Reality Easy Raider

Reality Easy Raider G-OESY

The Reality Easy Raider is a development of the Flying K (later Sky Raider LLC) Sky Raider II, incorporating over 100 modifications.

Featuring a high wing with two tubular main, and two secondary bracing struts to each wing. Tailplane braced with twin wires above and twin rods below. Large fin fillet, compared with Sky Raider, enables sideslipping with cockpit doors in place. Wings fold for storage. Quoted build time 350 hours.

Flying controls are conventional and manual. Frise ailerons, cable actuated. Flight-adjustable tab in port tailplane. Horn-balanced tail surfaces. Slotted flaps, deflections 0, 15, 30 and 40°.

Fabric-covered 4130 chromoloy steel tube fuselage with composites engine cowling. Wing built on large diameter metal tube leading-edge/spar with wooden ribs, fabric covering and composites downturned wingtips.

The landing gear is tailwheel type; fixed. Rubber-in-tension shock-absorbers. Mainwheels 8.00-6 (4 ply); Matco steerable tailwheel. Optional floats or amphibious floats.

Two fuel tanks are fitted in the wings, total capacity 37.9 litres (10.0 US gallons; 8.3 Imp gallons) standard; 72 litres (19.0 US gallons; 15.8 Imp gallons) optional.

A tandem-seat ultralight kitbuilt, the prototype G-SRII (Rotax 503 engine) flew in 2001, and conforms to BCAR Section S. Kit fabrication is by Just Aircraft of USA, with which Reality holds joint design rights.

The Easy Raider 503 initial version has one 37.0 kW (49.6 hp) Rotax 503 DCDI-2V two-stroke engine driving a Powerfin FL370T three-blade, ground-adjustable pitch, composites propeller.

The Easy Raider J2.2 has one 59.7 kW (80 hp) Jabiru 2200 engine driving a two-blade Powerfin ground-adjustable pitch or two-blade Newton wooden propeller. The prototype G-OESY (c/n 0002) was built late in 2001.

The Easy Raider R100 with a BMW R100 four-stroke motorcycle engine driving a Powerfin two-blade, ground-adjustable pitch propeller, prototype G-SLIP (c/n 0004) was under construction in 2002.

Five were flying and five more under construction by July 2003.

Kit £9,898 excluding engine; or £12,563 (Rotax), £14,500 approx (BMW) or £16,298 (Jabiru), including engine, cowlings and propeller, excluding tax (2003).

R&B Aircraft Bearhawk

Designed by Robert Barrows of Fincastle, Virginia, the Bearhawk is a 4-place built design with generous proportions and superior performance. The design parameter were for a heavy hauling BIG airplane with a good cruise speed and economical operation. Short field performance is excellent with the large flaps. The Bearhawk is a 4 place and the prototype Bearhawk N6890R is powered by a Lycoming O-360 (170 hp) set up to burn auto fuel.

The Bearhawk has an all metal wing with a fabric covered steel tube fuselage and tail feathers. A Cessna windshield, modified lift struts, and the fiberglass nose bowl are some airframe components that need not be built by the homebuilder. The builder time is estimated at 1500-2000 hrs.

Courtesy Mark Winfield Scott

Engine: Lycoming O-360, 170 hp
HP range: 150-260
Wing Span: 33 ft.
Wing Area: 180 ft.
Length: 23 ft. 6 in.
Height: 7 ft
Empty Weight: 1190 lbs.
Gross Weight: 2500 lbs.
Fuel cap: 55 USG
Top Speed (VNE): 175 mph
Cruise Speed: 120-150 mph
Landing Speed: 40 mph
Take Off Roll: 250-600 ft.
Range (55 gal @ 60%): 800 miles
Stall: 40 mph
ROC: 1500 fpm
Range: 800 sm
Service ceiling: 15,000 ft
Cabin Width: 42 in.
Cabin Length (Firewall to the end of baggage area): 9 ft. 8 in
Cockpit width: 30 in
Landing gear: tail wheel
Seats: 4

Raytheon T-6 Texan II / AT-6 Wolverine

Raytheon Aircraft won a USAF and USN Joint Primary Aircraft Training System competition with the Beech Mk.II trainer, derived from the Pilatus PC-9.

