Ravin 500

Ravin 500
Role	Amateur-built aircraft
National origin	South Africa
Manufacturer	Ravin Aircraft
First flight	15 September 2002
Status	In production (2012)
Number built	17
Unit cost	US$85,000 (kit only, 2011)
Developed from	Piper PA-24 Comanche

The Ravin 500 is a South African amateur-built aircraft, designed and produced by Ravin Aircraft of Pretoria. The aircraft first flew on 15 September 2002 and is supplied as a kit for amateur construction or as a complete ready-to-fly aircraft.

The Ravin 500 is based on the design of the aluminum Piper PA-24 Comanche, but rendered in composite materials and scaled down some 6-7%.

The Ravin 500 features a cantilever low-wing, a four seat enclosed cabin, accessed by doors, retractable tricycle landing gear and a single engine in tractor configuration. The cabin is 45 in (114 cm) wide.

The aircraft's 35 ft (10.7 m) span wing has an area of 157 sq ft (14.6 m²) and mounts flaps as well as winglets. The aircraft's recommended engine is the 260 to 300 hp (194 to 224 kW) Lycoming IO-540 four-stroke powerplant. Construction time from the supplied kit is estimated as 1400 hours.

The company reported that by December 2013 that a total of 22 aircraft or kits had been supplied and that 17 of these have been completed and flown.

Data from Kitplanes and Ravin Aircraft

General characteristics

Performance