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Flight Design CT Super Sport – Midwest LSA 2019
sponsored by Continental Aerospace Technology

News & Video on Light-Sport Aircraft, Sport Pilot Kits, and Ultralight Aircraft

Vashon Aircraft Ranger R7

Website: http://www.vashonaircraft.com

Email: info@vashonaircraft.com

Phone: 425-527-9944

Woodinville, WA 98072 - USA

Vashon Ranger — Making Waves Among Light-Sport Aircraft; Questions Answered

By Dan Johnson || 2 Comments

Sometimes a new Light-Sport Aircraft producer bursts on the scene in dramatic ways. Think of Terrafugia and their folding wing flying car or Icon and its sexy A5 LSA seaplane. Others enter from different positions of strength. One of the newest of these is Vashon Aircraft with their Ranger R7 (here's our earlier reporting on Ranger). While organized as completely separate companies, Vashon shares common ownership through the name John Torode, the founder of Dynon Avionics. The two businesses work hard to stay separate but it's clear one success might help the other just as John's earlier success in the tech industry lead to Dynon being formed. When you check the Tableau Public tally of market share information — you can select to show only Light-Sport Aircraft, Sport Pilot kit aircraft, or modern gyroplanes, or any combination, but the link defaults to all aircraft. When you look you'll find Vashon ranking well in 2019 and continuing to up their production game. The company presently has 20 Rangers on the FAA registry.

Vashon Ranger FAQs

The success of Ranger R7 begged the answer to some questions submitted to the company by Kent Misegades of Seven Lakes, North Carolina. Kent posed the questions to Ken Krueger, chief engineer of the Ranger R7, to get the following answers. Krueger formed his own company called Sky Designs after leaving Van's Aircraft. Kent's questions are shown in colored text.
  1. Number sold and delivered since AV18. We've delivered 14 airplanes since AV 18 and we have a sizeable backlog of customers who've put down deposits.
  2. Estimated production numbers in 2019, if this is something you wish to divulge. We've produced 12 aircraft so far in 2019 and are working to get the production rate to 4 aircraft per month.
  3. Where are the delivered airplanes based, in a general sense. How are they being used? Most aircraft are personally owned and used for sport flying although our very first customer airplane went to a flight school at our home airport near Seattle. Our customers are spread across the USA, we've delivered airplanes to Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Kansas, Kentucky, Massachusetts, and Ohio. We also have one airplane in Canada.
  4. Interest among flight schools to replace C150/C152? As already mentioned, our first delivery was to a flight school, but, yes, lots of interest from other flight schools and flying clubs.
  5. Is the R7 only for those interested in Sport Pilot/LSA? Emphatically, no. One of our design goals was to have an airplane that appeals to many different segments of the market. Ranger's cabin is large and comfortable, everyone who's flown in the airplane has praised it's flying qualities, and I think we've done a nice job of integration with Dynon avionics. Plus our price point is quite competitive.
  6. What have you learned since AV18? With the increasing number of customer airplanes flying, we're gaining a better understanding of what customers want and the environment they are operating their airplanes in. Also we're learning that it takes effort to efficiently build the airplanes while maintaining consistent quality.
  7. What new topics are you focused on at AV19? Product awareness, we are here to let folks know about the Ranger and Vashon Aircraft. As the aircraft itself is maturing, that allows time for us to develop necessary accessories like tow-bars, windscreen/cabin covers, and the like.
  8. What has changed in the specifications / pricing / offers since AV18, ie obvious from your web site and literature? Nothing, pricing and options remain the same as last year.
  9. Anecdotes from customers/operators and how you have addressed requests/problems (the true indicator of excellence). We've had a couple of ground handling mishaps with customer airplanes which resulted in bent metal. It was gratifying to go through the process of assessing the damage, deciding which parts would need replacement, and seeing the repair process move so quickly. With our pre-painted metal and since all the parts are manufactured on CNC machines, the speed and accuracy with which repairs can be made is pretty amazing.
  10. Where can a person get a demo flight? Here at AirVenture 2019, simply swing by our display and ask as we will be offering demo flights in our company aircraft. Otherwise, just call Vashon and talk to Kurt Robertson or Kelsey Hickman.

