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Vashon Aircraft: Ranger – R7 Innovation in Affordable Aviation
Vashon Aircraft was founded in 2012 by John Torode, a Seattle-area pilot and semiconductor entrepreneur with a knack for developing lower-cost solutions to aviation challenges. If his name sounds familiar, perhaps it’s because he also founded Dynon Avionics in 2000.
In the early days of Dynon, customers were the builders and owners of experimental aircraft who wanted state-of-the-art avionics that didn’t break the bank.
Four years later, when the light sport aircraft (LSA) category was established, Dynon was poised to capitalize on the opportunity and established a factory in Portland, Oregon, near the largest manufacturer of kit-built aircraft, Van’s Aircraft. Then work commenced on creating its own LSA—the Ranger.
Meet the Ranger Family
There are three models to choose from: the Glacier, Redwood, and Cascade. The panel, specifically which Dynon Avionics suite the buyer chooses, determines the model.
The basic model is the Glacier, boasts a 10-inch SkyView HDX touchscreen display with a backup battery. The screen has a PFD, outside air temperature, angle of attack, engine monitoring, navigation and mapping, SkyView two-axis autopilot, Mode S Transponder with 2020 compliant ADS-B Out, SkyViewCOM radio, two-place intercom, autopilot control panel with level button, and Wi-Fi adapter.
The Redwood has two screens that handle the aforementioned bells and whistles, and because there are two screens, the information is not as cluttered in its presentation.
The top of the line Cascade, flown by 3° Aviation, includes the standard items on the Redwood, plus sports a Garmin GTN 650Xi (GPS/MFD/COM/NAV), PS Engineering audio panel, and GPS/COM/NAV antennas.
Vashon is understandably proud of the fact that every Ranger includes a fully integrated electronic flight information system (EFIS) through the Dynon SkyView Touch or HDX glass panel. Dynon panels are known for their intuitive displays and feature-rich value such as a two-axis autopilot with flight director, VNAV and altitude preselect, and primary flight display (PFD) with synthetic vision and angle-of-attack indicator.
This level of sophistication and versatility allows the Ranger to be used by flight schools for primary through commercial training, thanks in part to the 2018 change in requirements for the commercial certificate. The change allows the applicant the option of getting time in a technologically advanced aircraft in addition to a complex aircraft, which had been the industry standard for decades.
FAR 61.129 was updated to allow commercial pilot applicants for a single-engine airplane to log “20 hours of training in areas of operation listed in FAR 61.127(b)(1) that include at least 10 hours of training in a complex airplane, a turbine-powered airplane or a technologically advanced airplane that meets the requirements of FAR 61.129(j) which state: ‘unless otherwise authorized by the FAA Administrator, a technically advanced airplane must be equipped with an electronically advanced avionics system including a PFD that includes, at a minimum, an airspeed indicator, turn coordinator, attitude indicator, heading indicator, altimeter, and vertical speed indicator, an electronic multifunction display (MFD) that includes, at a minimum, a moving map using GPS navigation with the aircraft position displayed, a two axis autopilot integrated with the navigation and heading guidance system.’”
For flight schools, that means the Ranger has more versatility than the complex aircraft that are sometimes limited to operation by commercial candidates, so they often sit idle on the ramp. More versatility means more flight hours for the business.
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American Made—Built to Last
Not all LSAs are created equal, but with a name like Ranger, you expect the aircraft to be sturdy. This aircraft does not disappoint.
The Ranger is made in the U.S. at Arlington Municipal Airport (KAWO) in Washington state, and like many things in the Pacific Northwest, coffee included, the aircraft is robust, featuring sturdy all-metal construction.
The Ranger’s wingspan is 29 feet, 6 inches, which makes it larger than the Cessna 150 series. The most striking thing about the aircraft at first glance is the rudder, which at 8 feet, 4 inches tall, is larger than many of its contemporaries.
A large rudder likely makes it easier to manage crosswinds with a higher than most demonstrated crosswind component.
The Ranger is also touted as a learner-pilot friendly airframe capable of landing on unimproved backcountry strips. The aircraft has strong, flexible, and forgiving landing gear legs made from carbon fiber (similar to Cirrus) with 600-6 tires.
A robust landing gear is much-appreciated by the flight school operators—and their mechanics—as it takes a beating in an environment where touch-and-goes feel more like carrier traps sans the tailhook or smash-and-goes. The landing gear has undergone some refinements since the first few aircraft rolled out of the factory.
The Ranger has a castering nose wheel that does make the aircraft a little more sensitive on the ground, causing you to manage your taxi speed more than you would in a Cessna trainer. You will have to anticipate turns a bit because the aircraft reacts quicker than a design that utilizes push-rod nosewheel steering.
The Engine
The powerplant is also American made. The Ranger is powered by a Continental O-200-D engine manufactured in Mobile, Alabama. The decision to use a Continental O-200 rather than the Rotax that appears in so many other LSAs was multifaceted.
“One of the main design objectives on the Ranger is that if it has to land in Podunk, USA, any A&P can pull up in a pickup truck and fix everything on the aircraft. Especially the engine. In a lot of places in the U.S., primarily the further west you come, the harder it is to find folks that can work on a Rotax. If parts are needed, they can be shipped overnight. Another consideration is that we wanted the aircraft, and all of its major components, to be made in the USA”, according to Vashon Aircraft.
That decision to keep the Ranger made in America did come with a weight penalty. The Continental is 60 pounds heavier than the comparable Rotax, but that doesn’t dissuade customers who are willing to take the weight in exchange for the familiarity and reliability of the O-200D.
Another aspect that differentiates Vashon from so many other aircraft manufacturers is its vertical integration. The company makes the majority of the parts required to build the aircraft along with investing in the manufacturing tools and systems for an efficient building process. It does, however, import the aluminum.
One of the highlights of the factory tour was seeing a fuselage on its side in a cradle undergoing assembly and watching a technician a few feet away preparing to check a fuel tank for leaks.
The Controls and Systems
Instead of a yoke, the aircraft has a stick, ergonomically formed and placed so you can fly with two fingers and your wrist resting on your thigh. If you have never flown a stick-equipped aircraft, remind yourself to relax your grip.
In addition to the Dynon avionics suite with nav/com, ADS-B traffic and weather, and Mode S transponder, every Ranger is equipped with dual flight controls, electric flaps and trim, dual toe brakes, adjustable rudder pedals, engine monitor with all EGTs/CHTs, lean assist and fuel computer, and two-place stereo intercom.
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