Sherwood Ranger Aircraft Sherwood Ranger

Single Piston

The Sherwood Ranger is a British-designed high-wing ultralight that has found a devoted following among amateur builders in the United States and abroad since the 1980s. Originally conceived by Cliff Lovell in the UK as a simple, affordable microlight, the design emphasizes slow-flight handling and short-field performance, making it popular for recreational flying from grass strips and private airfields. Its tube-and-fabric construction keeps empty weight around 500 pounds, allowing it to operate legally as an ultralight in some configurations or as an experimental amateur-built aircraft when equipped with larger engines and two seats. The Ranger's docile stall characteristics and exceptionally low approach speeds—touching down around 35-40 knots—give pilots confidence in confined spaces, while its open-cockpit variants offer the visceral experience of wind-in-the-face flying that harkens back to aviation's earliest days. Though never produced in large numbers by any single manufacturer, the design has been built by dozens of individuals worldwide, with kits and plans available through various suppliers over the decades. SkyMeter has tracked 1 flights across 1 airframes and 1 operators, with THEURER DAVID R the largest observed operator.