Kyle Communications

Made and fitted a equipment tray to mount the RDAC and other things on to make it easy to get to all the wiring. Seeing the dash is hinged and I must say I quite like it..think I will do the same on the S-21. The tray is quite light made from 25 thou sheet and the segmented strips you use for the fin and elevator cap mounting strips riveted to it. Its quite strong and it slides in over the side rails on the bottom side. The top sheet is on the top of the bend rail and it is clamped with a small 3mm strip at each side so it all can be removed with 4 bolts Now I can start to do some wiring. Drew out my schematic last night. I will have a master just using the key which then turns on a 80 amp relay to power the buss. I have a starter button for the starter motor and not using the original switch for that function. Only using it for the master Danny and myself have also come up with a really nice feature to the electric fuel pump which I will write about shortly that takes away forgetting to turn it on or off

Got the engine pretty much all dressed back up and it is now mounted onto the engine mount.The ring mount on a savannah is packed between the engine mount and the ring mount to get the correct offset for the engine. This helps to line up to the centre of the cowl. The engine mount is made off square to account for the engine offset so then you have to offset the ring mount to bring the front of the engine back to the centre. The original washers I didnt take note of when I pulled it apart but seeing that the firewall wasnt square to the centrline of the fuselage that would havet made any difference. So dragged out the trusty laser I have to set the offset. Started running a line straight down the middle of the aircraft shooting from the dead centre of the back and using the centre rivet lines on the rear fuselage as a datum. To my surprise (not) my aircraft is actually straight now 🙂 not like when it was originally built. I placed a rivet in the centre rivet of the top of the firewall rivet to give me the centre reference at the front and lined the laser up along the rivets and it was all very spot on. The laser is mounted high at the back so the vertical will shoot though the cabin and out to the engine gearbox. You should be able to see in the pictures. I had to fit 4 of the AN washer to the top left engine mount and this has lined the centre of the engine to within about 0.5mm so thats close enough for me another washer would make it too far I think. Then I set the rear of the aircraft to level along the top rear of the fuselage and set the laser to make sure the engine didnt have any "nod" angle. You can see with the laser it is perfectly level with the datum on the aircraft so there is only side thrust and no up or down thrust so I didnt have to adjust it. Looks like I need to order another 800/6.00 tube for the front wheel as it must have a hole in it...it was the orginal tube and I was going to replace it anyway. I will start wiring the avionics next I think this week. Now she is on the wheels it will be easier in the cabin to work. Once thats done then I will fit the twin stick mechanism...I have to still make new operating sticks yet and I havent made up my mind the final shape..still thinking about it.

Bruce they are developing and testing now a prop for the Jab engines. It has been a long time in development so I think they are doing something similar. I know with the Eprop if you push the throttle too fast on takeoff the prop can almost cavitate which means it does have some flex. This is why it seems to work more like a constant speed type. We noticed it with the very first prop I got in. After a couple of flights that was the comment "this is more like a CS prop the way it works"

Its been a couple of weeks now since the fuselage has come back from paint. Had alot of "other" stuff happening around here but have managed to get a bit done. Got the rudder pedals installed The dashcut out and mounted on the hinged panel. Instruments and switches etc all fitted. New axels that my mate were made fitted beautifully, cleaned the brake assemblys so they actually slide now.Got a pair of new turfglide tyres and tubes. Was a drama fitting them. Had to drill new holes for the tube stems as they were not in the middle of the tube and the tyres were very hard to get onto the rims. 3 nights involved and lots of swearing. Had to get Danny to give me a hand with them. All mounted to the UC and the UC fitted so I could get the fuselage on its wheels finally. Got the motor back from the big bore fitting. So have been putting all the parts back onto the engine. Checked the pickup gaps and 2 were 10 thou and the other 2 were 12 thou so they were adjusted to both be 10 thou before I put the engine into the ring mount. New CDI modules and oil filter done. Replaced the oil pressure relief valve with the new type mushroom head style. Replaced all the plug caps...the spark leads looked all fine and just finished today fitting all new water hose and clamps top and bottom.. Turned up 8 alu tapered washers for the engine mount rubbers so that the engine mounts actually work how they are supposed to. Not the big flat steel washers that ICP supply that dont let the rubber mounts do their job. Got to chase up some new mounting bolts for the ring mount to the engine mount then I can get the engine back on and start fitting all the other parts like oil cooler and radiator etc. Have to replace the fuel pump yet..may have found the one Rotax supplies but after market which saves about $200 especially when I have to get another for the RANS engine as well. I only put some basic paint on the fuselage and I will flash it up a bit with some vinyl. Got another Jabiru static port and will get that fitted to the top of the fin this weekend as well. Once the engine is on and it is sitting on its wheels proeprly it will also make it easier for me to wire up the avionics. The panel looks a bit bare but I have everything I need and the Ipad is a larger one I am going to use as I am over the Ipad mini being not big enough. I got a ram mount to suit the Ipad Air 3 that I will use and I will 3D print a tapered block it will mount to that will offset it from the dash so it angles toward the pilot You may notice I have a centre throttle. Its a McFarlane one. As I have twin sticks this will help me to get used to using a centre throttle as this is what the RANS S-21 is setup as 90% done ...90% to go

