IBob

Skippy, I can see the problem right there: someone has made off with your front wheel.......(

I have the later model ULS with the CH coolant temp readouts for cylinders 2 and 3. 2 always reads cooler than 3. But given that 2 is front LH, with the sensor at the front of the head, while 3 is rear RH, with the sensor at the rear of the head, that has never surprised me, and since they are both well below max temp, it has never bothered me.

True. It was instructive flying without the gauges, not that we were up for long. And I spent the rest of the afternoon purging the static pipework, disconnected, with a hot air gun.

No......(

Either side of the rear fuselage, Nev. And I only once washed her with a hose.......and after that I modified the static pipework to add a high spot before running it forward.

My kit supplied pitot is simple aluminium tube, not sure of size, maybe 4mm ID. Cut off square, but with the inner edge of the cut bevelled, so the tip is a sort of little funnel.

RFguy can you suggest where to source headphone jacks? Are we best to go to aviation outlets, or is the quality similar regardless? Thanks.

Does the M760 have VOX mode? Is that not intercom? I'm no expert on this but others here will know. Maybe consider putting the jacks in baggage front centre roof as per the South Africans: they are practical outfit, much of what they do makes sense.

Hi Marty, depends on the radio. Mine is XCom, which has the intercom built into it, so no additional gear required. I would think most radios now have that for a simple 2 person setup. As for position of the jacks, I had them on the floor console forward of the stick, but didn't like that, so have now shifted them to a small box at the backrest between the 2 seats. I prefer this as I can see them in case I need to check plug seating in flight, and the cables are inboard of both pilot and pax, so we're not dodging round them when getting in and out. The only complication we then had was getting the headsets crossed up with someone else as PIC, the problem then is that you don't realise you are not transmitting (since you are pressing the wrong PTT button). it.that. I saw recently where the South Africans are putting their jacks at centre front of the baggage area, which is another possibility. A lot of Savannahs have them mounted at the front outer corners of the baggage shelf, but I'm told that can be very difficult to reach or see if you need to check plug seating in flight.

Yes, good luck with your search, Oskar! I had not meant to discourage you, only to say look carefully before you buy. The Savannah is a very good aircraft of it's type, versatile and fun to fly. There are now thousands in use around the world, including a large number in Australia, and a smaller but growing number here in New Zealand. May one of them find it's way to you!

It can be, Oskar. Savannah supply a primer paint that is used at all lap and metal joints. If applied with reasonable care on both surfaces, this should protect against occasional moisture. But any paint system has it's limits, and if moisture and contamination are constantly present...as they can be at lap joints in constantly wet situations...then corrosion may result. It may be worth getting maintenance people to show you what corrosion on aluminium looks like: typically, once it reaches the metal, it then runs under the good paint, gradually spreading.

Other considerations: Some of the earlier Rotax 912s were prone to crankcase fretting. The later 912s have a good functional ignition retard for starting. The older ones do not, which can result in poor starting and eventual sprag clutch damage.* While the 912 has proven itself as a very robust engine if installed and run as per the manufacturers instructions, parts and and repairs can be very expensive: so much so that relatively few are rebuilt. * Key to avoiding this is starting technique together with a good battery and wiring arrangement that turns the engine over rapidly for starting. The standard Savannah arrangement (and various other aircraft) use the aircraft hull for the 0V battery return. However, most builders here install a good sized 0V cable from battery to engine to ensure good starting power. Some of the older Savannahs also had the battery mounted near the tail, in which case it is doubly important to ensure optimal battery cables of a suitable size.

Oskar, to answer your question regarding the engine: whether you would be required to do a total overhaul depends on local legislation, so ask your local microlight club, they will know the answer to that one. Apart from that, I think the reason you are not getting a lot of response here is that it is impossible to know the quality and value of an aircraft from a distance. So it may be a hangar queen, beautifully built and maintained, or it may be an absolute dog, poorly built and maintained. And the only way to tell the difference is to have someone knowledgeable look at it: ideally someone familiar with riveted aluminium skinned aircraft of this sort. This is absolutely not like buying car: aircraft are very lightly built, and microlights especially so. The aluminium skin has lap joints, which are potential areas of corrosion as they can trap moisture and contamination. And you will certainly not be able to 'see' such corrosion without close and careful inspection. Also be aware that the Savannah comes in kit or factory built form, and kit builds may vary greatly in quality, depending on the abilities of the builder. So, what do I think? I think it could be a nice aircraft if it is well built and is in good condition. Though I would be very wary about the floats, and as Nev said if it has been anywhere near salt water I would not consider it: the water will have got into the skin laps, and there will be corrosion there that cannot be fixed. And this may be a problem even on fresh water. I think it could also be a poorly built or maintained aircraft, in which case the cost of bringing it back to good condition could be many times what it is worth. As Nev said: get a good independent check. Always.

