Savannah S

[Kyle Communications]

Hi Neil

 

Yes it was great. I had a fantastic day yesterday went for an hours flying to get my hand back in after being so long since I was doing any real flying as when I was doing my PPL back in the mid nineties. I did a touch and go and also another landing and they were pretty good so I was very chuffed...sort of like riding a bike you dont forget :)

 

Also flying Bill's just confirmed again that I made the right choice in aircraft it is just such a nice aircraft to fly and I love the powerful rudder. I had a short flight in his old sav that Ultralights has now but that was about 2 or 3 years ago and thought it was great then but now after a good twiddle on the stick I know I made the right choice for what I want to use it for

 

Mark

 

 

[Guest Maj Millard]

Well to Tom it's probabily not pink, but desert sand camo in the true British style. I went for a fly with him in 'pinky' and it got along surprisingly well even with only the 80 hp engine...........................................Maj...

 

 

[Towering Cu]

Good luck with your project, look fwd to seeing it next to my soon to be S in the near future. Bill is a great ambassador for the product.Neil.

Hi Neil.

 

Will your Savvy be based at Caboolture and will it be used for training and hire, or private use only? Do you have to wait long for it to arrive?

 

Cheers, Mike.

 

 

[Ballpoint 246niner]

Hi Neil.Will your Savvy be based at Caboolture and will it be used for training and hire, or private use only? Do you have to wait long for it to arrive?

 

Cheers, Mike.

G'Day Mike, yes it will be based at Ycab and will be used for dual STOL training and advanced pilot training- no hire. I have a jab 120 that needs to sell which is currently advertised. Once it's gone 3 mths and we're ready to go.

 

 

[Ballpoint 246niner]

Hi Neil.Will your Savvy be based at Caboolture and will it be used for training and hire, or private use only? Do you have to wait long for it to arrive?

 

Cheers, Mike.

Sorry Mike, just posted an up date in the sister thread to this. My S get's painted tomorrow and should??? be here by December.

 

 

[eightyknots]

This is an interesting post reproduced from the Savannah yahoogroups. It is written by the US Savannah dealer:

 

> Hi Guys,

 

>

 

> Just want to let you know that ICP has come up with a new glove box (if you have space in the cockpit) and a nice cover for the rudder cable under the doors.

 

> I have posted some photo in the Savannah S folder.

 

>

 

> The new Savannah S is also been approved in the US for a max gross of 1320lbs ( or 1430lbs if on floats) that give us a very nice useful load over 650 lbs

 

>

 

> Valter

 

I wonder if the Australian-delivered Savannahs will have an increased maximum gross weight (from 560kg to 599 kg) from 2013? The XL wasn't mentioned: I wonder if the XL has had the same strengthening treatment.

 

Perhaps Rankamateur's new Savannah kit will have the new maximum gross weight?

 

 

[Kyle Communications]

There is no difference between the strength of the XL and the S the only differences are the flap connection comes out of the fuselage a little differently and the rounded courners of the rear fuselage everything else is exactly the same. The wing ribs and mainspar and flap hangars and wing struts and their mounts. So essentially no structural difference

 

 

[eightyknots]

There is no difference between the strength of the XL and the S the only differences are the flap connection comes out of the fuselage a little differently and the rounded courners of the rear fuselage everything else is exactly the same. The wing ribs and mainspar and flap hangars and wing struts and their mounts. So essentially no structural difference

ICP must have structurally strengthened something to increase it by 39 kg from this year. I wonder why only the S has been strengthened?

 

The other thing I wonder about is what exactly was strengthened? Would this strengthening setup be available as a set of plans so that anyone building the kit now could incorporate it into the design to 'register' the aircraft at the higher maximum gross weight? (They did this to the earlier Savannahs to get them up to 544 kg).

 

 

[rankamateur]

I just spoke to our importer and he has heard nothing of this increase in MTOW but did say he will email me if he hears anything of it. As far as the kits on the water being already upgraded, can't say but it is possible that the upgrades could be freighted over to add up until the build is started or proceeds past the upgraded components anyway. That will be a matter of Reg having a really good talk to the factory about what the upgrade involves so we get a clear picture of what to wait on.

 

 

[rankamateur]

With an extra 40Kg maybe I should have ordered a bigger spreader! Suppose I can fabricate a bigger hopper for the one I have already bought.

 

 

[Cosmick]

This is an interesting post reproduced from the Savannah yahoogroups. It is written by the US Savannah dealer:> Hi Guys,

 

>

 

> Just want to let you know that ICP has come up with a new glove box (if you have space in the cockpit) and a nice cover for the rudder cable under the doors.

 

> I have posted some photo in the Savannah S folder.

 

>

 

> The new Savannah S is also been approved in the US for a max gross of 1320lbs ( or 1430lbs if on floats) that give us a very nice useful load over 650 lbs

 

>

 

> Valter

 

I wonder if the Australian-delivered Savannahs will have an increased maximum gross weight (from 560kg to 599 kg) from 2013? The XL wasn't mentioned: I wonder if the XL has had the same strengthening treatment.