More FAQs See Vashon at Oshkosh 2019

  1. How are purchased aircraft delivered to the customer? Do they receive any introductory flight or light maintenance training? Customers can either travel to Paine Field, near Seattle, to pick-up their new airplane or we can deliver it. In any case, included with each airplane is up to ten hours of transition training with one of our CFI's.
  2. What sort of manuals come with the aircraft? The Pilot's Operating Handbook, Flight Training Supplement, Maintenance Manual, plus manuals for the engine, prop, and other equipment on the airplane.
  3. What has the reliability record been so far? Good overall. No major airframe or powerplant issues.
  4. Where is your exhibit located and who will a person meet there? Vashon is in the Main Aircraft Display area, booths 17 & 18. Vashon (and Dynon) CEO John Torode, General Manager Scott Taylor (each pictured nearby), Marketing Specialist Kelsey Hickman, Marketing Manager Kurt Robertson, and Chief Engineer Ken Krueger can all be found there.
  5. At what other public events can one see an R7 this year? We will be at the Arlington, Washington fly-in in August. With more airplanes being delivered each month, folks will start seeing Rangers dropping-into airports for fly-in events and/or fuel stops.
  6. What are the sales/support/service channels for the R7? Right now, all this is handled through our main office in Woodinville, Washington.
  7. Any plans for a kit version?  Tailwheel version?   Float version?  Other powerplant?  No current plans to offer a kit version, or tailwheel version of the Ranger. As for powerplants, we will be staying with the Continental O-200-D for the time being. We are, however, pretty excited that our prototype airplane, N219VA, has been mated to a set of Edo 1320 floats and is now flying off Lake Washington. The airplane was designed from the beginning to a floatplane and, as such, it looks great both on the water and in the air.
  8. What is the 'sweet spot' / advantages of the R7 compared to the competition? Affordability both in terms of purchase price as well as operational costs, integration of modern avionics, and the well proven direct-drive, air-cooled engine.
  9. Are any customer-owned R7s coming to AV19? Yes, we're expecting a couple of customers to fly in with their airplanes. N133VR, one of the customer airplanes seen last year is here again on display.
  10. What positive surprised have you experienced since AV18, beyond sales.  For instance positive comments from customers who had not expected.One customer has commented to us that he has to budget at least a half-hour to fill-up his airplane. This is because wherever he stops, folks come out to look at his Ranger and ask questions.
  11. How well is the vinyl wrap holding up?  Can a customer get any design he wants?  (We don't have mountains down here in the South.) The wraps are holding up well to environmental conditions such as sun, heat, cold, moisture, and bug splats. Vinyl has been in use on cars for many years now, so it is very much a known quantity in terms of durability. It isn't a whole lot different than paint, however, in that you still need to be careful when installing/removing the cowling to avoid causing damage. As for custom designs, yes, customers can get anything they want. There have been a few custom-wrap airplanes delivered and it was fun to see people getting creative with their design.
  12. Anything else readers should know? We will be giving a forum at AirVenture 2019 — Friday July 26th from 11:30 am to 12:45 pm at Forum Stage 5. There will be time at the end of the presentation for questions and answers. I hope to see everyone there!

Sometimes a new Light-Sport Aircraft producer bursts on the scene in dramatic ways. Think of Terrafugia and their folding wing flying car or Icon and its sexy A5 LSA seaplane. Others enter from different positions of strength. One of the newest of these is Vashon Aircraft with their Ranger R7 (here’s our earlier reporting on Ranger). While organized as completely separate companies, Vashon shares common ownership through the name John Torode, the founder of Dynon Avionics. The two businesses work hard to stay separate but it’s clear one success might help the other just as John’s earlier success in the tech industry lead to Dynon being formed. When you check the Tableau Public tally of market share information — you can select to show only Light-Sport Aircraft, Sport Pilot kit aircraft, or modern gyroplanes, or any combination, but the link defaults to all aircraft.

First Vashon Rangers Delivered to Owners After Successful Oshkosh Debut

By Dan Johnson || 5 Comments

UPDATE: Video on Ranger at bottom… Often at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh we see improved models among vast displays of showplanes. What we see less of are brand new offerings. Yet given the sheer number of aircraft, something brand new can surprise. You probably already know about Vashon Aircraft's Ranger (we reported it here) but attendees saw it for the first time at the big summer airshow. We shot video with Vashon marketing maven Amy Bellesheim and owner John Torode at the event and you'll learn more about Ranger from this duo when editing is completed. We recorded our usual large batch of fresh video; please be patient during the editing phase and check Ultralight News YouTube channel to see the latest.

