World Aircraft Company VISION compared with Savannah XL / S and Zenith CH-750

[eightyknots]

 

I find the World Aircraft Company's Vision aircraft an interesting plane, designed by Max Tedesco. It's quite an interesting exercise to compare this with two other planes that Tedesco had a hand in designing: the Zenith CH-750 which was a design based on the CH-701. The 701 was co-designed with Tedesco and Chris Heintz almost three decades ago. Tedesco then designed a "new and improved" version of the plane, the MXP series which ICP somehow got hold off. This is the basis of the original ICP Savannah. The Savannah itself has undergone changes recently and morphed into either the square fuselage XL or the round fuselage S.

 

I started to draw up a comparison of the three planes when I realised that the World Aircraft website only had limited specifications published on it. I emailed them and today I received enough info to compile this comparison.

 

I trust this will lead to some interesting discussion among interested Forumites

 

 

[Hongie]

haha love icp's quoted cruise of 97knots. Maybe in a dive? i've never seen a airspeed of 97 knots in straight and level flight. maybe if you had it redlined!

 

But the Vision is an attractive looking proposition, design gross of 750 is nice, low stall speed, good glide ratio. Sounds like my kind of aircraft.

 

 

[Kyle Communications]

After repitching my prop for 5600 flat out in straight and level flight I get 97 knots on my VG XL cruise is around 87 kts at 5100 rpm

 

 

[Hongie]

ah righto... maybe its just me then. I only ever rev the one i fly to about 5k. 85 to 87 knots is what i see in cruise aswell

 

 

[Kyle Communications]

I repitched the prop for that speed for a reason. If the throttle cable breaks the springs on the carby pull the engine to flat out. You can only do 5800 rpm for 5 mins but you can run at 5600 all day if you were stupid enough. So it really was a proper reason for it. if I pitched it a bit more maybe it would go faster but the wing section and the rest of the aircraft really isnt built for speed....Cruise is usually around 5000 to 5200 for fast cruise normally I sit at 4900 or 5000 now and that returns around 84 kts I am happy with that for 16 litres a hour

 

 

[Kyle Communications]

As you may have seen the pics I took ..... I saw the Spirit last week. I am hoping the fully made one gets to Monto this weekend I want a sit in it as it is basically the vision as well a flight in it would be even better . The difference is a different wing section and also the much bigger door and view area...also fantastic specs like the Sav

 

 

[rankamateur]

Tom should have a ballot or lottery for a test ride! He would obviously sell one ticket to Mr Kyle.

 

 

[Hongie]

i'll buy a book of em :)

 

 

[Kyle Communications]

Yes Steve he certainly would...although I don't want a spirit I am more interested in the Vision.....I really want to see how good the room is from looking at the other 2 last week they will be super comfy especially for large monsters like myself

 

Are you going up with Reg to Monto?

 

 

[rankamateur]

Leaving first thing (edit: Friday, could have got lonely) Thursday, Mark. Not sure if we are flying direct or we may have some business to attend to on the way. Weather is coming unstuck down here on Saturday so we will probrably be(fun getting home) Saturday.

 

 

[Kyle Communications]

I will get there saturday morning maybe around 8 or 9am....weather will be fine I am sure forecast is too far away for the moment

 

 

[rankamateur]

I am studying farmers weather not air services. Have a look at Saturday on these;

 

http://www.wxmaps.org/pix/aus.vv.html

 

http://www.bom.gov.au/jsp/watl/rainfall/pme.jsp

 

 

[Kyle Communications]

Steve are you trying to tell me your knee is starting to get sore or the small of your back is hurting or is is just the feeling in your wood

 

 

[rankamateur]

I am not feeling my wood. After the wind blew us out of going to ausfly, I am getting itchy to get going though. That might be making me over sensitive about the weather for this weekend.

 

 

[Kyle Communications]

Monday is a public holiday in Qld Steve ....I havent seen that WX website before....usually those fronts slip away to the southeast anyway and its too far out at the moment to see but I will keep an eye on that site tomorrow and see if it changes much. How many times do they say its going to rain 4 or 5 days out and when the time arrives its all blue sky.

 

 

[eightyknots]

In my opinion the CH-750 is clearly the inferior aeroplane out of the three. I couldn't get any official figure on the CH-750s glide ratio but I read of one owner's experience on the internet a few months ago and I understand the glide ratio was pretty poor.

 

The take-off and landing roll is better for the Zenith than either the ICP or Vision but in almost all other respects it ranks third, in my opinion.

 

I also found out -via email- that World Aircraft Corporation won't support 'alternative' engines such as the Viking; they only support the Rotax engines.

 

 

PS: I often wonder how a Sav/Viking combination would go. To me, 110 hp with a better fuel economy for only an extra 6-7 kg is pretty good. Someone in the USA did it, they were taxiing it on youtube but I never heard whether (or how well) it actually flew.

 

 

[eightyknots]

I have seen the takeoff video of the Vision from last Saturday.

 

It's an impressive STOL aircraft, no doubt, using only the length of the piano keys for a takeoff roll of 109 feet (33 metres).

 

 

[Kyle Communications]

where is that video Hank?

 

 

[Kyle Communications]

Hank (80 knots) kindly emailed me the video of the Vision takeoff done by the factory. I won't post it to youtube as it is copyrite of course. But if anyone would like a copy it is 9.5mb .wmv file I am happy to email it. Please either PM me or post your email and I will send it to you.

 

Impressions are there was quite a bit of wind but not sure if it was on the nose of the Vision I would say maybe not by the camera angle so probably a bit crosswind. The aircraft does not have a inflight adj prop so just a standard prop. The pilot trys to haul it off a bit quick and soon realises that it isn't going to fly first up but it does takeoff in 109ft which is still pretty good by most rules. So until we see some more videos it will become clearer but it does look pretty good so far. If you want a copy emailed you need to get it to me before 5.30 pm tomorrow (friday) as I am off to Monto then

 

Mark

 

 

[eightyknots]

Hank (80 knots) kindly emailed me the video of the Vision takeoff done by the factory. I won't post it to youtube as it is copyrite of course. But if anyone would like a copy it is 9.5mb .wmv file I am happy to email it. Please either PM me or post your email and I will send it to you.Impressions are there was quite a bit of wind but not sure if it was on the nose of the Vision I would say maybe not by the camera angle so probably a bit crosswind. The aircraft does not have a inflight adj prop so just a standard prop. The pilot trys to haul it off a bit quick and soon realises that it isn't going to fly first up but it does takeoff in 109ft which is still pretty good by most rules. So until we see some more videos it will become clearer but it does look pretty good so far. If you want a copy emailed you need to get it to me before 5.30 pm tomorrow (friday) as I am off to Monto then

Mark

After Mark leaves (5.30 tomorrow) and you'd like a copy of the video, feel free to PM me with your email address, and I will email you with the clip. The World Aircraft Company told me that it was taken last Saturday. The video is "hot off the press" so to speak.

 

 

[Kyle Communications]

WAC have posted to youtube these 2 videos that were done last week