SkyRanger history

The SkyRanger was created in Toulouse, the capital of the French aeronautical industry, by Phillipe Prevot and BestOff engineering. Known for his previous flexwing design (the Quicky), Phillipe designed the 3-axis SkyRanger during 1991, with the first flights of the prototype taking place in 1992. The aim of the design was to produce a high performance microlight aeroplane of the simplest construction. This aim has been achieved in all regards.
Studies were done by one of the most respected aeronautical schools, ENSICA, under the direction of Jean-Claude Poulain.
Over 200 kits were manufactured by Synairgie between 1993 and 1998, before the licence to manufacture the SkyRanger was awarded to the Ukrainian firm Aeros (already well-known for its hang-glider and paraglider designs).

The SkyRanger quickly proved its pedigree in both National and International competition, with top pilots such as Phillipe Zen and Paul Dewhurst choosing the SkyRanger for their campaigns. Microlight competitions contain elements of navigation, speed, precision flying and economy. The SkyRanger enjoys extremely good visibility for an aircraft of this configuration, and is very easy to fly. It has a speed range to compete with all but the fastest microlights, and yet still can easily take-off and land within the standard 100m competition deck. Finally, the SkyRanger design is remarkably efficient, allowing good results in engine-off soaring and distance economy tasks. Having consistently won the World and European championships from 1996-2000, and more recently in 2003, 2005, 2006 & 2007, the SkyRanger clearly has outstanding performance in all of the fields of microlight competition.

The SkyRanger has also made a name for itself as a safe and reliable trainer. Its utterly benign stalling characteristics and low-speed handling allow even flying novices to make leaps and bounds on initial training, confident in the machines stability and safety, and yet the SkyRanger remains responsive enough that even advanced pilots revel in its pure flying enjoyment. The speed range, economy and visibility make navigation relatively easy, and the large load-carrying capacity makes it an ideal touring aircraft.

At present, over 1000 kits have been sold, with more than 200 going to the UK market. The SkyRanger is the most numerous 3-axis microlight aircraft on the UK CAA register. This remarkable success speaks for itself.