just landed in the whitsundays

[ianwells]

Thought I better land at last and introdce myself as i've been hanging about the forums for sometime. I presently fly a Driffter 503 from a private strip in the beautiful Whitsundays. I have just started construction of yet another Savannah XL and I'm having a ball with it. There just arn't enough hours in the day to get all those rivets in!

 

I have been following Mark Kyles blog of his XL build very closely, keep up the good work Mark! Have you sused out the wing tips yet?

 

Regards to all

 

Ian

 

Remember "He who dies with most toys WINS"

 

 

[stanzahero]

Greetings ianwells,

 

Welcome aboard.

 

By "yet another", do you mean that this is not your first build?

 

I wish you well with the project. Keep us uptodate with the progress.

 

Stanzahero.

 

 

[Tomo]

G'day and welcome Ian, great to have you. :thumb_up:

 

Private strip on the whitsundays...mmm may have to come visit you sometime :big_grin:

 

I drive Drifters as well, WB 503, and the SB 582 are the most common.

 

 

[ianwells]

Hi Stanzahero

 

this is my first build but one of several that appear to be going on around the country, and on these forums. What a learning curve it is. I didn't realise the building would be so enjoyable, the poor driffter is getting neglected as there's not enough time to fly and build!!

 

Ian

 

 

[ianwells]

Hi Tomo

 

You're always welcome in the Whitsundays, our strip is just south of Proserpine. Great place to fly. Or build planes![ATTACH]12311.vB[/ATTACH]

 

Ian

 

 

 

[winsor68]

Hi Ian and welcome... Are you at Bloomsbury airstrip? You will have to drop into Palmyra when the school is running.

 

 

[ianwells]

Hi Windsor68

 

our strip in just north of Lakeside airpark near midge point, we have flown into Palmyra a few times. I believe that someone will be teaching in a Savannah there soon? I will take a couple of lessonds in one before I test fly mine, this may be sometime away. I think I'd need to get a high performance endorsement for the Savannah anyway!

 

Ian

 

 

[ianwells]

Here's a picture of the strip[ATTACH]12312.vB[/ATTACH]

 

Ian

 

 

 

[Kyle Communications]

Hi Ian

 

This weekend will be big one working on the Sav. Been tied up lately with other stuff but I will be working on fitting the 4 fuel tanks this weekend also will be taking another look at the tips again. Spoke to Peter Elliot at Gympie airport last weekend on the way back from our property he has just finished his XL and as at his landing on sunday had 7 hrs on her anyhow I asked him about doing the tips and he said it was the worst part as well. So I will try to see what I can do this weekend on them. I will take plenty of pics also with the tanks as well there isnt too many pics of that part of the install around either. I know what you say about enjoying the build I just love doing it as I have said I think its great therapy for stress relief :). Keep us all informed with your build there are lots of ways to do things and I am always on the lookout for better ideas and ways to do things as well

 

Mark

 

 

[Guest Maj Millard]

Hi there Ian, Ross Millard with the Lightwing...dropped by just before Monto. Don't stress about the wingtips...there's a trick to them. Will try and drop by soon as I am still over at Air Whitsunday. Also read your excelent article about the trip to Monto, and Im happy you ran into Darryn Dingo................................Cheers Ross

 

 

[dazza 38]

Welcome Ian, nice part of the world you live in.

 

 

[ianwells]

Hi Ross.

 

I had to get the Savannah thing happening as Julie froze her butt off on the way to Monto, It was cold enough on the ground, but up at 5000 feet in the back seat of a drifter in the middle of winter BRRRRRRR!!!!!! Hence the Savannah. A flight in Reg's Maroon one(Queensland colours) with cabin heat did the trick. You can imagine the main subject of conversation on the 3 and 1/2 days it took us to get back home. CABIN HEAT!!!! perhaps weve gone soft or lived in NQ for to long. May have to move further north soon!

 

Just pop in if you are passing over, the build is happening at heathrow, Ther's a file and de-burrer on the table next to the Kettle. See you soon. Ian

 

 

[ianwells]

The Best!

