We Fly: Vashon Ranger R7

The Vashon Ranger R7, a high-wing, light sport design is one because it is about as close to a flying BMX bicycle as you can get without re-creating that iconic movie scene from E.T. This aircraft is FUN with a capital F.

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.

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, available for $159,500. 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 sells for $166,500 and 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 sells for $194,500, and in addition to the standard items on the Redwood, the Cascade also 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 airport 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.

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 maximum demonstrated crosswind component of the Ranger is placarded as 15 knots,” said Kurt Robertson, sales and training manager for Vashon. “However, due to the stout wings and a rudder that makes up the entire height of the tail, the aircraft can realistically handle much more than that.”

For comparison, the demonstrated crosswind component of the Van’s RV-12 is 11 knots.

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.

“As beefy and sturdy as the original design was, after the extensive destructive testing regimen that we put it through, once we turned it loose with student pilots we learned so much,” Robertson said. “As a result, we did have to upgrade the design and production of the main landing gear and box area where the gear attaches to the airframe.”

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 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, according to Robertson.

“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,” he said. “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.”

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 company uses prepainted metal to reduce cost and time of manufacturing, so all the aircraft start out white, then the customer can choose a vinyl wrap if they desire—more on that later.

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. 

The Ranger has a 12-volt battery and 50-amp alternator, LED position lights, and strobe and LED landing lights. The electrical system is managed by the advanced control module, with EFIS-controlled electronic circuit breakers.

There is a convenient push-to-talk and electric elevator trim on each stick.

Since I am a professional instructor, I asked the demo pilot to allow me to wear my CFI hat and fly from the right seat to evaluate the Ranger as a potential trainer for a flight school.

Ben Rauk, one of four pilots at Vashon Aircraft who performs test flights, delivery flights, and provides transition training for new owners, served as the demo pilot. 

As we began with a walkaround, I took notice of the LED position lights/strobes that do wonders for making the aircraft more visible in busy airspace and congested practice areas. Case in point: Before climbing aboard for our flight, I observed another Ranger flying in the pattern. As it turned final, the wig-wags made it easy to see despite the haze in the morning sky.

One oddity is the unusual bend in the pilot tube that protrudes from the leading edge, bends upward, and then forward which might portend a future float version. 

Rangers have already been delivered to private owners nationwide from Florida to California. In The Pattern, a flight school in Texas, has a pair of Rangers in its diverse training fleet of mostly single- and multiengine Cessnas and Pipers. 

According to Sherman Gardner, CEO and managing partner for In The Pattern, the school has had the Rangers for about three years and puts around 400 hours a year on the airframes. They’re used for dual instruction for private pilot, commercial, and light sport, and as time builders.

“We have a lot of people in our professional pilot program looking to build time, and it is a fun little airplane to fly,” Gardner said. “With the technology in the cockpit, it is also an easy airplane to fly on cross-country flights. You can do five to six hours a day in it and not go too far because it is slow, and (because of the relatively low fuel burn) it costs less than a Cessna 152.”

The airframe is strong enough to withstand the daily rigors of primary flight training, versatile enough to be used as a platform from ab initio through commercial training and provides enough agility and sheer joy of flying to make any airline pilot want to strap into Ranger and go exploring. 

Gardner noted there is a 1,320 max gross weight restriction as it is an LSA, but the interior is quite spacious and make it easy for those who are tall—as in over 6 feet—to fit comfortably in the aircraft with another person of equal stature. 

Every demo flight begins with a pre-brief. I am used to flying in trainers that require creative positioning to get two normal-size adults into the seats and still allow for a full military box of travel for the yoke or stick.

The Ranger is not one of them. It had roughly the same amount of space at seat level than many of the Cessna 182s I have been in. However, you won’t find the soundproofing like you find in the modern Cessnas. 

Given my lack of vertical stature, I wondered if I would need a seat cushion to reach the pedals. I did not. The rudder pedals are adjustable, so I didn’t need any external help in the form of my trusty Oregon Aero back cushion to reach them. This was good, because the size of the rudder told me it was the most important control on this aircraft.

According to Robertson and Rauk, the Ranger would be more responsive than the Cessna trainers I was used to flying, in part because the controls—especially the rudder—are actuated by direct linkage, not a system of cables and pulleys. In addition, the designers have incorporated devices, such as anti-servo tabs, into the aircraft to provide the pilot with control feedback without the aircraft being overly sensitive to control inputs.

What that means is that this airplane will do what you want it to and what you expect it to do when you want it to do it.

Rauk suggested flying with a thumb and two fingers on the stick is all the pilot needs for “that feedback you want to feel from the aircraft as you are flying instead of quick, jerky movements.”

Added Robertson, “If you are flying with your whole wrist, you are trying too hard.”

One of the criteria for a light sport aircraft is that it must have a stall speed of 45 knots. One of the signals that a stall is forthcoming is the mushy sensation on the controls. That isn’t really an issue with the Ranger.

“It has good control characteristics in slow flight,” said Rauk. “It does what you expect to do. Even at a bank angle, you won’t feel the controls getting lighter. In a no flap stall it is hard to get it to stall. With full flaps there is a little bit of a nose drop, but it won’t surprise you.”

The cabin is wide—46.7 inches—significantly more spacious than many other LSA trainers on the market. Compared to cabins in other aircraft commonly used as trainers, such as the Cessna C172 at 39.5 inches wide and the Piper PA-28 at 40.5 inches, the Ranger is roomy. There was plenty of room at both seat and shoulder level. The cabin tapers behind the two seats, and there is space for 100 pounds of baggage. 