Great Showing and Show

Amy reported, "We were overwhelmed with positive feedback" at Oshkosh. "We are up to 57 deposit holders," she beamed. That's quite admirable for a fresh-out-of-the-gate design entering a marketplace with more than 140 Special Light-Sport Aircraft appearing on our popular list. Following the event, the west coast producer kept up their pace, putting N133VR in the hands of a private owner. "Our first Ranger was delivered the Monday after Oshkosh and flown to its new home in Kansas," reported Amy, one of four pilots moving a small fleet of Rangers to the show and back home to their base in Woodinville, Washington state. "Our team has been extremely busy since we've been back from Oshkosh," added Amy. "Traveling to the show in four of our Ranger R7s was an awesome experience and we had an easy arrival into Wittman Airport Saturday morning." Arriving two days before the show began proved wise when heavy arrival traffic delayed many inbound aircraft as the show was starting. "We flew from Everett, Washington (KPAE) to [Wittman Field], stopping at several airports along the way," Amy continued. She said "the public release of our aircraft at Oshkosh had been in the plans for years. To have the chance to show off our airplanes was indescribable." Now that the staff is back home, Amy finished, "We have our work cut out for us … [as we] continue building and delivering these amazing airplanes!" Even more recently, another Vashon LSA was delivered. "We delivered our second Ranger to a local flight school right at our home airport at Paine Field," boasted Amy! Northway Aviation is the new operator. One criticism that has been observed is an empty weight that limits payload compared to other LSA. Fortunately for Vashon and other manufacturers, FAA is now actively working on regulation change that could lead to a higher gross weight for Light-Sport Aircraft …but that's a topic for another article. Amy and John review Ranger details in the video below, shot at Oshkosh 2018. https://youtu.be/hOy58rP7kYo

UPDATE: Video on Ranger at bottom… Often at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh we see improved models among vast displays of showplanes. What we see less of are brand new offerings. Yet given the sheer number of aircraft, something brand new can surprise. You probably already know about Vashon Aircraft’s Ranger (we reported it here) but attendees saw it for the first time at the big summer airshow. We shot video with Vashon marketing maven Amy Bellesheim and owner John Torode at the event and you’ll learn more about Ranger from this duo when editing is completed. We recorded our usual large batch of fresh video; please be patient during the editing phase and check Ultralight News YouTube channel to see the latest. Great Showing and Show Amy reported, “We were overwhelmed with positive feedback” at Oshkosh. “We are up to 57 deposit holders,” she beamed.

Newest Light-Sport Aircraft to Join the Fleet: Vashon Ranger R7

By Dan Johnson || 37 Comments

From Washington State arrives a fresh, new airplane created from scratch to enter the Special LSA space. You don't know the company but you may know the people, at least indirectly. Welcome to Vashon and their new Ranger R7! Ranger R7 is an all-metal, two-place, high-wing, single engine airplane equipped with tricycle landing gear and castering nose wheel. The company says Ranger has been in development for five years and has been flying for more than two. Vashon Aircraft was founded by John Torode, and the Ranger R7 was designed by Pacific Northwest aeronautical engineer, Ken Krueger. Does the name Torode sound familiar? It should. This is the man behind Dynon Avionics. Other key players are General Manager Scott Taylor and Marketing Manager Amy Bellesheim.

Starting Clean

According to Bellesheim, "Ranger R7 is a clean-sheet design. Ken Krueger, our chief design engineer, comes to us from many years at Van's where he worked on the RV-12. He consulted with our owner John Torode on coming up with an airplane that had big flight control surfaces, a giant cantilever wing, and bigger than normal vertical stabilizer." She clarified, "Ranger is not based on any of Van's aircraft." The team picked the name Vashon Aircraft because "we wanted to give it a Pacific Northwest rugged, utilitarian 'jeep' feel," said Bellesheim. "You can go out in nature, get dirty, and get back in the airplane without worrying about messing the airplane up. We live among national parks so the name Ranger comes from [these] parks. We chose R7 because it sounds modern and cool." The design goal appears to be a rugged outdoor-action airplane but with sophiciated avionics, a natural if unlikely pairing resulting from the close relationship to Dynon Avionics. Aiding the rough-and-ready approach are easy-loading doors that open 180 degrees; seats that fold down 90 degrees to facilitate camping and large cabin volume capable of holding such gear. "Another thing that we wanted to accomplish with the airplane was to make very rugged landing gear," said Bellesheim. The main landing gear is a fiberglass leaf. It's very similar to what Jim Bede did on the Grumman American airplanes.

Scott Taylor, General Manager poses with Owner and CEO, John Torode (R).