 

 

[Guest Toally87]

Ian

 

That maroon Savy is an Awesome machine, had a burl in it myself at monto.

 

Awesome Pics mate, i went the way of the morgan, have fun with the build.

 

Toally

 

 

[winsor68]

Hi Ross.I had to get the Savannah thing happening as Julie froze her butt off on the way to Monto, It was cold enough on the ground, but up at 5000 feet in the back seat of a drifter in the middle of winter BRRRRRRR!!!!!! Hence the Savannah. A flight in Reg's Maroon one(Queensland colours) with cabin heat did the trick. You can imagine the main subject of conversation on the 3 and 1/2 days it took us to get back home. CABIN HEAT!!!! perhaps weve gone soft or lived in NQ for to long. May have to move further north soon!

I did the trip at ground level on my motorcycle from Mackay... I can tell you it was bloody freezing down below so can only imagine what you guys felt. Still I bet you loved every second of it as I did.

 

 

[farri]

Ian,

 

A shot of my place,area east of the black line,I`m 45 k south of Cairns, if you ever fly up here,come in,the strips 600 mts long.

 

Lat 17.13.110

 

Lon 145.56.087

 

Cheers Frank.

 

 

 

[ianwells]

Hi Frank

 

You're place looks alot like ours! We'll try to get up youre way once the savannah gets launched and we get a bit more range than in the drifter. We did once fly to the northern territory and back in the drifter, but it took three weeks!

 

What are the beaches there like? hard sand?

 

Ian

 

 

[winsor68]

I heard the name Hedge Row (I think) used to name your airstrip today at Palmyra Ian? Is that accurate?

 

 

[ianwells]

The place is called "Heathrow" I think there is a similar size airport with the same name back in pommieland (origionally Heath Row airfield). If there is ever any confusion between London HeathRow (LHR) and Leathebrook HeathRow (LHR) and you want to visit, then ours is the one furthest south!

 

Beware if you do visit you may have to go into a holding pattern as our resident air traffic controler (Drifter Pat) is drifting WAY TOO far soth shortly to Adelaid.

 

I believe that an other one of the Heathrow drifter squadron "Tara" now resides at Palmyra!

 

 

[Guest Maj Millard]

Getting damn hard to find good backseat Drifters-drivers these days isn't it ?...they just don't make them like they used to do they.

 

The trick with the Savvy wing tip is as follows; the rear part of the wingtips goes on as the wing is clad of course, then the wing Leading edges, and finally the foward fiberglass/plastic foward bit. it can be put into place, trimmed and softened a bit with a heat gun to make it fit better. Finally when your happy with how it looks, you'll get the first pop rivit in and drill and position it for the rest. If your good you'll end up with a good fit that won't require too much silicon to seal up and gaps. It comes out looking great if you take a bit of time. After the first one then you have to go over to the other wing, and make the second the same as the first !!...You've chosen a good machine by the way, they fly great and it will be perfect for your short strip.............Cheers ..............Maj...

 

 

[Guest Maj Millard]

Ian some shots of Savvy 19-4206. We did the VG Leading-edge mod prior to leaving Casino. I flew it up to Ingham where it now lives, in 10 hours.(leasurely) Notice the use of the piece of wood and rachet straps for LE skin attachment. This works well to achieve a good fit for the LE d-cell skin. Be sure to also fit the third door fastener, if they haven't already incorporated it into the XL kits. If not used the doors can get ripped off if they open in flight, and damage the tailplane as they depart...........................Ross.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[ianwells]

:confused: sounds easy!

 

 

[farri]

Hi Frank,What are the beaches there like? hard sand?Ian,The beaches are fairly narrow up here, the grey area just above the water line in the photo, is the hard sand, I don`t know of any that you can land on at high tide,most are ok at low tide but it depends on the weather.

 

With a good high tide and some strong wind,Bramston beach and the beach to the north of Russell heads can change from flat to undulated over night,making it almost impossible to land,then almost as fast they will go back to flat again, once the weather changes.

 

Cheers,

 

Frank.