First flight in a Savanah S

[winsor68]

Just spent almost 2 hours getting the hang of my schools new Savanah S... She is a beauty.

 

I was worried that after the Texan I would find it hard to like the Sav but no problem... she is quite a bit slower but equally lovely to fly. I am still a student so of course had my instructor beside me... flew to the main airport at Mackay, did one touch and go (the tower opens at 0720 so no worries)... things were starting to wake up so we just did the one and then left it to the big boys... don't want to step on anybodies toes even though we had an hour up our sleeve before we had to be out of there. We flew north along the coast and I did a beautiful touch and go at Ball Bay, then out to the training area for stalls and some emergency landing practice, then home to Palmyra for my third landing, this time full stop.

 

So now I guess I can consider myself a bit of a hussy as regards to aeroplanes because last week I was madly in love with a hot Texan and swore there was no other, until now when I am hoping to carry on a long and lusty affair with a beautiful bird by the name of Savanah.

 

It even matches my very good quality Recreational Flying Headset (available from this site).

 

 

 

[eightyknots]

Gotta love [close enough to] Sky blue paint schemes for planes...

Yes, a wonderful attribute for in-flight visibility to other pilots using the same airspace .

 

 

[winsor68]

Actually... the idea that a sky blue aeroplane is hard to see is a furphy... I won't take the time to explain... you can do your own research. Just suffice to say that I have seen it proven over many years in my youth of flying RC Sailplanes.

 

 

[dazza 38]

Top Stuff Don, they are a nice plane.Interesting colours have been bought up. I read a long while ago, so I may be mistaken. That the Colour Black is the best to see in daylight, (I guess black would be good at night for drug running LOL).

 

 

[Yenn]

So what is a good colour for an aeroplane. Mine is yellow for visibility, but I have been told it is hard to see. I think my next one will be white on top and dark green underneath. Any comments? I won't be a Savvy.

 

 

[winsor68]

Black is used by the British and in there own tests is claimed to have been superior... I guess aircraft visibility is not as simple as "That is a nice bright colour"... and perhaps the most important reasoning for bright colours is in the case of a forced landing requiring rescue.

 

 

[Spin]

Somebody on here made an interesting point a while ago, saying that out west the red earth rendered orange (eg marine V-sheet) almost invisible, suggesting that a bright blue tarp would be the best colour for visibility. Maybe the Savvy owner has ambitions.....

 

 

[Relfy]

Win, how did you go on the landings? The savvy flies pretty dam slow from what I've seen, did you find it a lot different in the flair to the Texan?

 

I remember an oldtimer at the local radio control flying field once saying, "it doesn't mater colour you paint em, they're all black in the air..."

 

 

[Kyle Communications]

I am going to paint mine red and white like the advert for the savannah in the RAA mag...maybe a bit more white than they have though

 

Mark

 

 

[winsor68]

Win, how did you go on the landings? The savvy flies pretty dam slow from what I've seen, did you find it a lot different in the flair to the Texan?I remember an oldtimer at the local radio control flying field once saying, "it doesn't mater colour you paint em, they're all black in the air..."

Landings were fine Relfy... actually pretty darn good in fact. I did a really nice touch and go at Ball Bay airstrip which is a pretty challenging place for a student pilot. Approach was at 55knots and very stable... tried the stall at altitude and.... well it doesn't have a break as such just mushes and descends with the airspeed indicator showing less than 30 knots... Its a bit different in that the trim is electric and the flaps are manual... Just electric trim full back on final, half flap and its on rails until a nice gentle flair. The throttle is a pressure type without the hassle of a lock nut, much like the Jab (but better perhaps because its new?) so its nice and easy to manage you energy as you descend.

 

In flight the biggest difference is the view over the nose is very different to the Texan... I found that once I had it trimmed it is very stable but had a propensity to add just a little forward pressure on the stick thus lose height. By the end of the flight I had it pretty much worked out and found you just gotta trim it and relax.

 

I am flying her again tomorrow morning if the weather holds up.

 

Its bloody beautiful and every inch as nice as the Texan, although a little slower... it has a nice stable feel to the controls (nose wheel feels a lot heavier on the ground due to the bush tyres)... in a word in my opinion just about the perfect machine for flying training in the conditions up here.

 

 

[Mick]

From many years flying R/C aerobatics one of the best colours to stand out against a range of different sky tones, earth backgrounds etc, and in varying light conditions is a bright HOT PINK.

 

Having said that my aircraft is white & blue even though I share it with the wife.

 

I had a scenario a couple of weeks ago were I got into close proximity of a Savvy that has a dark purple nose & leading edges. I knew from the radio that it was at a similar height and coming towards me so I was looking for it but did not see it until it was closer than I would have liked. Even after I had sighted it, once I had looked away then looked back it was hard to re-aquire.

 

 

[Guest davidh10]

A Chamelian demonstrates the opposite of visibility. Same colour as the background and don't move.

