Builder
J W Topham of Aberdeen in 1992

Owner
Andy McKee (owned for 3 years)

Aircraft type
Rans S-10 Sakota

Registration
G-BUAX

Specification
Fabric covered over welded steel truss for fuselage and aluminium tube for wings and tail.
Mid-wing with full span flaperons. Underwing windows to aid visibility. Narrow 35” cabin.

Span 24’
Length 17’ 10”

Empty Weight 465 lbs
Max Weight 875 lbs
Max Baggage 30 lbs

Fuel 13 USG / 49 L
Endurance 2 hours

Vne 130 mph
Cruise 105 mph
Stall speed 38 mph
Rated +6 -3 G
Take off distance 100m
Landing distance 120m
Rate of Climb (solo in the winter) 1,300fpm
Rate of Climb (dual in the summer) 400fpm

Engine Rotax 582 - 2 stroke liquid cooled - 65hp
Prop 2 bladed Warp Drive, full carbon, ground adjustable.

Equipment
Basic instruments plus Icom radio and Garmin GPS connected to IPAQ for colour moving map.

About the pilot
Been around aviation all my life – my father is a keen private pilot.
Made a lot of model planes when I was young.
Learnt to fly power at Kemble in 2002 with an ex Red Arrow as my instructor.
Learnt to fly gliders in 2004 at Booker, and have my Gold C and one Diamond in gliders as well as owning a half share in a single seater based at Bicester.
Got back into powered flying when I bought the Rans - now I’m hooked again.
The Rans is fine for a short fun flight and always puts a smile on my face. Not so good for cross country as the range is poor and it is an unstable airframe that requires constant attention on the stick to keep straight and level. (Map folding is best done on the ground.)
Would like to build a Silence Twister when I get the room and my ultimate build would be a Vans RV-8.