rick morawski

http://fly-buylsa.com/Savannah.html Scroll down to options and accessories to see them. I have been using motorcycle fuel tank vents on my Sav. They have a little valve in them to let air in but but stop fuel from spilling out. They seem good so far but I've only used them about fifty hours so I reserve my judgement on them. Available from most motorcycle shops or eBay. Cheers Rick

the USA Savannah distributor has aluminium ones advertised on his site $29 USD each, any good to you?

Hi Andy I don't think Balladonia has avgas, you may want to call them and confirm. The last place for avgas is Caiguna. I think from there you could get to Kalgoorlie (about 225 mm) then down the highway to Merredin (prior permission required, China Southern training airfield) From there you could get to YMUL. In between Ycag and YMUL direct track is big hole with no avgas and little or no mogas, and lots of tiger country. Only other option if you're sticking to avgas is via esperance-Albany-YMUL. To avoid headwinds time your trip to coincide with a High coming into the Bight and catch the easterly winds westward. Have a safe trip Rick

If you look at the back of your fuel pressure gauge at the top there is a rubber plug, you have to remove it or drill a small hole in it. This will let the pressure inside the case equalise and it will work normally. Worked for me and a few others. Don't know why the low fuel light would come on though.

Very hard to find those fuel float thingies, I searched for ages and eventually found one at www.bearperkins.com they call it a floatee. $6us plus post, they also have clear fuel line.

Jeez that one looks a bit over cooked, but I think the firewall shape would be different as well, you would have to check it out.

It would take alot of paint to make that cowl look any good! Sorry, but its surprisingly ugly from Italians who pride themselves on style.

Look for bubbling or wrinkling of the paint emanating from under rivets or sheet laps. The paint over the bubble comes off easily with fingernail to show a whitish powder underneath. Can be treated but will require constant vigilance, that is a requirement of aluminium aircraft anyway. Cheers Rick

An easy way to replace a bungee I have done a few times is to install new bungee in position and tie a loop of wire around the loose end, then with a short piece of pipe and an assistant on the other end end of the pipe you lift the bungee to its final position on the nose leg. Works easy and no special devices needed, Mcguiver style. Hope you understand that description. Cheers Rick

Hi Skee There's always problems when you change things hey. You can add inlets or vents to the reserve tank. I usually add a 6mm vent line to the tank (see photo) and run a hose from it up to the top end of the sight tubeand tee it in there. This allows trapped air to escape without impeding incoming fuel flow. When you get enough air trapped in the tank you will get false low fuel warning. In your case you could put an 8mm return fuel in plus a 6mm vent line. These have to be inserted through the low fuel float switch hole and pulled back up through the hole with a pull wire like you would have done with the fuel tanks. I don't think returning 120 lit/hr to the wing tank is a good idea, would overflow pretty quickly. Also, in your fuel layout diagram - I think your fuel pressure regulator should be on the main inlet side before the motor, not after like you have it. Cheers Rick

The latest RAAus newslettter outlines changes to the markings on our aircraft, but they don't come into effect until the new tec manual is released. Quote from the newsletter 1. Aircraft registration markings (Click Here). As some members may have noticed, in the new Operations manual, there will be new numbered categories for aircraft types. This has been reflected in the new Technical manual but this is only part of the revision. The new registration marks will not come into effect until the new Technical manual is released. There is a substantial amount of work required with online documents and system upgrades to handle it. Them's the rules. So if your about to register your new toy you still need rego nums on the underside of the left wing, until the new tec manual comes in.

Here's one off the members market

Hi Greg, have a look at the pics. First one shows goolwa as first stop, second shows Renmark. You are leaving from Echuca? Easy to see Renmark close to the track. Cheers Rick

Don't know about Goolwa, seems a bit off track, i think Renmark is a bit closer to the track, you will have to phone for the refueller though, maybe take a full jerry with you and tip it in at Renmark, if you are going alone that is. If you have a passenger you may not be able to fit a full jerry in. You need to get the relevant WAC's and ersa together to work out a flight plan or use one of the EFB's on youre ipad, if you have one. The first ime I went across I got all the WAC's and taped them together where they lapped and pencilled in my plan all the way across from Margaret River to Wollongong. then cut it out and concertina folded it so I could have it on my lap. It can go pear shaped pretty quick without a worked out flight and fuelplan. Cheers Rick

