Builder Spotlight: Mike's 220hp ULPower RANS S-21!

Today I use some recently-acquired backcountry training to visit a fellow RANS S-21 Outbound builder, Mike at Lakeside (9S3). He's been at this build a long time and is just waiting on his 220 horsepower UL520T from ULPower. He shows us some VERY useful tips to consider for our own builds. Once he's done, he plans on competing this monster bushplane in ArkanSTOL. Thank you so much for your wisom and graciousness, Mike!
Then we attempt a beach day at Gold Beach, however, mother nature has other plans for us. Great views of The Sisters (Cascades), Bandon Dunes, North Bend, and Newport Oregon.
Consider following Cleared Direct on IG at / cleared_direct_resources
0:00 Intro
0:32 Flight from Bend to Lakeside
2:05 Backcountry in a Bonanza?!
2:45 Wings
6:49 Firewall, Wheels
7:32 Avionics - Garmin G3X Touch, Vertical Power VPX PPS
9:35 Fuselage, Tail
12:18 4-Point Harness, Header Tank
15:44 Brakes
16:57 Aileron balancing
19:51 Sound and firewall insulation
21:35 More brakes and fuel lines
22:38 Custom roof
23:53 More VPx and Garmin avionics, demo
24:44 Exterior lighting
25:30 TOOLS!
26:56 Goodbye
27:04 Flightseeing the scenic Oregon Coast
27:45 Debrief
28:08 Outro

[@glennstocker487]

Finally my prayers have been answered and then some, - have been waiting for a S21 sporting a UL520is but a 220HP TURBO! HELL YES! would love a catchup video with your new mate Mike when he gets his bird in the air and an Airmaster is just the cream on the cake, Thank you sir for posting, UL Power and S21 a match made for the heavens, love it. Cheers Glenn, DownUnder

[@CLEAREDDIRECT]

Hey Glenn! Yeah, I’ll definitely do a follow up video when Mike gets that beast mounted. Can’t wait to see her scream like a scalded a$$ ape! Cheers mate

[@glennstocker487]

@@CLEAREDDIRECT Sounds good to me sir, yes Big $$$, - however "Buy once - Cry once", will be watching with interest. Cheers Glenn.

[@Joe_Not_A_Fed]

I could keep raving about your content but you'd end up thinking I'm up to something so I'll just offer a heartfelt, "That didn't suck". Thanks, amigo.

[@CLEAREDDIRECT]

You (quite literally) were my inspiration to get a video out this week. Thank YOU, amigo. Have a great weekend Joe

[@ChuckThree]

Great stuff, liked seeing the small changes and upgrades made over the initial RANS plans. Hopefully we start seeing more S-21 birds finished and flying.

[@CLEAREDDIRECT]

Glad you enjoyed it, Charlie. Thanks for the comment.

[@av8ir68]

Awesome video!! The one and only time I flew into Lakeside was in a debonair with a friend of mine about 14 years ago maybe.. We walked to town and grabbed some lunch by the river. I wish you could have landed at Gold Beach. You would have loved visiting there. Thank you so much for posting that. Its nice to see videos from our neck of the woods. I am looking forward to seeing build videos for your plane.

[@jimk9290]

Thanks for the time dividers on the video progress strip. Lots to learn about building a plane.

[@CLEAREDDIRECT]

Oh yeah. Glad you like ‘em! I try to remember to add them… helps people sort through the fluff when they’re trying to find a specific thing.

[@ChrisRaabe]

I'm so curious about the performance of the S-21 with the UL 520T! Can't wait to see it fly!

[@CLEAREDDIRECT]

Thanks, Chris. Me too! I’ll definitely do a follow up video. I hope you guys are well!

[@derekradcliffe3313]

Is this plane flying yet? Curious about the performance with that engine!!

[@joshkuhn3974]

Awesome looking build. I don't have my ppl yet, but I already like to think about building and the S21 with the UL power 520T and Airmaster cs prop is the exact spec I dream about. Can't wait to hear more about this beast!

[@s19flyer]

I've always built my RANS kits per the instructions and didn't make any changes. This resulted in exactly the stated performance numbers. Of course anyone is entitled to build their airplane the way they want to. Hopefully their engineering is as sound as the original design. Good luck!

