building my Savannah-S in germany

[rmorton]

Well if you fancy visiting France then this may be worth the trip :

 

France Air Expo - General Aviation Exhibition - France & Europe

 

I will be going for sure as it is only an hour from home :)

 

 

[Kyle Communications]

I just had someone on my blog page, who wrote me how stupid I am to deburr all the parts. They would be hidden deep in the plane. No need to deburr all the many holes, because they would be rivited anyway.... Not building a moon lander .... just an UL Plane ...

I bet he has never built a aircraft and trusted his backside in it either....there are plenty of tossers around Tom...should tell him to go out the door and dont let it hit him in the back of his head on the way out

 

 

[MajorTom]

I bet he has never built a aircraft and trusted his backside in it either

That would have been my first thougt too, but it is even worse! He built a plane...

 

Well if you fancy visiting France then this may be worth the trip :

Sounds nice, but I have no time. I'm still busy and satisfied building a Savannah. If I would suround me with tons of shiny planes and equipment and promisses I would go shopping-sick...

Just counted my hours .... 160 so far

 

 

[rmorton]

Well we just got back from the south so I had to go and do something with the Savannah so I weighed the fibreglass parts :)

 

wing tip 1 = 680g

 

wing tip 2 = 550g

 

upper cowl = 1682g

 

lower cowl = 2246g

 

oil cover = 90g

 

the quality seems ok with a little filler and rubbing down I should manage a decent finish.....

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[MajorTom]

Thanks Richard,

 

so our parts are almost the same, except for the wing tips.

 

After prepping the wing ribs and smaler parts for some chapters, there is no more hesitating.....

 

I just finished my work bench. Its 4.20 m x 1.10 m and 0,75 cm high.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[IBob]

Your 3rd pic. Don't rivet on the plastic plate at the centre. You will probably have to enlarge the al hole there when you come to fit the controls torque tube.

 

 

[MajorTom]

Thanks Bob, haven't found that part. Must be in the box of an other chapter.

 

I spend some time locking for part ST002 and ST010.... Good I made a check list and knew they must be some where.

 

Finaly after the 3. run I found them in the one box for chapter 14... puh...

 

 

[rmorton]

You are racing ahead now! It looks like the Airbus factory! Fuselage and wings at the same time? Don't get them mixed up ;)

 

I have managed to spray some epoxy primer, same colour as yours, and although I dragged a wire across it before it set I am really encouraged by the finish I got. Next phase is to do the elevator and last night I found the parts bag for the flaps... I think.

 

 

[MajorTom]

You are racing ahead now! It looks like the Airbus factory! Fuselage and wings at the same time? Don't get them mixed up ;)

This was not fully my intention. I was doing chapter 13 because it is interesting work that can be done in my warm cellar and small parts to store. Then I was doing prep work for chapter 14, because I was looking for missing parts. Then I finaly managed to get my family to help and we ended up deburring holes and stuff for chapter 16, while sitting around a table chatting.

After counting it is clear now, that 50% of the time is spend for preparing parts from deburing to priming.

 

 

[eightyknots]

This was not fully my intention. I was doing chapter 13 because it is interesting work that can be done in my warm cellar and small parts to store. Then I was doing prep work for chapter 14, because I was looking for missing parts. Then I finaly managed to get my family to help and we ended up deburring holes and stuff for chapter 16, while sitting around a table chatting.After counting it is clear now, that 50% of the time is spend for preparing parts from deburing to priming.

I love the profile picture, MJ!

 

 

[rmorton]

This was not fully my intention. I was doing chapter 13 because it is interesting work that can be done in my warm cellar and small parts to store. Then I was doing prep work for chapter 14, because I was looking for missing parts. Then I finaly managed to get my family to help and we ended up deburring holes and stuff for chapter 16, while sitting around a table chatting.After counting it is clear now, that 50% of the time is spend for preparing parts from deburing to priming.

That's how it goes. and one day you wake up and there is an aeroplane in your living room :) That's great that the family help with the boring bit and I fully agree that most of the work is in the prep phase.

 

I have put all the plastic bags instruments and small parts on some shelves in our cellar which helps give some perspective to how much there is to do.The only problem with that is as the shelves empty I will start to worry about what I am going to build next....

 

 

[MajorTom]

That's how it goes. and one day you wake up and there is an aeroplane in your living room :) That's great that the family help

Yes, you are right. But it took me weeks to get that little hour of help and company.

 

most of the work is in the prep phase

Yes, but just for us kit builders. ICP don't seem to waste any time with deburing and prepping at all. At least I could not find any signs of deburring on my main spars. I have not heared of of any fabric build Savannah crashing, due to careless assembly. So perhaps we are realy wasting our time, putting so much effort in deburing and stuff.....

One other thing that realy confuses me is one spars last part before the wingtip. When the massiv spar changes, there is a 3 mm jump in height. First thought was, that is needed for some reason. But then I looked at the other spar.... this one is without that "mistake". I put a photo below.

 

Can someone of the experienced builder give my advise please?

 

 

 

 

 

 

[MajorTom]

Still no solution to my gap on longeron problem.... and no answer from ICP

 

BUT I had a wonderfull evening assembling my right wing structure ... ;-) What a joy to see it grow on the work bench. 10 hours prepearing and 10 minutes clecoing it together

 

Also bought some 8,5mm automobil grade "cable tube" (sorry don't now the right word) to put the strobe cable in. Hope this stuff is good enough. But then, if it works for many years in a car you use dayly in wind and sun and rain, it schould be enough for a recreational plane. Right???