Well I thought the usual one was "You can sell anyone a sh#t sandwich so long as it looks good" "😇

It came out at 6.30 tonight..it hasnt been released yet. I expect more to come of course. Dont know what video you are watching Skippy but its the same aircraft. They claim in the video better takeoff roll, better climb and 3 to4 kph faster...same aircraft same weight same day same conditions I am sure Eprop have consulted with Rotax on the numbers they require for all modes of flight. Eprop are no dills. IF YOU adjust it as they say in their fitting and running instruction then you will get the performance they quote and also we have seen the difference in performance in the ones fitted here. It all goes back to rule #1 ....RTFM

First video out on the new Constant Speed Prop

From the Rotax forum..where there are some very good Rotax experts

The Eprop line are developed for the engine and gearbox as well. You will see the selection chart on their website asks you what version of gearbox you have. There are ones designed for different engines to take advantage of wich engines HP and also gearbox ratio...I think they know what they are doing and this is why you set the prop up to "THEIR" specifications not what your specifications are or you think they should be. Everyone who has set the prop as per the instructions has had a substantial increase in performance..the 2 that I know of who set it up their way...well they didnt get any improvement that every other aircraft got. RTFM .......Read the instructions...where have I heard that before

The 5800 is only for takeoff phase thats all and in the scheme of things that is 1%of the flight envelope. 5500 is max continuous rpm. The eprop has been designed to give max efficency at that rpm range. The new CS prop being released next month will have different blades for sure. I will know when my demo arrives. Then you can go 5800 of course for that very short period on takeoff.

yes the wings and other bits are a fair way from the fuselage...looks like a inflight breakup

Those test results are run as if running a CSU type prop engine rpm not a fixed pitch prop. The Eprop is setup very differently. I have more than 25 people who can attest that they are at least 5kts and some up to almost 15kts better than the originals they had on the aircraft. A fixed pitch prop is setup very differently as you well know

AcroDuster..thats hangared near me. Pilot did not survive 😞 RIP blue skys https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-08-18/search-for-plane-in-distress-off-bribie-island/100386296

Doesnt look good. Brisbane Times report a crash west of Bribie Island near Coochin Creek. The picture looks like it maybe a Pitts special from Caboolture...not sure though. I hope not as I think it maybe the one 2 hangars down from mine

Try with a std Rotax first then if you need more grunt then do the bolt on HP with a big bore kit. Maybe also add a CSU later. I think adding a turbo later is a much bigger job and a lot of testing and fiddling to get it right. I know Todd has had a few issues from time to time with his turbo "add on" that required a lot more fiddling as he did have some issues and he had to do a lot of tuning to get the wastegate etc right. At least you can do this with a Rotax...cant do it with a Jab engine...I havent seen any bolt on and go HP increases for those engines

Glenn Just look over in the USA. They are flying all sorts of aircraft in the LSA and Experimental also Jabs in far higher DA than your talking about. I think you are stressing way too much over the facts and figures...we all know that what you put on paper is maybe not so in the real world. So many I know over there their takeoff std height altitude is 6000 or 7000 ft so the DA is far worse in their summer and all have no difficulty doing lots of flying. Look at Youtube for Gravity Knight Flying. Todd used to have S6 with a std 912ULS and his home airfield is over 6000 ft and he flys 10 to 12k ft all the time. He has since added stuff to his engine and also now a different aircraft but his previous hundreds of videoes were done with a bog stock 912ULS. Just stick a rotax in it and go fly...I really dont think you will be dissapointed

HA got nothing on mine...the wrecked Savannah I bought to repair was built by 2 LAME and it was disgusting in how it was built and the attention required...not to mention with a all CNC kit if it doesnt fit that means you have done something wrong. I totally pulled the aircraft apart to every single piece and remade all the parts..on my rebuild blog you will see some examples of the "workmanship" they used to build I believe 13 other kits. There are very very few LAME that I would trust to ever touch my aircraft

Not yet skippy...only what is on the website After the release early next month I expect a lot more detail

This was a long time ago about the incident above. Bolly were trying to develop a all carbon 2 blade for the Jabs. They have it solved now. The Eprop one is still in testing but not too far from being released. There is a airshow in France next month that Eprop is releasing the CSU version so maybe it maybe released there as well

It says you dont need a primer for the hammertone but I did spray a etch primer on it first

I just painted my dash plate last night with hammertone gray 🙂 The Girlfriend the first dash was painted hammertone gray as well I like it...but a later dash I made I got powder coated in hammertone..that was really nice. The dash I have made now is only a interim one I maybe changing the arrangement. The final dash will be powder coated again

The one supplied for the Sav is only a single lead either side. Just dont use the other 2 if you dont want. As I said that 50amp is the last resort fuse...it protects basically against a dead short for anything past that solenid connection

Need to do at least 5hrs conversion from RAA to RPL

They must have changed them..I used them years ago on 4WD comms systems...they were a hell of a lot heavier than any lead acid battery..they had a steel outer case

yes but it may as well be a boat anchor with their weight..they weigh about 9 or 11kg