Photograph:
Best Off Skyranger Swift ZK-SCT (c/n 796) at Wanaka, NZ in April 2012 (NZCIVAIR)
Country of origin:
France
Description:
Two-seat light sport monoplane
Power Plant:
One 80 kw (100 hp) Rotax 912UL four-cylinder horizontally-opposed liquid-and-air-cooled engine
Specifications:
- Wingspan: 8.5 m (27 ft 9 in)
- Length: 5.5 m (18 ft 1 in)
- Height: 2.4 m (7 ft 9 in)
- Never exceed speed: 206 km/h (128 mph)
- Max speed: 185 km/h (115 mph)
- Cruising speed: 145 km/h (90 mph)
- Stalling speed: 63 km/h (39 mph)
- Max rate of climb: 335 m/min (1,100 ft/min)
- Minimum sink rate: 171 m at 93 km/h (560 ft/min at 58 mph)
- Take-off run to clear: 15 m (50 ft) obstacle 280 m 918 ft
- Landing run to clear: 15 m (50 ft) obstacle 282 m (925 ft)
- Range: 724 km (450 miles)
- Empty weight: 250 kg (551 lb)
- Loaded weight: 540 kg (1,190 lb)
History:
The Best Off Skyranger Swift was a development of the Skyranger and was optimised to take advantage of engines ranging from 60 kw (80 hp) to 75 kw (100 hp) in the Rotax range. It was basically a Skyranger with a new smaller sport wing, the Company providing an aircraft which benefitted from higher cruising speeds and more comfortable flight in turbulence due to the smaller wing providing an increased wing loading. The wing had a shorter wingspan, greater torsional strength and smaller ailerons which reduced roll loads and increased roll rate. Take-off performance was described to be in the STOL category. The aircraft was of steel tube construction with fabric covering and was available as an ultra-fast build kit. In this kit the flaps, ailerons, tailplane, fin, rudder and elevators were ready built and covered.
The prototype of the Skyranger flew in 1992 and since then there have been improvements in the design. From 1992 to 1997 198 examples were manufactured in France by Synairgie. Later production was taken over under licence by Aeros Ltd in The Ukraine and since then more than 1,200 examples have been completed. Examples have been used in Europe, the UK and the US as trainers.
Engines which could be installed include the 60 kw (80 hp) Rotax 912UL, Rotax 912ULS, Jabiru 2200 of 60 kw (80 hp) and the AeroVEE of 60 kw (80 hp).
First of the type registered in this region became ZK-SCT (c/n 796) for Mr M Morris of Wanaka, NZ on 5 March 2010 and an example was completed in Brisbane, QLD early in 2012.