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Kyle Communications]

What is the gap longeron problem?

 

 

[MajorTom]

Kyle, when you look at the picture, you see a gap on the right side. The picture shows the two longerons from the underside, viewed from the tip.

 

The folding rule is where the longeron changes from the strong, inner part to the lighter, outer part. The left longeron in the picture is for the right wing and perfect. The right is not. I can't imagin what happens, when I try to put the skins on this section.

 

 

 

[Kyle Communications]

Looks to be 1mm difference. From memory that will just pull in ok with a podger tool which you will use a lot anyway. That could just be the slight bend of the flat sheet of the spar web. I dont think you will have any issue when you put the skins on

 

 

[rankamateur]

The radius of the bend on the sheet metal part looks like it got away on the bender. The holes in the part on the left and right spars would be exactly the same, just bent the opposite way, this bend has slipped during manufacture by the look of it. That will mean that the holes will now be further from the bend and won't line up with the holes in the sheet so well either.

 

 

[MajorTom]

Thanks both of you.

 

It is reely more than 1mm, I would not complain about 1mm. But a 2 mm step in a flying surface seems much to me.

 

Sure, the podger ( sounds like flogger ) is my best friend... This tool was the best advice for my built. What would I do without!!! This schould be written in the ICP handbook in bold letters.

 

This "slipped during bend" think could be checked by measuring the distance between the hole lines on the sheets and/or compare whit the right wing spar.... I will do so.

 

 

[Kyle Communications]

Now I see your issue.....certainly a gap there. The tip section may need to be removed and put back on again....did ICP say anything about it?..I would push the point a bit more with them

 

 

[MajorTom]

No Kyle, ICP is not often responding to emails. I was told to rather give them a call, but this is of no use. I'm no nativ english speaker and they are not ether. The mixture of both accents is just to much for a technical conversation over the phone.

 

 

[MajorTom]

Alfter some day ICP said. I should use a alloy spacer under the skin, where the gap in the spar is. Guess I will do so.

 

Yesterday it was time to try my first wing closure. I did hesitate a little, read and reread some threads. Most helpfull as allways was IBob for me. He might no be the inventor of all the stuff, but his summeries give me just the information I need in a way and completity thas is best for me. Thanks...

 

Savannah S Build Notes - Wing Nose Skin and Closure

 

Then I realized I schould put some thought into the tanksystem better now than later. But I have no knowlage whatsoever.... The ICP manual was no big help. The pictures show the instalation while the bottom skin is not present... there where many "ifs" and "whens" so I ended up confused...

 

Then I rememberd IBob and read his summary:

 

Savannah S Build Notes - Fuel Tanks

 

This and some other threads about spillage, fumes and .... brought even more confusion, but also the fact, that I can safely close my wingskins and leave the tanks for a little later. I just want a simple simple and reliable system with 2 tanks. Any help (maybe a link or two) is wellcome!!!

 

 

The wing itself was, thanks to the two woods and straps trick, not very difficult so far. I put all my clecos in....

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[IBob]

Do not drill into the tank yet!

 

1. Start by temporarily fitting the tank, with it's supports, into the wing. Get it positioned correctly, then drill and cleko the rivet holes in the front supports. Now you can take the tank in and out, and it will always be in the same position.

 

2. With the tank in position, use a felt pen to mark on the tank the position of the holes in the wing rib.

 

3. Remove the tank and decide where you want to put the fittings in the tank. I chose to move the side fittings, as the positions in the manual did not line up with the holes in the rib. Do not put fittings too close to edge of tank, or they will not seal correctly.

 

4. Drill holes in tank carefully, working up through drill sizes and preventing the drill from 'pulling in'. I put the final drills in by hand. You are trying to ensure a very clean hole, with a very clean inner tank face. Carefully check inside the hole for swarf or pieces of plastic: I used a little wire hook to feel inside the hole, while looking in.

 

5. For the larger 12mm fittings, drill a 12mm hole, not an 11mm hole as the manual says.

 

6. Mount the fittings using the correct Loctite, and tighten well.

 

7. Decide what sized grommets you will use and drill holes through wing rib to line up with tank fittings.

 

8. Fit tank and pipework.

 

Yes, it's fiddly!

 

 

[rankamateur]

Alfter some day ICP said. I should use a alloy spacer under the skin, where the gap in the spar is.

I was initially going to suggest the same but it will not address the problem of the holes now being further than intended from the bend. Now expect the holes in the skin not to align with the holes in the spar. This will end up being the only line of rivets on the whole wing which doesn't appear precisely straight to look along the line.

 

 

[MajorTom]

yesterday was wing tip wressling time....

 

followed Bobs tipps and used a wooden nose rib

 

could not have done it without help, it was very difficult bring and hold the tip in place

 

the result lookes nice and straight, but the wingtip slipped a little too much inside the lower skin, esp. from the main spar backwards, see last pic

 

Don't know, if I schould close the drillholes and do it again from beginning???

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[MajorTom]

Or I could shorten the lower skin about 1 or 2 mm....

 

Or I could give the edge of the skin a little bent up towards the wing tip... make it smooth

 

Or leave it like it is and be happy with it...