 

So to be visible, something moving and contrasted against the background.

 

Strobes can help in low light, against dark clouds or through mist or smoke. During the week two of us were flying and the smoke haze was such that at 4 mile separation all I could see of the other aircraft was his landing light as he turned. He could see my wing tip strobes.

 

 

[winsor68]

Contrast is the biggest factor... Medical Science confirms this. The actual colour has very little to do with recognition... white tends to take on the colour of whatever it is against... and darker colours are better... but really it makes very little difference. Of course strobes are always a good option but if the lights are not bright enough they can have the effect of causing the object to literally appear to ....disappear...

 

Our eyesight and the way it works is amazingly complex.

 

 

[Guest Maj Millard]

Nice to hear you like the Savvy Windsor, I never thought that something so ugly could fly so nice either until I also fell in love with them. The Savvy S with the new cowl etc, has lost some of it's uglyness as I know you would agree.

 

Ian Wells at Prosipine is busy finishing his Savvy for the Shute harbor Fly-in May 1st, and it is coming out nice also.

 

As far as colour goes, my first choice wouldn't be sky blue, however I must admit it does look good !. Only by seeing it air to air would I be able to make a fair comment on sky blue. I did fly once with a dark blue Foxbat which would literally disappear if against a hill or mountain. The owner had fitted strobes accordingly. I'm sure a White based aircraft would have stood out ok in the same scenero.

 

One of my all-time favorite colour schemes is light blue and silver which looks really great on any aircraft.

 

It is not the ground to Air viz, but the air to air viz that is really important, but then a white aircraft will rapadily dissapear against white cloud in the right light. I really know you will continue to fall in love with the Savvy and what it can do !. Co incidentally, the other somewhat 'ugly' aircraft (to some) the Slepcev Storch, is also one other aircraft that simply has superb flying qualities all round...................................................................Cheers ................Maj...

 

 

 

 

 

[Kyle Communications]

Not sure if any of you guys have seen the ICP video for the sav S version but its had over 9000 hits..quite a few of those would be mine I would think :)...although mine is not the S version just the std VG XL

 

This is the basic colour I will be painting mine but with a bit more white on the larger red surfaces...the rear side fuse section and also maybe in the large red area on the rear section on the top of the wings

 

Mark

 

 

[Guest Maj Millard]

Yes nice stuff mark. Frankly I find the red and white quite pleasing, but the blue and silver is more attractive to me. The red/white paint job does highlight the lines of the aircraft well though. If you haven't decided yet the full view lexan doors are a winner, and make the aircraft even more usefull !...............Maj...

 

 

[Kyle Communications]

Hi Maj

 

My kit is the new one with the full lexan bubble type doors so it will be great for the view mine wont have the wheel pants though . A mate has a older sav but it has been upgraded with the full lexan normal doors and when he took his wife for the first flight in it he says she freaked out a little bit with "too much view"..actually in the video of my airstrip christening its the all white sav the last one to land and the third to take off it is a VG model not the XL.

 

Mark

 

 

[Relfy]

Sounds great Win, keep us posted. The videos I've seen of the STOL maneuvers are awesome. The stolspeed stories are also great. Come to think of it, I don't think I've ever heard of anyone bagging a savvy

 

 

[Relfy]

Sure do Ignition! But take a look at those pics Maj posted and the silly grin on the bloke in the middle pic. It's called the 'savvy grin'.

 

 

[Guest Maj Millard]

Good one Relfy, It's the savvy grin after a full days hard hot flying !!....so tired i'm taking photos of myself !!.........................Maj...

 

 

[Ultralights]

the secret to being seen in the air is contrast! as long as the colours contrast well against each other, they will be easy to see, our savvy is easy to spot from a distance mainly by the dark blue colouring on the wing tips and nose contrasts well against the white.

 

 

 

[flightygirl]

the secret to being seen in the air is contrast! as long as the colours contrast well against each other, they will be easy to see, our savvy is easy to spot from a distance mainly by the dark blue colouring on the wing tips and nose contrasts well against the white.

and lets not forget... she s a beautful bird... and DOES NOT look like a garden shed! (well not much like one....)

 

i always have the savvy grin!

 

Rach

 

 

[Guest Maj Millard]

Just for comparison of course..here is a Lightwing grin...............same ugly barstxxx.........snapped by daughter..................................................Maj...

 

 

 

[LimaMike08]

I had a sit in a Sav xl today at the Clifton fly in and needed a shoe horn to get in and out. Being that I am big in all dimensions and multiple knee surgery means that I don't bend that well either, can anyone tell me if the Sav S is easier to get into? I know the cabin is larger but is the door larger as well. As a side note I have no problems getting in a J160 (and even less slipping into my trike) so the the Jab must have bigger doors than it looks.

 

 

[flightygirl]

hey! thats Me!