Skykits Corporation presents the Savannah
Build log for our demonstrator
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We want you to know that we are
bringing you the best all-metal kit on the market today. To that end, we would like to
show you that the Savannah is as well engineered and as easy to build as we
claim. Accordingly, we kept a log of our building experience
with our demonstrator. On these pages we'll share our observations,
pictures and build time for the various components of the Savannah - right up to
the time of our first flight. Our Savannah kit is in our shop.
We're unpacking the crate
and
sorting the parts into groups such as fuselage, stabilizer, etc. This will
make it easier to find the pieces we need for each sub-assembly.
Here's the opened crate.
Look at those beautifully streamlined wing struts.
Here's the end of the crate with
the boxes of small parts.
Curious, we opened one of those boxes just to take a look.
Notice how every part is cut, formed and drilled.
Here's the manual
so it's time to build.
Prior to our kit arriving, we built a work bench out of two 4'x8' pieces of 3/4" plywood for the top, with strips of plywood for the frame and legs. Screw-out levelers were attached to the leg bottoms so we could get the table level. The plywood and levelers were bought at Home Depot where they also cut the plywood into strips. You can also use 2x4's for the frame but plywood avoids the warping that dimensional lumber is prone to. Our table measures 4 feet by 16 feet with a shelf below. We also have a few folding tables scattered around the shop to hold our tools, rags, etc.
Update 11/06: Several owners use the packing crate as a work bench - after all it's 14' long. We've seen one where the owner cut the top into two pieces and hinged both. He put casters on the bottom and can now move around his garage.
The very first assembly to be
built is the rudder. Although the wings are the first items in the manual,
the
rudder is probably the easiest assembly of all for a beginner so it's not a bad
idea to start there. Indeed it took just 18 minutes to build the frame. Here it is completed and being held together with clecoes.
Now, you see it covered
with the skin held on with more clecoes. 
It took 10 minutes to skin the frame, so total assembly time for the rudder is
28 minutes.
As with every assembly, it will be disassembled, the bar-coded part stickers removed, the parts cleaned with lacquer thinner where they touch each other, have corrosion protection applied (only where parts touch) which comes with the kit, and then be reassembled and riveted together.
Now here is the rudder after it
has been disassembled and cleaned etc. This stage took 2 hours and 25
minutes. It's
been riveted
together including the rolled front end but the plastic tip and part of the back
side have not been riveted. Our Savannah will be registered as an
amateur-built aircraft so the internal structure will have to remain accessible
for the pre-cover inspection by the inspector.
AULA and E-LSA Savannahs aircraft only receive one inspection when they
are ready for flight.
Update 11/06: It is best to
leave the bottom hinge plate off the rudder until it is fitted to the tail as
some adjustment may be needed.
Total time to this point: 2 hours 53 minutes.
Next comes the vertical
stab. Here's the frame completed after 35 minutes.
The skin is
clecoed on after 11 minutes.
Another 1 hour and 46 minutes of cleaning,
corrosion protection,
riveting etc., and
it's complete except for pre-cover inspection.
Total time for the fin
is 2
hours and 32 minutes.
Total time to this point: 5 hours 25 minutes.
The horizontal stab is next.
It's rather wide so here are several pictures of the frame. Here it is
after 45
minutes
After another 20 minutes.
Now the long
period of
time for cleaning, using straps to tighten the nose
skin
riveting
etc., which took
3 hours and 35
minutes and the stab is pretty well
complete. 
It
can
be totally riveted
because the lightening holes in the rear longeron allow for internal inspection. The
stabilizer took 4 hours and 40 minutes.
Total time to this point: 10 hours 5 minutes.
Please Note: About four hours of the above time is taken up by disassembly, cleaning, and painting on corrosion primer. Since the aluminum in the kit is 6061 T6, and a can of Corrosion-X can be sprayed into the assemblies once they are painted outside, adding the corrosion primer is theoretically wasted time. However, it can't hurt. It would also be possible to paint them before assembly with the only catch being that if you aren't familiar with the part, you might paint the wrong side and have to redo it.
Okay, now onto the
elevator. Each new assembly reveals the quality
of the engineering. Everything fits together so well and every part is
designed
for maximum strength. Here's
the
center of the elevator frame.
Looks just like the drawing.
And here's the
completed
frame.
Again, just like the manual.
Time equals 20 minutes. 32 minutes
later, both upper and lower skins are
on.
Took a little longer because the
skins came
laser cut like this
and had to be snipped and the little holding
tabs filed. The rectangle
to the lower left is the skin for the trim tab. 55 minutes
were spent installing the trim tab servo in the wing
and building the trim tab.
2 hours and 40 minutes later, after disassembly, cleaning, corrosion protection and riveting back
together the elevator is built as far as possible until pre-cover inspection.
Total time spent on the elevator is 4 hours and 27 minutes.
Note: Remember that only amateur-built Savannahs require that you leave the internal parts accessible for viewing. All others can be completely closed up.
Total time to this point: 14 hours 32 minutes.
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