Future Flyers Now Completed at Custom Aviation Ltd, Taieri

Last November I visited Craig Miller of Custom Aviation Ltd at his hangar at Taieri, and I posted about some aircraft that were near to completeion at www.nzcivair.blogspot.co.nz/2014/11/future-flyers-at-custom-aviation-ltd.html  Craig has made great progress on the four aircraft that I posted about, and today he has sent photos of two of them completed.  Test flights are expected in the next week.

ZK-MFD (c/n 04140014) is our first Rans S 20 Raven and was registered to Moa Flat Downs Ltd of Tapanui in Southland, on 3/3/15.  The S 20 is the latest in a long line of Rans aircraft designed by Randy Schlitter.  It features the side by side 2 seat fuselage of the S 6 but constructed entirely of 4130 steel tubing (rather than the aluminium rear fuselage of the S 6), mated to the wings of the S 7.  It also has a higher MAUW of 598 Kg, which is higher than both the S 6 and the S 7.

Another view of the S 20 Raven ZK-MFD with the rebuilt S 6 ZK-ZAZ, outside Custom Aviation's hangar at Taieri..

Rans S 6ES Coyote II ZK-ZAZ (c/n 11111950) was damaged in a landing accident at Cromwell on 15/2/14 and has been rebuilt by Craig for Robert McSkimming of Ranfurly.  It had its accident as a tri-gear aircraft but has been rebuilt as a taildragger.

Thanks very much to Craig Miller for the photos.