| In the air the plane is a sheer delight. Light on the controls, very forgiving and off the ground in 100’ or less. It climbs 900 fpm, fast enough to pop your ears! Takeoffs are easy: push in the power, hold a little up elevator and fly right off. No rotation needed. It handles so gently you almost forget it has the wheel in the back! Overall the RANS S-17 Stinger is one sweet little ul that fits the bill for open-air type flying to the tee. Flying the S-17 Stinger A quick walk-around reveals the simple clean nature of the design. A 4130 cro-moly cage supports pilot, wings and tail with neat, compact effect. Rugged it looks and rugged it is, with spring steel main gear and tail spring, the guess is that it can handle rough fields. Stepping over the frame and settling into the seat is done prior to engine start. The seat comfort is amazing and adjusts in tilt and fore and aft position. Since you more or less sit on the Stinger extra security is provided by the Hooker harness. The robust hardware and belt ratchet creates the effect of being welded to the airframe. This feels nice once airborne and the lack of surrounding structure becomes apparent. To start the engine, step from the plane, set the handy park brake on the control stick, flip the mag switches located just under the left front side of the wing and yank the cord. Did I mention a shot or two of primer? The Rotax 447 will pop to life with a mild rumble. Sit back down and secure the belts; you now are ready to taxi. With the low overall height and wide-track gear, the Stinger handles like a go-cart; sure footed, and tempting to taxi fast. The fact that it is a taildragger is almost lost on the Stinger; it tracks where you point it without a lot of rudder input. The hand brake does well to sharpen up the turns, if applied after initiating. The takeoff roll is brisk; the best method seems to be whatever you prefer. I like to hold just a little up elevator and let it fly off when ready. This occurs in less than 100 feet. 45 MPH produces a 900 ft/min. rate of climb at a pretty impressive angle. Speed builds quickly once you lower the nose, bumping into 63 MPH will happen moments after leveling. To extract maximum enjoyment, throttle back to 50 MPH or less and enjoy the lesser breeze. Now the feeling of flight will sweep over you. The solid little airframe of the S-17 backs you up with a pleasant hum. Light controls allow tight turns in small chunks of air. It can turn on a dime and tempts you to hug the terrain in intimate turns, dives and climbs. It is only you and the sky; earthly details seem to spring up and be within reach as you gently zip by. But stay sharp! Only thin air remains between you and the power lines and other low-level surprises. A stall results in a gentle break at 28 MPH with a non-dramatic release of the stick to gain back the flow. With no flaps to deploy, the Stinger is operationally stark. Banking with the ball centered happens with a little rudder and aileron. Using each alone will produce decent turns; in fact, the ailerons roll couple with only a slight adverse yaw, correcting in 2 seconds or less without rudder input. Rudder only brings in roll reliably and is a pleasant way to make mild turns. Elevators are heavy enough with a good g force build with speed, producing a natural feel. To make the best landings, approach at 38 to 45 MPH with a little a power; a fairly steep glide angle will be needed otherwise. Avoiding a good landing only results in a solid shudder through the airframe, the gear happy to bounce back to shape. A perfect landing has the tailwheel touch an instant ahead of the mains. With a good squeeze of the stick-mounted brake lever the S-17 can rumble to stop in less than 100 feet. The feeling is good at the end of a Stinger flight, never too long (less than an hour’s range), but always rich in the buzz we seek from the sky. The open-air cockpit of the S-17 is an understatement; the air is the cockpit. Despite how this makes us feel, I still want a windshield. Why? It’s a small price to pay for an extended flying season and avoidance of involuntary in-flight meals! | 
