David19 Posted September 6 Posted September 6 Hi everyone I started flying the Savannah S recently. I would sure appreciate any good tips from y'all. Especially some books,flight manuals, airmanship manuals recommendations.
Neil_S Posted September 6 Posted September 6 53 minutes ago, David19 said: Hi everyone I started flying the Savannah S recently. I would sure appreciate any good tips from y'all. Especially some books,flight manuals, airmanship manuals recommendations. Hi David, Congratulations! I have been flying my Savannah S for over 10 years - it's a really enjoyable plane to fly. The appropriate manuals can be downloaded from ICP's website. What sort of information are you looking for? There are a number of Savannah pilots on this site. If you give us some background information about yourself (how many hours you have, what other planes have you flown, what is your "mission" flying the Savannah e.g. breakfast fly-ins, short hops, long cross country etc) then we should be able to offer relevant advice. Cheers, Neil 1 1
David19 Posted September 6 Author Posted September 6 Before flying the savannah s (7hrs currently), I flew, and still flying, the IS 28 B2 glider. Basically, after finishing the pilot school at Aeroclubul Romaniei, I wont be able to afford buying a savannah or rent an aircraft for an extended period of time, so I am not looking for some very specific documentstion. I just want to get better at this thing, thats all. I am looking for a good airmanship manual and a "mentality builder" manual. Also any tips for a beginner are more than welcome. Thank you for your answer Cheers, David 1
Neil_S Posted September 7 Posted September 7 Hi David, OK - so are there any specific areas of flying the Savannah that you want some tips on? I suspect you will already have found the Savannah glides like a brick! Does it have the 100hp or the 80hp Rotax, or something else? Do you want stuff like speed over the fence on landing, flap usage etc? Cheers, Neil 2 1
David19 Posted September 7 Author Posted September 7 Hi Neil, The Savannah S I fly on is equipped with Rotax 912 ULS. Can ypu please share with me whatever emergency situations you or your friends encountered while flying the Savannah and how did you solve them
Neil_S Posted September 8 Posted September 8 12 hours ago, David19 said: Hi Neil, The Savannah S I fly on is equipped with Rotax 912 ULS. Can ypu please share with me whatever emergency situations you or your friends encountered while flying the Savannah and how did you solve them Hi David, That's an interesting question - I think I can honestly say in the 10 years I have been flying my Savvy I do not recall any true emergency situations! I service the plane (or get it serviced by a LAME) at the appropriate intervals, and have carried out any ADs etc, so I believe it is structurally sound. It has around 800 hours on the VDO. I have explored the envelope over a period and have the following observations which I hope may prove useful to you. I take off with one stage of flap (using full flap on take off is very much discouraged) and rotate at about 35knots. I accelerate in ground effect, then climb out at between 50 and 60 knots - be careful not to exceed the 60knot flap extension speed. Depending on conditions I frequently get a rate of climb of 1300ft/min or so (solo). On turning base I slow to around 50 knots and extend one stage of flap. I turn final and then slow to about 45knots. I hardly ever use full flap as the Savvy doesn't really need it, and if you need to go around then all you need to do is apply some right rudder as you open the throttle. Side slipping is straightforward, and best done without flaps as you can't really know your speed as the pitot is not aligned with the airflow and you may exceed the VFE. When experimenting with slow flight it is also hard to get an accurate straight and level stall speed as the pitot is not aligned with the airflow - I have had an indicated speed of about 22-23 knots, but I'm not sure how accurate that is. On a BFR one time the instructor said it was hard to stall a Savvy so he took control and did a massive skid, which resulted in a wing drop. This demonstrated that you would have to really mishandle the plane to get such a result. When it comes to (simulated) engine failure on takeoff it is very important to get the nose over and pointing to the ground quickly, otherwise you will lose inertia as the Savvy is a draggy plane. You should really feel that rise in your seat as you bring the nose over. For engine out practice I have found the Savvy glides best (furthest) at about 55knots, but that is dependent on weight. For most of the above I would be solo and my plane would be a bit less than 500kg. Empty weight is about 310kg, I weigh about 60kg, and baggage about 10-15kg. I have the extra wing tanks, giving 140 litres total, which would be around 100kg max with unleaded fuel. Most people would be heavier, and of course a passenger would bring me closer to 600kg. I can't think of anything else atm, but please feel free to ask if I have missed anything you want to know. Cheers, Neil 3 1
David19 Posted September 8 Author Posted September 8 Hi Neil! Thank you for your response Let me know if I understood you correctly: after you rotate, you do not imediatelly start climbing, you accelerate parralel to the ground until you reach 50-60kt, then you start your climb? After takeoff, when do your retract your flaps?
Neil_S Posted September 8 Posted September 8 (edited) 10 hours ago, David19 said: Hi Neil! Thank you for your response Let me know if I understood you correctly: after you rotate, you do not imediatelly start climbing, you accelerate parralel to the ground until you reach 50-60kt, then you start your climb? After takeoff, when do your retract your flaps? Hi David, Yes, that is correct. I lift off as soon as is practicable to avoid stress on the undercarriage (nosewheel in particular) as I'm usually on a grass strip which can be a bit muddy/rough. It's a recognised technique to utilise ground effect to reduce drag while building up speed. It helps any tendency to climb too soon and risk a takeoff stall. Someone I know did exactly that, ie climbed out of ground effect too soon, and wrecked his plane when it dropped a wing. Fortunately he was OK. However, as I said before, do not try and use full flap on takeoff (I know they do it briefly in STOL competitions) because you will increase drag significantly. I start climbing at around 50kts. I retract flaps when 200ft AGL, and still below 60kts VFE. HTH Cheers, Neil Edited September 8 by Neil_S Moved text 3 1
David19 Posted September 9 Author Posted September 9 Thank you Neil, your help is very much appreciated! Fly safe!
Neil_S Posted September 9 Posted September 9 4 hours ago, David19 said: Thank you Neil, your help is very much appreciated! Fly safe! Hi David, No worries! Glad to hear it's been of help. Let us know how you get on flying the Savannah and any issues you encounter - we would like to hear! Cheers, Neil 2
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