[@CLEAREDDIRECT]

This is why I'm staying totally stock! I don't have the chops to go off the reservation but I admire those that push the envelope and keep things progressing at their own risk. Thanks for the comment!

[@buckair5396]

Soft Field landing in a bonanza. Awesome

[@CLEAREDDIRECT]

Yeah, that title is a lot better.

[@Austinmediainc]

Love those Oregon Aero highback seats!

[@arpeltier]

Steve, you need to think about putting that UL520T in yours as well. I was hell bent on the 915iS, due to the nice perf at high density altitude, but the UL520T seems like it would take an S-21 to the moon! Just sent an email to Shelly asking about FWF support for it. In LOVE with that UL520T.

[@CLEAREDDIRECT]

I am! If my Titan doesn't show up soon. Although I don't have the engineering chops to go that far off the reservation... I love that Mike is pushing the envelope.

[@arpeltier]

@@CLEAREDDIRECT I think their installs are comparatively easy, but it'll be interesting to see how much support UL has for the S-21. I know they have a FWF kit for it. (probably developed for Mike's). How complete? I don't know. I think W&B shouldn't be an issue. So close to Titan. Too much power? Everyone says you can't have too much power, but you can get too close to Vne (in TAS). I doubt this is an issue as S21 has a pretty decent Vne, but these are things I'll make sure I understand fully before going with a non-factory supported engine. It's my current top choice though. Just seems too good not to go with it. Not sure which Airmaster prop is paired with it though. I don't see any rated over 200hp. Again, sounds like Mike is leading the charge here! Can't wait to see more!

[@TFlight77]

Sad to hear he had an engine failure and forced landing. Glad to hear he made it out safely.

[@CLEAREDDIRECT]

No doubt. I'm giving him space to figure things out before I put a camera in his face again.

[@scsirob]

Good stuff. One comment though. The comments on the header tank around 13:30 are not justified. I have wing tanks from the same material, they are 21 years old, and they have seen everything from Avgas to 10% ethanol Mogas. No issues, no deforming, no leaks, just great. I have an aluminum header tank as well, and it does sweat around the level sender.

[@CLEAREDDIRECT]

Thanks for your comment. I currently don’t have any plans to use anything other than this plastic header. That said, Mike has a lot of friends with issues, so I’ll try to present more tangible data. 🕵️‍♂️

[@6milesup]

I agree. Having an aluminum tank that would be very prone to distortion and rupture in an incident/accident seems likes a poor choice. If folks are having issues with these plastic tanks, I would assume that it is the wrong material and/or poor quality material.

[@s19flyer]

@@6milesup I knew a couple that made an aluminum header tank and they did the cardinal sin of stall/spinning, which resulted in the tank bursting when they hit the ground and then it burned. This was an addition to a RANS kit that wasn't approved. I have 1, 170 hours on one plane with plastic tanks and no issues and another plane that has 680 hours with a plastic header tank and wing tanks with no issues....ever. They also don't sweat or transfer cold like aluminum tanks do. Never in 35 years has there been any water in mine. Still check it though.

[@Captndarty]

@@s19flyer A stall spin scenario doesn’t matter what kind of tanks you have. You’re very likely dead and I can guarantee you a plastic tank is going to blow out just like an aluminum one.

[@SKYHILLMIKE]

220hp with a turbo and Airmaster CSU on an S21 that is gonna be soo awesome. Interested what its cruise would be like at 10,000ft. I have an Airmaster CSU on my S6S 80hp, love it.

[@Bearhawk_Life]

Be careful with the T-3 tailwheel, as in watch the angles at the forward attach point as you start flying and I specially on dirt and gravel strips. In my opinion the plane does not have enough structure in the attach point for the T-3. IF you did a lot of reinforcement, think doublers then you may be ok

[@CLEAREDDIRECT]

Ok Jay. Thanks for the info! I’ll keep an eye on that…

[@MikeGearon]

We are building the same aircraft and plan a UL520. Looking forward to seeing your STOL take off distance, climb and cruise. Regarding what you get and cowl. This information was direct from UL USA……Our engines are so complete there really isn't much to the so-called FWF Kit. It's a mount, cowl, prop, and spinner. So there isn't much to install before you get the engine.

