (ed): ''Jane's All The World's Aircraft 1988-1989'', pages 592-594. Jane's Publishing Company, 1988. Vandermeullen, Richard: ''2011 Kit Aircraft Buyer's Guide'', Kitplanes, Volume 28, Number 12, December 2011, page 68. Belvoir Publications. ISSN 0891-1851Bayerl, Robby; Martin Berkemeier; et al: ''World Directory of Leisure Aviation 2011-12'', page 72. WDLA UK, Lancaster UK, 2011. ISSN 1368-485X

Design and development

The S-7 was originally conceived of as a trainer for the single seat S-4 Coyote. First flown in November 1985 the Courier was named for an aircraft that Schlitter admired, the

Helio Courier The Helio Courier is a cantilever high-wing light Short Take-Off and Landing, STOL cargo aircraft, utility aircraft designed in 1949. Around 500 of these aircraft were manufactured in Pittsburg, Kansas, from 1954 until 1974 by the Helio Aircraf ...

. The S-7 features a welded

4130 steel 41xx steel is a family of SAE steel grades, as specified by the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE). Alloying elements include chromium and molybdenum, and as a result these materials are often informally referred to as chromoly steel (common va ...

tube cockpit, with a bolted

aluminum Aluminium (or aluminum in North American English) is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol, symbol Al and atomic number 13. It has a density lower than that of other common metals, about one-third that of steel. Aluminium has ...

tube rear fuselage, wing and tail surfaces all covered in dope and fabric. The reported construction times for the Courier are 500-700 man-hours. The Courier is available only with

conventional landing gear Conventional landing gear, or tailwheel-type landing gear, is an aircraft Landing gear, undercarriage consisting of two main wheels forward of the Center of gravity of an aircraft, center of gravity and a small wheel or skid to support the tail ...

but can be equipped with floats and

ski Skis are runners, attached to the user's feet, designed to glide over snow. Typically employed in pairs, skis are attached to ski boots with ski bindings, with either a free, lockable, or partially secured heel. For climbing slopes, ski skins c ...

s. The original basic engine was the

Rotax 503 The Rotax 503 is a , inline 2-cylinder, two-stroke engine, two-stroke aircraft engine, built by Rotax, BRP-Rotax GmbH & Co. KG of Austria for use in ultralight aircraft.Raisner, William: ''LEAF catalog'', pp. 6-105. Leading Edge Airfoils, 1 ...

of , with the

Rotax 582 The Rotax 582 is a two-stroke cycle, two-stroke, two-cylinder, rotary intake valve, oil-in-fuel or oil injection pump, liquid-cooled, gear reduction-drive aircraft engine manufactured by Rotax, BRP-Rotax GmbH & Co. KG. It is for use in non-ce ...

of being available as an option. Today the standard engine is the

Rotax 912ULS The Rotax 912 is a horizontally-opposed four-cylinder, naturally-aspirated, four-stroke aircraft engine with a reduction gearbox. It features liquid-cooled cylinder heads and air-cooled cylinders. Originally equipped with carburetors, ...

. At least one S7 has been fitted with a

Jabiru 2200 The Jabiru 2200 is a lightweight naturally aspirated, pushrod four-stroke, flat four, air-cooled aircraft engine produced by Jabiru Aircraft. Design and development The conventional direct-drive engine is fitted with an alternator, silencers, ...

flat-four, four-stroke direct-drive engine. Civil Aviation Authority
GINFO Search Results
retrieved 1 October 2013

Operational history

325 examples of the Courier had been completed by December 2007. In November 2010 74 were on the registers of European countries west of Russia. Reviewer Marino Boric said in a 2015 review, that, "this refined little fun flyer...continues to prove itself deservedly popular."Tacke, Willi; Marino Boric; et al: ''World Directory of Light Aviation 2015-16'', page 76. Flying Pages Europe SARL, 2015. In an extensive review in December 2020, AVweb writer Dave Prizio praised the design's ergonomics and economics, "a nice feature of the S-7 is its ample 30-inch-wide cabin. Even for large people, there is no need to squeeze into an S-7 the way you might into a Cub. It will pretty much do the same thing as a Super Cub at a lower operating cost."

Variants

;S-7 :Initial version, standard engine

engine optional. RANS S-7C Courier N2506A 01

;S-7C :Refined version introduced in 2001, certified under the US primary category. Certification in the category took seven years of effort by the manufacturer and was not a commercial success as the primary aircraft category was not widely adopted. ;S-7S :Kit version of the S-7C, introduced in 2003. Qualifies as a US Experimental

(ELSA). Standard engine is the

. ;S-7LS :Sold as a factory-assembled ready-to-fly US Special

, the S-7LS is a factory-assembled version of the S-7S. Standard engine is the

Specifications (S-7S)

RANS S-7C Courier Primary category N2506A 03 instrument panel

Rans S-7 Courier with damaged propeller at Brioude aerodrome

References

External links