Sopwith Triplane Typhoon

Aero and Engineering Services

Aero and Engineering Services Ltd
AES

Contents

History
Projects
Production

History

In 1981 David Wilson, who ran Aero and Engineering Services (AES) in Washington, Tyne and Wear, acquired the sole European rights to the American Striplin Lone Ranger and Sky Ranger machines. He made a number of modifications to these before putting his own versions into production.

David decided to design a productionised version and sought proper finance to get the machines into quantity production. Concentrating on the two-seater, he produced a prototype outwardly very similar to the AES Sky Ranger but simpler and quicker to build and with provision for the Lotus four-cylinder four-stroke engine Magnum. He called it the Rover and set up Rover Aviation to build it, closing AES after some 12 aircraft had been built. But the new company never got off the ground due to a series of financial problems, and David went to work instead for Aviation Composites.

Company References

  1. Ultralight and Microlight Aircraft of the World, Alain-Yves Berger and Norman Burr (Haynes, 2nd Ed., 1986)

Project Data

Project No Type No Name Alternative Name(s) Year Spec (Requirement) Status Qty Description References
     Lone Ranger    1981    Proto  1  1S, 1E microlight   1
     Sky Ranger    1983    Prdn  3  1S, 1E microlight   2

Production Details and Type Description

Lone Ranger:
A single-seat single-engined strut-braced high-wing monoplane with conventional three-axis control, featuring a partially enclosed glassfibre fuselage. The majority of the construction is laminated glassfibre and foam, with spar caps and trailing edge and conventional wood and fabric elevator, ailerons and rudder. One Zenoah 22 h.p. powerplant mounted above the wing driving tractor propeller.

AES Lone Ranger Specification
Span Length Height Wing Area Empty Wt Max AUW Cruise Speed Maximum Speed Range Service Ceiling
34 ft 15 ft 10 in 7 ft 2 in 153 sq ft 210 lb 476 lb 55 mph/ 48 kn 75 mph/ 65 kn 250 mi 10000 ft
10.36 m 4.83 m 2.18 m 14.21 m2 95 kg 216 kg 89 km/h 121 km/h 402 km 3048 m

One UK registered aircraft: G-MBDL (c/n 109). To Aero and Engineering Services Ltd., Washington, Tyne and Wear.




Sky Ranger:
A side-by-side two-seater single-engined high-wing monoplane with conventional three-axis control, featuring a partially enclosed glassfibre fuselage. The majority of the construction is laminated glassfibre and foam, with spar caps and trailing edge and conventional wood and fabric elevator, ailerons and rudder. One Cuyuna 430 30 h.p. powerplant mounted above the wing driving tractor propeller.

AES Sky Ranger Specification
Span Length Height Wing Area Empty Wt Max AUW Cruise Speed Maximum Speed Range Service Ceiling
36 ft 17 ft 8 ft 162 sq ft 330 lb 760 lb 65 mph/ 56 kn 80 mph/ 70 kn 250 mi 8000 ft
10.97 m 5.18 m 2.44 m 15.05 m2 150 kg 345 kg 105 km/h 129 km/h 402 km 2438 m

Three UK registered aircraft :
G-MJHB (c/n SR100). To Johan Hendrik Wijsmuller, Jersey, Channel Islands.
G-MJTG (c/n SR101). To Aero and Engineering Services Ltd., Washington, Tyne and Wear.
G-MMFZ (c/n HAW-01). To Howard Arthur Ward, Winchester.



Total AES Production4


Page Revision History

Revised at Version 2.0.0
  • Added Type Description and Specification details.
Revised at Version 1.4.0
  • Improved Company details.
  • Added Sky Ranger details.