Photograph:
Best Off Skyranger 19-4355 (c/n 5643510) at Wedderburn, NSW in November 2005 (David C Eyre)
Country of origin:
France
Description:
Two-seat light touring and training monoplane
Power Plant:
One 60 kw (80 hp) Rotax 912S four-cylinder horizontally-opposed liquid-and-air-cooled engine
Specifications:
- Wingspan: 9.44 m (31 ft)
- Length: 5.51 m (18 ft 1 in)
- Height:1.92 m (6 ft 3 in)
- Wing area: 14.1 m² (151.7 sq ft)
- Max speed: 209 km/h (130 mph)
- Cruising speed: 169 km/h (105 mph)
- Stalling speed: 58 km/h (36 mph)
- Rate of climb: 366 m/min (1,200 ft/min)
- Service ceiling: 3,658 m (12,000 ft)
- Range: 834 km (518 miles)
- Empty weight: 255 kg (562 lb)
- Useful load: 195 kg (430 lb)
- Loaded weight: 450 kg (992 lb)
History:
The Best Off Skyranger was an ultralight aircraft that was designed in Toulouse, France, by Philippe Prevot in the mid 1990s. Aimed at the market for a high-performance aircraft of simple construction, it utilised straight 2017/2024 aluminium tubing with no welding. It had a tricycle undercarriage with hydraulic brakes, the airframe being covered with Dacron.
Over the years some components of the kit have been manufactured under licence by Aeros Ltd in The Ukraine. It has been marketed as the Best Off Skyranger and also as the Green Landings Skyranger. It has won a number of awards, including the World ULM Champion for 1996, 1998 and 2003; and Best Assembled and Best Trainer Awards at the Sun ‘N Fun Fly-in at Florida, USA in 2003. More than 1,200 examples have been completed around the world.
First of the type seen in this region became ZK-MAI (c/n SKR-0308388) powered by a Simonni Victor 2 engine, this being a two-cylinder, liquid-cooled unit providing 69 kw (92 hp) at 6,300 rpm, being followed shortly after by ZK-SKV (c/n SKR-0308387).
First of the type registered in Australia became VH-ULS (c/n 01-04) in 2004.
Engines installed usually came from the Rotax range but other engines installed have included the AeroVEE.