 

Perhaps Rankamateur's new Savannah kit will have the new maximum gross weight?

Maybe it was more than just a rumour.........................

 

http://www.recreationalflying.com/threads/how-does-the-new-caos-weight-changes-effect-the-savannah.27118/

 

 

[Kyle Communications]

I might have to ride Tom to find out....I can feel a phone call coming on as there is no difference between a S and a XL as far as wings and mounts and cabin frame are concerned

 

 

[rankamateur]

I might have to ride Tom to find out....I can feel a phone call coming on as there is no difference between a S and a XL as far as wings and mounts and cabin frame are concerned

See post #59 above. Riding Tom is my least favorite image I have brought to mind this week, I shouldn't have visualised!

 

 

[Kyle Communications]

Well most times you need to "ride" him to get some action on questions from the factory...also of course I could email Loredana direct we have done a fair bit of email chatter...I see her on the latest Dan Johnson video in Europe air show

 

 

[eightyknots]

I hope the US marketers haven't just put up the maximum gross weight (on paper) without and structural strengthening of the aircraft!

 

As has just been said, if (because of better testing or a structural change) the factory Savannah S is now able to have 600 kaygee limit, why has this not extended to the kits? ...or the XL?

 

We* need some answers!

 

* by "we", I mean recent kit buyers and potential kit buyers.

 

 

[rankamateur]

For days I have been waiting to be accepted to the Yahoo savannah users group to try and confirm what Valter had to say about the MTOW increase, don't know if the group owner has a pulse still, or has moved on to greener pastures. Has anyone successfully joined lately?

 

 

[Admin]

Tell them all to come here

 

 

[Kyle Communications]

Dont know Steve. I ahve been a member there for a few years now

 

 

[rankamateur]

It would be good to get Valter on here because he seems to have a much more open communication with the factory than Tom does. Given that he also the Jabiru representative in USA, he probrably doesn't have a lot of time to inform a market that predominantly isn't going to boost his sales figures.

 

 

[eightyknots]

It would be good to get Valter on here because he seems to have a much more open communication with the factory than Tom does. Given that he also the Jabiru representative in USA, he probrably doesn't have a lot of time to inform a market that predominantly isn't going to boost his sales figures.

I'm worried that the many overly-negative Jabiru comments on this site would be a turn-off for Valter.

 

I've been a member of the Yahoo Savannah group for about 18 months and there are 2 or 3 posts per day on that group. But yes, it would be good if they all came here. I am sure that Australia has more Savannahs per head of population than any other country in the world.

 

 

[rankamateur]

I have him on facebook and have emailed him directly but am not getting any closer to confirming the details of the change. Guess I am just hoping when I open my box next month it has 600 stamped on the plate, but I am not hopeful.

 

 

[eightyknots]

I have him on facebook and have emailed him directly but am not getting any closer to confirming the details of the change. Guess I am just hoping when I open my box next month it has 600 stamped on the plate, but I am not hopeful.

If the box comes and only there is only 560 kg on the plate, you could contact ICP and ask for "equal rights" with the Yanks. I have never read of any structural upgrade to the Savannah in the last year or so. I only posted the info on this thread as an alert so that you're aware what ICP is doing in other markets, namely the USA.

 

It seems that quite a number of Americans are quite suspicious of European-sourced planes and ICP products would have to overcome this prejudice too. My own feeling is that ICP re-tested (or recalculated) the Savannah's strength and just re-rated the Savannah sold in the USA to 600 kg in order to compete with a very competitive LSA market where anyone not selling a plane with a gross weight of 600 kg is seen as "suspect". ICP should be aware that both Australia and New Zealand have embraced the 600 kg maximum gross weight for ultralights (microlights in NZ) unlike the Europeans who persist with a 450 kg maximum. For that reason, ICP should have to come to the party Down Under and increase it to 600 kg as well.

 

The only possible alternative is that ICP did some small structural strengthening to increase the maximum gross by 40 kg from 560 kg. To do this, may only have required two or three additional kilograms of aluminium in strategic places. Even still, this minor structural upgrade should be made available Savannah buyers in Oz and NZ, in my opinion.

 

 

[rankamateur]

The mention of factory built only at this stage needs clarification, but might be a hurdle, although they were pretty approachable about the Savannah J rudder extension, so it might be worth asking before I get too far into my build.

 

 

[eightyknots]

I have him on facebook and have emailed him directly but am not getting any closer to confirming the details of the change. Guess I am just hoping when I open my box next month it has 600 stamped on the plate, but I am not hopeful.

Did you use this email address to contact Valter: icpnorthamerica (AT) yahoo.com.

 

By the way, Valter also said on that other thread that the 600 kg max has been for Savannah Ss sold in both 2012 and 2013! So, the increased maximum gross has been around for about 18 months.

 

 

[eightyknots]

The mention of factory built only at this stage needs clarification, but might be a hurdle, although they were pretty approachable about the Savannah J rudder extension, so it might be worth asking before I get too far into my build.

I am not aware of the J rudder extension. What was that all about?