The seats fold forward flat to allow access to the baggage area. The doors on the Ranger are solid, and there is a beefy lever to move fore and aft to lock or unlock the door. The door is wide enough that you won’t have to squeeze yourself in sideways, and you don't feel like you have to shut it “with authority” to get it to latch. The door opens out, not up, like other LSAs, which makes it more intuitive as it is more similar to a car.

The aircraft comes equipped with five-point harness safety restraints that are easy to use, even if a person is aviation challenged. Some of the aircraft I fly have shoulder harnesses that can come loose if you’re not careful.

During a few minutes of straight and level flight, we focused on the amenities.

The aircraft is very much a no-frills, rugged trainer or backcountry explorer but is nicely equipped with cabin heat and defrost along with dual slider windows and fresh air vents. There is enough room in the cockpit so you likely wouldn’t feel cramped on those longer flights.

The avionics suite made it easy to maintain situational awareness with a moving map, weather, and traffic overlay. The autopilot makes it a joy to fly cross-country, and switching radio frequencies is a button-push affair—no stumbling with knobs or rapid cycle menus.

Engine start and the pre-taxi checklist are a nonevent, thanks to the Dynon avionics suite checklist that basically walks a pilot through the tasks.

Because of the castering nosewheel this instructor suggests you to take extra care when learning to taxi and when you are teaching taxiing technique. You want to really watch your speed, and don’t let the airplane go anywhere your brain has not already been five minutes earlier.

A short field takeoff was first.

The Ranger is powered by a Continental O-200-D that provides plenty of power to get us in the air in the least amount of runway. The throttle came forward and before I could ask, “Are we up yet?” We were climbing out at VX, clearing the theoretical 50-foot obstacle then accelerating to VY, a necessity at a busy training-intensive airport like Arlington.

The sight picture over the nose is different from most of the trainers I have flown as the nose sort of slopes away, and it gives you a better view of the runway. Robertson warned me this can lead to a premature flare in the landing phase, because the fixed-wing pilot can get visually overwhelmed at first.

We departed the pattern, heading west to an appropriate altitude where the company does most of the test flights.

The flight began with clearing turns. There is so much visibility it reminded me of the cockpit of a Bell 47 helicopter. The wide windscreen and side windows give the pilot excellent situational awareness. The cantilevered wing means there is no strut creating a potential blind spot.

Rauk demonstrated a few turns then let me have a go at it. The admonishment that you feel more connected to the airplane than in many other trainers was spot-on. There is a tendency to overcontrol at first—especially when you have been flying heavier aircraft—but a few turns and some experimentation with rudder inputs fixes that. The rudder is so large that a little pressure on the pedals goes a long way.

The electric trim makes it easy to feel what needs to be done for hands-off flying. This was particularly noticeable for steep turns, where a bit of nose-up trim gives you the sensation of pirouetting the aircraft on its wing.

Slow flight is the great controversy, as there are those who will argue that slow flight is rarely used outside the training world, unless the pilot is intentionally trying to slow down to avoid overtaking another aircraft. And that’s probably unlike in an aircraft limited to a maximum airspeed of 120 knots in level flight, but I maintain mastery of the aircraft in slow flight is a good skill to have. We slowed down and added flaps—also electric. The airspeed diminished, but control authority did not.

The Ranger performed as advertised, with the rudder doing its job for directional stability. Stalls were also gentle and predictable. The aircraft is not certified for spins, but there is ample warning that a stall is forthcoming, and the stall is not so much a stall but a burble, allowing the pilot to take prompt and corrective action to prevent a stall-spin scenario.

Rauk demonstrated the Ranger’s descent capabilities by pulling the power to idle and then entering in various configurations—and noting the rate of descent. The ability to descend rapidly in a controlled manner—for example, to avoid a VFR into IFR situation—is a must.

The wide windows are much appreciated in the pattern, and I could see what Robertson meant when he stated that there is a lot of visual input during the final approach. I admit that I micro-glanced at the altimeter before switching my gaze to the other end of the runway before touchdown.

The exterior of the aircraft starts out white, and some customers choose to keep it that way. There is also an innovative vinyl wrap option to add color. The basic wrap package features Ranger branding and graphics on the vertical stabilizer that pays tribute to its Pacific Northwest roots. There is no additional cost for this design scheme.

Customers can take it up a notch with more color for $2,500 and even get the unique Founders design for $9,500 if you don’t want to be one of the thousands of all-white aircraft in the sky.

Vashon provides up to 10 hours of transition training with the sale of each aircraft. Flight schools normally divide the time among one or two CFIs. Outside of flight training, the Vashon Ranger may just be the perfect airplane for you whether it is your first new aircraft or your retirement go-have-fun machine.

Price as Tested: $166,500 

Length: 21 ft., 9 in. 

Height: 8 ft., 4 in.

Wingspan: 29ft., 6 in.

Wing Area: 135.6 sq. ft.

Cabin Height: 39.3 in.

Cabin Width: 46.7 in.

Cabin Length: 104.9 in.

Empty Weight: 875 lbs.

Gross Weight: 1,320 lbs.

Useful Load: 445 lbs.

Baggage Weight: 100 lbs.

Baggage Volume: 23.9 cu. ft. (to top of seatbacks)

Baggage Volume: 35.9 cu. ft. (to top of baggage area)

Fuel Total: 28.1 U.S. gal.

Fuel Usable: 27 U.S. gal.

Wing Tanks Fuel: 25.5 U.S. gal.

Reserve Fuel Tank: 2.5 U.S. gal.

Max Cruise Speed: 117 kcas

Top Speed: 119 kcas

Maximum Range: 501 nm

Takeoff Distance: 475 ft.

Rate of Climb: 833 ft./min.

Service Ceiling: 12,000 est.

This feature first appeared in the December Issue 953 of the FLYING print edition.