But certainly reminiscent of them good ol' days when, to add to the excitement, the pilot wasn't allowed to see where he was actually going. Or where he'd been: just where he might have been if he was travelling parallel to his actual current path.............(

Whatever floats your boat, Kyle. I would comment that the 912 ULS as fitted in the Savannah and with an appropriately pitched prop runs very nicely and does not suffer any high or marginal temperature problems: quite the opposite in our temperate climate, where we blank off part of the oil radiator for a good part of the year in order to see recommended oil temperatures. The Savannah kit includes a wiring harness and steam gauges that pick up the 2 head coolant temperatures (or CHTs in older engines) plus oil temp and pressure, which are fitted standard to the 912.

I made my own skin extensions, as I wanted them to turn in like the 701, rather than be an inboard extension of the leading edge shape which I think also intrudes some on the field of vision. I count myself as a reasonably competent pattern maker, but it turned out to be quite a mission, and while i am happy enough with the result, it is certainly not perfect. If it is any consolation, this is a challenging area on most high winged aircraft. And on the Savannah, since the windscreen is not predrilled, the shape there will vary some from build to build, so you will quite probably need to trim to get a good fit. For the roof panel, the manual says to fit it on top, but I copied another local builder and fitted it under the wing skins, using those fastening strips to secure it underneath rather than on top. You have to trim a bit off the sides to get it under there. I think it does a much neater job, if potentially a bit less weatherproof. I can't recall if I put silicone sealer in there.

There is a vertical component: my Sav S manual says 0 to 2 deg down, with reference to the upper rear fuselage surface. I believe they set the engine mounts up at the factory in a jig: they arrive with packing washers in place.

Kyle, I have a Savannah S, but have also enjoyed quite a few flights in Pete's (fallowdeer) VG, which has the original bed mount. And I can't say I noticed any particular difference in smoothness. Be aware also that on XL and the S, for which the ring mount was introduced, the firewall sits at a slightly different angle than the VG. So there would likely be some packing involved. Marty_d may be able to comment on that, as he has fitted a ring mount on his 701 build.

I recall seeing grainy b & w footage of an aircraft of similar configuration. It was taxiing in a really nasty short choppy sea, bucking wildly. And the engine fell out, first rising as though to fall back on the fuselage, then mercifully dropping down forward.......

FYI Marty, 2 possible shortcomings of the receiver tank alarm system: 1. In the kits it comes with an incandescent bulb indicator. We swap that for a flashing red LED, which we also mount on the LH side of the panel (where the standard indicator is on the RH side). 2. Unless you have a way to valve off the main tanks, you have no easy way of testing the level switch, which is a simple magnetically operated reed switch and can fail. We put in a 4 valve system for the 4 tanks, following Mark Kyle's early example, and this does allow easy routine testing of the entire alarm circuit.

Surely, in light singles and microlights, a small receiver tank with level switch in the top is an excellent innovation? In the Zenith 701 and and the Savannah this is a 6L tank, kept flooded by the main tanks. At cruise with a 912, the low level alarm comes on 150secs after the main tank/s stop delivering, leaving the pilot with approx 20minutes of fuel to sort out the problem or find a suitable landing spot. It seems to me this addresses all sorts of scenarios, including momentary unporting, which have brought other aircraft down.

Facthutnter, if BC0979 is referring to the standard Savannah park brake, it is simply a pair of ganged shutoff valves in circuit between the pedals and the wheels: the pilot closes the valves while standing on the brakes. In the Savannah, these valves are situated just under the LH end of the instrument panel. So the brake lines go up from pedals to valves, then back down to the wheels. However, this will not result in fluid flowing back down to the pedals, unless an air leak at the valves allows air in there to replace the falling fluid. And you are right, such a brake should not be relied on for any extended period. But it does allow time for the pilot to find a rock or chocks as required.

BC0979 nope, no problem with the park brake draining down. It could only do that if there is a leak up at the park brake letting air in to replace the the fluid as it drained down.

PS: If you register your build with ICP, you get access to Maintenance Manual updates etc I reccomend it.