zodiac3813 Posted May 4, 2013 Author Posted May 4, 2013 Jim, I'm impressed with your work and the plane is looking smart. How many hours have you spent to date on the construction (approximate), or when did you commence construction? Hi Matt, I received the kit at the end of August 2012, and have just finished it, with some help from an engineering friend in the latter stages. It was a relatively simple build: we spent, I guess, around 450 hours on the project (I kept a written and photo log, but didn't tally the hours). The construction methods are very simple yet very strong, and the end result is a robust aircraft that will cruise at (probably) 80-90 knots, with around 400 NM range and good short field performance. Total cost (with a 2nd hand Rotax 912S) around 40K. I would recommend the kit for a first-time builder (I have previously built a Zenair Zodiac from scratch: 3,500 hours!). Cheers, Jim. 1
Friarpuk Posted May 5, 2013 Posted May 5, 2013 Jim an exceptional job. Building a second plane is still only a distant dream for me. But still I can't wait to do things again with a bit of experience under the belt. I built mine in about 228 hrs but must say by the pics yours looks a bit more polished than my bird! Heath
gregrobertson Posted May 5, 2013 Posted May 5, 2013 Jim you are rightly pleased and proud of your new Skyranger. You have done a great job and it shows. Now the real fun starts, you are about to discover just why the Skyranger and Nynja are among the most popular aircraft in their class. It's time to fall in love all over again. Come up and see us, you and Ang are very welcome any time. Greg.
zodiac3813 Posted May 12, 2013 Author Posted May 12, 2013 Hey everyone, I think, in the heat of the moment, that I may have understated the hours spent on the build... it was probably more like 600-ish hours but hey, it was fun and still completed in less than a year. Thanks again to Owen Badcock, engineer extraordinaire! Cheers, Jim.
zodiac3813 Posted May 12, 2013 Author Posted May 12, 2013 Forgot to ask. What kind of prop are you spinning? Hi Fri, it's a wide chord Kool prop, 69" diameter.
cscotthendry Posted May 12, 2013 Posted May 12, 2013 Jim: I know you've built another plane and already know this, but now the real fun starts.
eightyknots Posted May 13, 2013 Posted May 13, 2013 I would recommend the kit for a first-time builder (I have previously built a Zenair Zodiac from scratch: 3,500 hours!). . That's nearly a year's work on that Zodiac .....full time! Congrats on completing your Swift!
zodiac3813 Posted June 22, 2013 Author Posted June 22, 2013 Thanks Eighty, here are some photos of the (almost) completed project... still have to fit the centre console, connect the AH and compass senders for the MGL EFIS, as well as sort out some minor bugs...
eightyknots Posted June 23, 2013 Posted June 23, 2013 Thanks Eighty, here are some photos of the (almost) completed project... still have to fit the centre console, connect the AH and compass senders for the MGL EFIS, as well as sort out some minor bugs...[ATTACH]22789[/ATTACH][ATTACH]22790[/ATTACH][ATTACH]22791[/ATTACH][ATTACH]22792[/ATTACH] Well done Zodiac! (you'll soon have to ask Ian to rename you Swift3813)
rankamateur Posted June 24, 2013 Posted June 24, 2013 (you'll soon have to ask Ian to rename you Swift3813) Or 8278 even.
zodiac3813 Posted October 13, 2013 Author Posted October 13, 2013 Hi Everyone, I've just updated our flying and sailing website, with lots of Skyranger construction photos, flying videos etc, as well as history of our other interests/exploits. Please feel free to give feedback, or to request further details. http://www.flysaillivelife.com/index.html Cheers, Jim.
cscotthendry Posted October 13, 2013 Posted October 13, 2013 Great looking website Jim. Great looking plane too!!!
zodiac3813 Posted October 13, 2013 Author Posted October 13, 2013 Forgot to ask. What kind of prop are you spinning? Hi Heath, It's a Kool prop... similar to a Kiev, but this one has wide chord blades. Couldn't tell you what pitch, but we get about 4850 rpm full power climbing. Cruising at around 70kts at 4500rpm, 80kts at 4900, 90 at 5200. Cheers, Jim.
eightyknots Posted May 12, 2014 Posted May 12, 2014 Hi Heath,It's a Kool prop... similar to a Kiev, but this one has wide chord blades. Couldn't tell you what pitch, but we get about 4850 rpm full power climbing. Cruising at around 70kts at 4500rpm, 80kts at 4900, 90 at 5200. Cheers, Jim. I really like the http://www.flysaillivelife.com/building-the-skyranger.html website! 2
facthunter Posted July 30, 2016 Posted July 30, 2016 To get 90 knots you are wasting fuel because it's not THAT streamlined. They are strong, simple design and easy to build and fly and plenty of room for the occupants. Nev
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