[@CLEAREDDIRECT]

What’s your plan for propeller? Talking with the sales rep, he didn’t really have a good solution other than calling the engine something other than rated hp (running it well slower than its peak performance)

[@MikeGearon]

@@CLEAREDDIRECT we visited the Australian rep yesterday. Decided to build in Australia and ship the FWF kit etc from USA. With the 520t we do have 2700rpm max and can run a standard prop. We will go with the ground adjust prop he’s recommended. Sterna. They are made in China. I’d sworn not to buy another thing made there. However, they do look to be high tech tried and proven!

[@johnelliott4521]

Radiaflect inside, on top of lizard skin

[@josesbox9555]

220 hp! Good gawd that’s going to scream! Can these airplanes be fitted with skis and floats?

[@CLEAREDDIRECT]

The sure can

[@Bushmasterpilot]

How did he keep the B.A.S handle assembly from not contacting the rudder cables, that looks pretty close….

[@CLEAREDDIRECT]

All good as you well know by now ☺️

[@zachshaha2603]

Is there any recent videos of Mike and his S21 build with the ULPower engine? I want to see this monster in action!

[@CLEAREDDIRECT]

Nope. Plus he hasn’t flown it yet. Stay tuned right here!

[@zachshaha2603]

@@CLEAREDDIRECT Will do, thanks!

[@LTVoyager]

Any idea if he will need to make a custom cowling for the UL Power engine?

[@CLEAREDDIRECT]

Great question! I’ll be headed back soon to film an update one the engine is running. 👍🏼

[@bing4342]

Please film a follow-up visit with UL emgien and FWF kit, including cowling!

[@portnuefflyer]

At what RPM does the 220 HP rating occur? When revved at normal prop speeds, what is the rated power?

[@CLEAREDDIRECT]

Good questions! I’ll ask him when I fly out there to see him fly soon!

[@ludvikblondal9885]

2700rpm

[@plantpower3048]

Would it increase cruise speed? or just take off and climb? how much extra weight is he putting compared to a Titan 340?

[@CLEAREDDIRECT]

TBD! It sure as heck won’t slow it down! It’s actually lighter than the Titan. I don’t have the numbers but I’m sure a quick Google search will tell ya

[@Captndarty]

Of course it would increase Cruise speed. You can climb much hire and get greater true airspeeds.

[@treylem3]

@@Captndarty Not alot higher ("hire") unless it's fitted out to be pressurized. Even before 10,000 ft, most carburetor engine performance decreases. His new engine could be fuel injected, probably is, I haven't watched it all yet. It'll be great to have that extra HP👍. ✌

[@Captndarty]

@@treylem3 it’ll fly a lot higher and you don’t need pressurization just 02. I have a S21 with a 915 and have been to 23,000 seeing 135kts true.

[@philipritson8821]

Doesn't Randy advise against fitting a foir point harness?

[@CLEAREDDIRECT]

No idea. Please let us know when you find out

[@LTVoyager]

What avionics web site was that?

[@CLEAREDDIRECT]

I reviewed the video and couldn’t find what you’re talking about. I did see a screenshot for ULPower. And we talk a bunch about Vertical Power. Let me know if I can help… cheers!

[@LTVoyager]

@@CLEAREDDIRECT In looking at it again, I think it was the Vertical Power web site perhaps. It showed a quick glimpse of a schematic.

[@rickwiggins283]

@@LTVoyager Yes, that was it. You can create an account there, play around with different configurations, then save your designs for later.

[@speedomars]

You can't have anything like that much HP and still be LSA.

[@CLEAREDDIRECT]

True true. Mike’s plane is experimental category.

[@speedomars]

@@CLEAREDDIRECT Rans S21 is an experimental LSA kit. aka ELSA. If he puts an engine with more than 145hp in it, it will no longer be an ELSA. Also, he should check with Randy at RANS to make sure the airframe can handle the extra torque and stress of the higher HP.

[@Captndarty]

@@speedomars yet again you are wrong. It’s an experimental kit for which you can certify it in either ELSA or just plain experimental.

[@speedomars]

@@Captndarty Experimentals are not certified. ELSA must comply with LSA specs. An non ELSA Experimental kit can do whatever it wants since there is no restrictive spec. You are confusing Experimental with Experimental LSA.