Hi rhtrudder I have been across east- west and back a few times and you may have to use avgas sometimes unless you have jerry cans and are prepared to walk. The nullabor is the easy bit. Coming west after Ceduna you get to Nullabor Roadhouse. Have a look at the whales this time of year at the head of the bight before you land. Taxi up to the roadhouse, avgas at the back or drag your plane right to the the bowsers for PULP, (no live props at the forecourts of any of the roadhouses.) Accom food and beer avail at all of the roadhouses. Boarder village- avgas avail in shed at west end of strip, only about 50 mtrs to the pump if you have a jerry can. Eucla- overfly, can't taxi up to the settlement. Mundrabilla- fairly long taxi up to the roadhouse north of the strip. Stop motor and drag plane over cattle grid near Hwy(you won't get throu the gate if you have a low wing). then cross hwy to bowsers. No avgas here PULP at bowser. Madura pass- overfly, can't taxi to the roadhouse. Cocklebiddy- can taxi close to bowsers then drag in. Caiguna- taxiway leads up to avgas bowser behind roadhouse. Only about 30 mtrs to bowsers if you have jerries. Balladonia roadhouse- awkward taxi to bowsers. I usually drag it up to to the bowsers, much safer. If you can make it to Serpentine from there you're in, or you could take a full jerry and stop at Newdegate and top up. You can also walk to the fuel station from the strip, about 1 klm. Alternatives are going north from Caiguna or Balladonia to Kalgoorlie or going south to esperance or Albany( not too good at this time of year). I usually make the straight run from Balladonia to the west coast without refuelling in my Savannah, comfort stops either at Newdegate or Katanning. Hope this helps fill in the gaps, have a safe trip. Cheers Rick.

Hi Skee, I have been waiting to see where you are putting the pitch servo, is it still to come or have you canned it as too hard? Rick

Hi and welcome Jehtie. Just a thought, your wife and a swag won't fit on a microlight, best leave her indoors hey. cheers Rick

Looks awesome, when and where will be first flight ? Not too far away by the looks.

Looks great Hayden, nice neat engine install. How long till first flight?

This is how I do it- Have someone push down on the tail and slide a saw stool/ trestle under the firewall, using some blocks so the blocks only touch the firewall and not the angles or omega. Then you can jack up the back at the main gear, or have a couple mates carfully lift the back up by the main gear, and put a trestle in under the rear fuse close to the the main gear. use some padding. You can now remove the discs and calipers and lay them aside without disconnecting the brake line. then remove the main gear. Be careful not to be too rough so it doesn't move on the trestle. The strut attachments are a bit easier. (don't do it at the same time the plane is up on trestles as you may have to tap the front strut out) First remove jury strut and then front lift strut. The wing will be OK on just the back strut. The strut attachments can be removed with a small 1/4" drive ratchet with a 3/8" socket. You can only get one hand in at a time so you have to get creative about using the ring spanner to hold the bolt head. Use vise grips to make an extension or tape the ringy to something so you can hold it in, it's not too hard just gotta be patient. I would get replacement bits from ICP so you know they will fit first shot. Hope that helps. Cheers Rick

Don't they have parcel delivery in Sweden?

Hi Jerzy When working on the nosegear of the Sav I just use a saw horse (saw stool, trestle??) high enough to get the tyre off the ground and with a block on it with cut outs for the angles and omega. The idea is to only support along the firewall bottom and not on the other bits. make sure to securely chock the main gear so it can't move off the trestle. That's how I do it anyway, good luck. Rick

Hi Marty I have put fuel level senders (4 of) in a 701 I built and a then in a Savannah after that. The 701 I put them in the top and the savannah I put them in the side because of the tank being right up to the top skin. No problems with them leaking. I used some gasket goo as well as the rubber gasket then filled them up to test them for a day or two. The flat area on the top of the sav tank is for the left or right filler neck in the tank mould. IMO the fuel level senders are not worth the trouble and have not used them again since then. You still should dip your tanks and calculate your fuel usage for any given trip, and a fuel flow meter with totaliser gives a good backup to your calcs and is a lot easier to install. Just my 2 bobs worth. Cheers Rick

Hi Marty The sav wing tanks go in through the bottom skin, so the aluminium piece you have must be the bottom cover and the little hole is a drain. If you are putting the tank in from the top you will have to change things a bit, but if you've built a 701 this far it will be a cinch. the perforated bracket is the support for the tank, ie. it goes under the tank about midway. I can send the assembly chapter PDF if you send me your private address, to big to upload here. Cheers Rick

Yep, will be there Sunday morning. Flying in with a mate in his Savannah. Only a 20 minute flight from my strip though, but it will be fun. Cheers Rick