A key goal was holding down the price. Owner and CEO John Torode expressed, "I firmly believe cost is the biggest inhibitor of aviation today and our goal was to build an airplane under $100,000 that was very capable [with features] today's customers really want: autopilot, glass cockpit, radio navigation capabilities." Torode further clarified, “I started Dynon to bring affordable, advanced technology to the aviation community, yet there still remains a need to innovate beyond the panel to bring affordable flight to more people. With Vashon Aircraft, I hope to empower the next generation of pilots with the tools they need to take to the skies.” Vashon manufactures about 90% of its own parts, the company suggested. "We invested heavily in the manufacturing side so that we could build parts as efficiently and effectively as possible," said Bellesheim. "This allows us to control the cost." Vashon claims to be one of the first companies to form pre-painted metal. "We purchase sheets of stock aluminum that have been painted and then form them into parts using a modern turret punch, laser, and hydropress technology. Because of that we have taken a whole step out of the airplane building process by eliminating the need to paint after assembly," reported Bellesheim. "We also spent a lot of time developing painted rivets so that they match the airplane." For power, Vashon chose Continental's O200-D 100-horsepower engine swinging a Catto composite fixed pitch propeller. Ranger R7 was designed, engineered, and tested, and will be manufactured at the Vashon Aircraft factory headquarters near Seattle, Washington. The new model will be assembled at Paine Field "…just down the taxiway from the Boeing wide body plant." As Ranger has been kept a secret, only select people have flown it. "The handling qualities are very smooth and forgiving," said Scott Taylor, Vashon's General Manager. "[It's] easy to fly [and has] very little friction in the control system. Stalls are benign and predictable." With a castering nosewheel, steering is by differential braking. Dual toe brakes are supplied and pilot height is accommodated with adjustable rudder pedals. Ranger’s cabin is 46.7 inches wide.

Ranger R7 Specifications

Vashon released dimensions on the airplane: Wingspan — 29 feet 6 inches; Wing Area — 135.6 square feet; Empty Weight — 875 pounds; Gross Weight — 1,320 pounds; Useful Load — 445 pounds; Fuel capacity — 28.1 gallons Performance Data: Takeoff distance — 315 feet; Landing Distance — 475 feet; Rate of Climb — 1,035 feet per minute; Top speed at gross weight — 119 knots; Cruise Speed at gross weight, 2750 RPM, 7,500 feet density altitude — 117 knots; Range at gross weight — 430 nautical miles. Significant Speeds: Stall with Full Flaps at gross weight — 41 knots; Normal Operating Range (green arc) — 45-103 knots; Maneuvering — 90 knots; Never exceed — 131 knots; Best angle of Climb — 60 knots; Best Rate of Climb — 75 knots

Pricing and Terms

Pricing for the "Yellowstone" base model is $99,500. Ranger comes with complete Dynon SkyView HDX-equipped panel including two-axis autopilot, 2020-compliant ADS-B Out, and ADS-B Traffic and Weather. For a full list of what is included, visit Vashon's website. The prototype Ranger has "canvas slate gray upholstery, light gray floor and sidewalls, a gray instrument panel, and gray center console. At higher price points, you can add other colors and accents. As they move into producing additional aircraft, "the colors for interior will be either gray or black or a combination of both." In progressive upgrades, you can get more goodies in their "Glacier" package for $107,500; or their "Redwood" upgrade for $114,500, or the "Appalachian" for $129,500, a variant described as their "flight school model." "We won’t take deposits," said Vashon. "We won’t take your money until we have an airplane for you." Learn more about Vashon Aircraft and the Ranger R7 and see some video clips of the new bird in flight. The official launch and public unveiling will be at AirVenture Oshkosh 2018.

From Washington State arrives a fresh, new airplane created from scratch to enter the Special LSA space. You don’t know the company but you may know the people, at least indirectly. Welcome to Vashon and their new Ranger R7! Ranger R7 is an all-metal, two-place, high-wing, single engine airplane equipped with tricycle landing gear and castering nose wheel. The company says Ranger has been in development for five years and has been flying for more than two. Vashon Aircraft was founded by John Torode, and the Ranger R7 was designed by Pacific Northwest aeronautical engineer, Ken Krueger. Does the name Torode sound familiar? It should. This is the man behind Dynon Avionics. Other key players are General Manager Scott Taylor and Marketing Manager Amy Bellesheim. Starting Clean According to Bellesheim, “Ranger R7 is a clean-sheet design. Ken Krueger, our chief design engineer, comes to us from many years at Van’s where he worked on the RV-12.