Raytheon’s contract with the U.S. joint armed services to provide up to 700 T-6ATexan II JPATS trainers through the year 2014 continued to pay dividends for the Wichita based airframer. The Air Force and Navy exercised an option for 22 additional Texan IIs, an order valued at almost $65 million.

The first production T-6A Texan II flew on 15 July 1998.

Apart from the JPATS program, Raytheon has orders for 138 T 6As, including a 45 airplane deal with the Greek Air Force.

The first production Beechcraft AT-6 light attack aircraft made a ceremonial first flight on 20 August 2013 at Wichita, Kansas. The single-engined 1,600shp (1,190kW) Pratt & Whitney PT6 turboprop aeroplane took to the air at about 10:30 local time with test pilot Lionel Alford at the controls.

The aircraft was loaded with a pair of 66 gal (250 litres) drop tanks, two inert GBU-58 laser-guided bombs and two LAU-131 seven-shot rocket launchers. The AT-6 was also carrying a L-3 Wescam Mx-15Di electro-optical infrared camera. Although a production aircraft, it is a company-owned asset. Beechcraft has not secured an order for the type. When asked why the company would fly the first flight with such a heavy load, Derek Hess, the company’s senior vice-president for business development, says: “Because it’s so easy.”

The aircraft had demonstrated air-to-air gunnery with .50 caliber machine guns and the potential exists to employ Raytheon AIM-9 Sidewinders to counter certain aerial threats.

T-6C Texan II

The AT-6TH Wolverine attack variant is derived from the T-6C Texan trainer and is designed to carry out close air support and surveillance missions. The AT-6 has an L3 Wescam MX-15D multi-sensor package that includes colour and IR cameras, laser designator, laser illuminator, and laser rangefinder.

Royal Thai Air Force AT-6TH Wolverine

The Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF) received eight AT-6TH Wolverine light attack aircraft in 2025 acquired from the United States as part of its ongoing fleet modernization program.

Assigned to Squadron 411, part of Wing 41 based in Chiang Mai, the AT-6TH Wolverine, manufactured by U.S. company Textron Aviation, is designed for close air support, armed surveillance, and tactical training missions.

Gallery

T-6A Texan II
Engine: Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-68, 1100 hp
Length: 33.268 ft / 10.14 m
Height: 10.696 ft / 3.26 m
Wingspan: 33.301 ft / 10.15 m
Wing area: 175.346 sq.ft / 16.29 sq.m
Max take off weight: 6299.7 lb / 2857.0 kg
Weight empty: 4601.8 lb / 2087.0 kg
Max. speed: 310 kt / 575 km/h
Cruising speed: 230 kt / 426 km/h
Initial climb rate: 3996.06 ft/min / 20.30 m/s
Service ceiling: 35007 ft / 10670 m
Wing loading: 35.88 lb/sq.ft / 175.0 kg/sq.m
Range: 850 nm / 1574 km
Endurance: 3 h
Crew: 2

Raytheon Hawker Horizon

Hawker Horizon

Raytheon’s biggest Hawker design (30% larger than the 800XP) originated at roughly the same time as the initial work began on the Premier I. The Horizon would be an effort to blend high technology with earlier Hawker flight characteristics.

First flown on 11 August 2001, the Horizon retains its DH125 pedigree but is an all-new aircraft with a thinwall composite fuselage offering some 20% more cabin space for the equivalent weight of a conventional structure. The Horizon complements the upgraded 800XP and the entry-level Premier 1.

The design received FAA certification in 2004. On the flight deck is a Primus Epic flight control system and flight management system. The navigation comes from a dual VHF omni-directional radio navigation system, dual distance measuring equipment, dual inertial navigation system and a dual global positioning system. Preliminary performance specifications for the 37,500-pound-MTOW, P&WC PW308A-powered twinjet include a 470-knot high-cruise speed, 3,366 nm NBAA IFR range (two crew and six passengers), and a 5,088 ft balanced field length.

