Hi

[peltoman]

Hi everyone.

 

Looking for user/builder experiences and information on capable bush planes. I currently own a C42 Ikarus, which I fly off a farm strip, but have been looking at building a more bush capable plane from a kit. My focus currently is on the Groppo Trail and ICP Savannah. There seems to be loads of info on the Savannah but the latest post here on the Groppo Trail is about two years old. Anything going on around the Trail or is it slowly dying off? There seem to a be a few flying in the UK but how about Australia?

 

Regards,

 

Peltoman

 

 

[Kiwi]

Welcome,

 

Plenty of Savannah's over here, I don't think there is any Groppo Trial's though.

 

Kiwi

 

 

[facthunter]

We have Wombat and Kangaroo Trails. Nev

 

 

[Phil Perry]

Hi everyone.

 

Looking for user/builder experiences and information on capable bush planes. I currently own a C42 Ikarus, which I fly off a farm strip, but have been looking at building a more bush capable plane from a kit. My focus currently is on the Groppo Trail and ICP Savannah. There seems to be loads of info on the Savannah but the latest post here on the Groppo Trail is about two years old. Anything going on around the Trail or is it slowly dying off? There seem to a be a few flying in the UK but how about Australia?

 

Regards,

 

Peltoman

I saw the Groppo Trail at a Microlight aircraft show in the UK six years go. . it seemed like a handy little bushplane,. . . rugged construction which the salesman demonstrated by sitting on the tailplane while answering questions. . it had Large wheels + tyres too, I can't recall the engine type, as there were dozens of new types on show. . . Tandem Seating isn't very popular here in the UK though. . .and I do not know if there are any on the UK register at the moment.

 

 

[Phil Perry]

We have Wombat and Kangaroo Trails. Nev

We used to have a bloody Possum Trail in our Loft when I lived in Melbourne,. . .noisy buggers, and the occasional ZZZAAPPP as one tried ( and failed ) to ride the overhead power line up Mitcham road, (just around the corner from Red 750s place. . .)

 

 

[Phil Perry]

Hi everyone.

 

Looking for user/builder experiences and information on capable bush planes. I currently own a C42 Ikarus, which I fly off a farm strip, but have been looking at building a more bush capable plane from a kit. My focus currently is on the Groppo Trail and ICP Savannah. There seems to be loads of info on the Savannah but the latest post here on the Groppo Trail is about two years old. Anything going on around the Trail or is it slowly dying off? There seem to a be a few flying in the UK but how about Australia?

 

Regards,

 

Peltoman

Give a shout to Marty D of this parish,. . he is building Zenair CH750, which is not too dissimilar to the Savannah. He might be able to point you in the right direction.

 

 

[peltoman]

Thanks for all your replies. "Try landing on a Wombat trail" would be a good sales pitch for the Trail :-). Phil, according to G-INFO there are 20 Trails registered in the UK, most of which have the Sauer engine (VW origin). There is one for sale on Afors at the moment. The CH750 looks interesting too. In the next couple of weeks I am going to take a look at a kit built Savannah, which is in its test flying stage. End of June the plan is to go and visit Groppo Aviazione in Italy. Surprisingly my wife agreed to sacrifice a day off the family holiday at Lake Garda to drive to Mezzana Bigli.

 

How about the Slepcev Storch? I thought it had been discontinued, but their website looks like they are in business. A few of them in Australia I think.

 

 

[Marty_d]

Give a shout to Marty D of this parish,. . he is building Zenair CH750, which is not too dissimilar to the Savannah. He might be able to point you in the right direction.

Actually a 701, I started building before the 750 design came out, which is a cautionary tale about scratch building an aircraft.

 

Pelto, I reckon you'd be better off with a Savannah or an AAK Hornet, they're the primary bush planes here in Aus. Sav's are a lot more common than the 701/750's. If you're after a taildragger in the style of the Storch though I reckon the Hornet would be your beast.

 

 

[Phil Perry]

Apologies Marty. . .My memory isn't what it was (and TBH it wasn't much use then either. . )

 

I assisted my mate Simon with his Savannah build, doing loads of riveting and other stuff. . his Partner in the project was a Wuss, who didn't really want to get involved in the engineering so it took nine months over the time estimate to complete. He has a Jabiru engine fitted, which he has never had any problems with and he's flown around 800 plus hours in it to date. He went for the VG wing leading edge installation rather than the fixed slat type. . and these seem to work very well although the Elevator trim was a bugger, and the actuator arm failed twice. Possibly because of incorrect setting over stressing the mechanism. He seems to have solved this with a Mod, although I'm afraid to ask what mod it was, as he is a rather Long Playing Pilot, and I haven't got five hours for the explanation !

 

I have not flown with him often, as being a Phat Barstard, the bloody cockpit is ridiculously narrow and it's hard to hold one's breath over long distances. . . the later models have been modified with a wider fuse I believe, to accommodate those Normal Sized pilots ( like me ).

 

 

[Phil Perry]

Thanks for all your replies. "Try landing on a Wombat trail" would be a good sales pitch for the Trail :-). Phil, according to G-INFO there are 20 Trails registered in the UK, most of which have the Sauer engine (VW origin). There is one for sale on Afors at the moment. The CH750 looks interesting too. In the next couple of weeks I am going to take a look at a kit built Savannah, which is in its test flying stage. End of June the plan is to go and visit Groppo Aviazione in Italy. Surprisingly my wife agreed to sacrifice a day off the family holiday at Lake Garda to drive to Mezzana Bigli.

 

How about the Slepcev Storch? I thought it had been discontinued, but their website looks like they are in business. A few of them in Australia I think.

OK Pelto, I've never seen one land at our site, nor anywhere that I've flown into. . .but England is a busy place for tiny airfields, so that isn't surprising really.

 

I've sat in a Slepcev Storch, and it was really Nice, but the guy was busy and I didn't get a chance to fly with him as he'd got a bevy of Cute ladies waiting for a ride. . . . the randy Git. . .I'm sure those ladies didn't appreciate the handling and slow speed characteristics as I might have,. .. but they'd have been a lot more cuddlyfun later no doubt. . .

 

My Lottery Win bucket list includes a REAL Fiesler Storch. . . .There ARE a few flying I believe. The German Markings might be a problem, . . I witnessed a nasty incident at Cranfield few years ago where some German blokes had brought a 'Flitzer' radial monoplane replica to the show, and the ground crew were dressed in first world war German uniforms, and some spectators became very annoyed about this ? ? ? Not NAZI uniforms, just German period ones. . .Some people don't appreciate historical stuff obviously.

 

We flew into a field clled North Coates on the East Coast a couple of years back and it was a WW2 Fancy Dress affair in the Hangar with a Glenn Miller style 1940s band and Sausages and Mash food. . It was Great. I saw two tall guys dressed as SS officers, which never bothered me, as they were part of WW2, but I heard them talking at the bar and they were actually Both German. . .I Did think that this was a bit Odd . . ! ! ! !

 

We have these events all over the UK in the summer months, called 'Wings and Wheels' with all sorts of military vehicles and people in period uniforms, vintage aircraft. . .just great events.. . .we have local one in July. Just trying to borrow a Spitfire to arrive in style. . . .

 

 

[red750]

For specs of the AAK Hornet, click here. SDQDI on this forum flies one. I have asked him for some photos to add to the gallery.

 

 

[red750]

Another kit you might like to check out is the Australian Lightwing, profile here. Forum member Camel has one which he uses in his flying school, www.midcoastflying.com.au, at Kempsey Airport.

 

(Edit: Didn't notice till after I posted that you are in Finland - had to look Tampere up on Google - my bad.)