More than 320 were ordered.

Engines two 6,900-lb Pratt & Whitney PW308A turbofans
Gross wt. 37,700 lb
Empty wt. 21,555 lb
Fuel capacity 2,134 lb
Max cruise 470 kts
Long range cruise 430 kt
Range 2,763-3,477 nm
Ceiling 45,000 ft
Takeoff distance 5,088 ft
Landing distance 2,907 ft
Seats 8-14

Rawdon T-1

Rawdon Brothers, a flying school operator, designed and built a Lycoming engined two-seat monoplane, the T-1, first produced in 1938. At least five were produced pe-war.

Rawdon T-1SD Article

The design was resurrected in 1953, powered by a 135 hp Lycoming engine.

The T-1S is an agricultural version equipped with spray tanks and spray bars.

Engine: Lycoming O-290
Max speed: 138 mph
Cruise: 120 mph
ROC: 900 fpm
Service ceiling: 18,000 ft
Range: 500 mi
Empty weight: 1300 lb
Loaded weight: 1900 lb
Wingspan: 33 ft 4 in
Length: 24 ft 2 in
Height: 7 ft 3 in

Ravin Aircraft Ravin 500

This composite aircraft, based on the concept of the Piper Comanche was designed and developed by SA Ravin in 2 years and 5 months. The Ravin 500 made it’s first flight on 15 September 2002.

An all Composite kit aircraft for amateur construction by SA Ravin Aircraft of Pretoria, South Africa.

An NACA 64-series profile (modified) was used, brought into the shape by Francois Jordaan. The standard handshake overlap main spar design is used to join the two spars in the fuselage.

A Hartzell 3 Bladed Scimitar Pulse Prop was used from the beginning. It uses a 12 liter plenim box in conjunction with the air filter.

The fuselage mold is split vertically with port and starboard halves. There are cross braces below the cockpit floor and one bulkhead visible in the rear fuselage.

Wings are also two-piece, incorporating mainspars and rear subspars. The carbon mainspars overlap and join within the fuselage. Horizontal tailplane was one-piece, glass with carbon elevator.

The fuselage, wings, tailplane and other components appear to have been molded with an inscribed grid covering the exterior surfaces as an aid to alignment and windshield, window cutouts.

Ravin 500
Type: 4-Seat cruiser, conventional
Engine: Lycoming IO540 (194kW, 260h)
Wing span: 10,40m (34ft 2 in)
Wing Area: 14,6 sq m (157 sq ft)
Empty Weight: 975 kg – 1040 kg
Max take-off Weight: 1620 kg (3564 lb)
Aircraft Length: 7,42 m (24 ft 4 ins)
Fuel Capacity: 160 US gal integral wing tanks
Max power loading: 8.35 kg/sq m (22.7 lb/hp)
Max wing loading: 111 kg/sq m (22.7 lb/sq ft)
Max level speed (sea level ISA): 210 kts (242 mph) IAS
Cruise speed (75% power): 185 kts (213 mph) IAS
Optimum cruise (75%@ 6500 ft): 196 kts (226 mph) TAS
Stall speed clean @ max weight: 64 kts IAS (75 mph) IAS
Stall speed with flaps, gear down: 56 kts IAS (64 mph) IAS
Fuel consumption @ 75% power: 14.1 US gal/hr
Range with 10% fuel reserve: 2000 naut miles (2300 stat miles)

Ravard Aeroscaphe

The Aeroscaphe of Ravard was a machine designed to move either on water or in air. It was an aeroplane with pontoons or floaters. The supporting surface aggregated 400 square feet, and the gross weight was about 1100 pounds. A fifty horse-power Gnome seven-cylinder motor at 1200 revolutions drove two propellers of eight and ten and one-half feet diameter respectively: the propellers being mounted one behind the other on the same shaft.