Skykits Corporation presents the Savannah

Build Log: Page 3                                 

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                                                                                    Total time to this point:  36 hours 27 minutes. 

Next to be built are the slats.  First, three parts are assembled for the slat supports.  Here they are completed, ready to cleco to the skin.  These

parts are exactly as they came in the kit.  Notice the quality of the manufacturing and the applied corrosion protection.    This

picture shows  the ribs clecoed to the skin    and then the skin is folded around the ribs and clecoed to itself.

   Here are top and bottom pictures of the finished slat.      Time to complete
this inboard slat was 2 hours and 5 minutes.  Now the other three sections of slat are assembled and riveted.  The ends are left open for
inspection and the four sections will later be joined together in pairs yielding a full length slat for each wing.  Here are the four completed

sections    which were assembled in 7 hours and 45 minutes.

                                                                                    Total time to this point:  44 hours 12 minutes. 

All the flying surfaces are put aside now waiting for the strobe/nav/tail lights to get here. Once that wiring is installed in the wing and the pre-cover inspection is completed, everything can be closed up.  It's time now to move to the rear fuselage.  The rudder cables are run through guides in the
ribs.  The cables are precut, rigged with guides and corner supports and nico-pressed closed.  Here's how the cables are supplied in the kit. 

  The ribs are assembled with the cables run through them like this.    Now the ribs are clecoed to the bottom skin which

has had the pre-drilled longerons installed and riveted.    Total time was 4 hours and 30 minutes.  The side skins are then added.  

Notice the corrosion protection.  Finally the top skin and longerons are clecoed into position.    That's another 5 hours and 45
minutes.  Then the entire fuselage is riveted together.  That's a lot of rivets!  It took 6 hours and 5 minutes and the completed rear fuselage looks

like this.    By the way, those corrugations aren't just for looks.  If the skin were flat, the plane would be very noisy as the wind would make the side walls oil can and flap. Noise is a big complaint with some other all-metal kits but the Italians have ingeniously solved the noise problem with the corrugations, thus making the Savannah a very quiet airplane.  Total time to build the rear fuselage was 16 hours and 20 minutes.

Update 11/06:  The Savannah built here has a gross weight of 1102lb.  Newer Savannahs have a gross weight of 1234lb.  This was accomplished by adding two more ribs to the fuselage than what you see here along with some stiffeners.  

                                                                                  Total time to this point:  60 hours 32 minutes. 

The front fuselage is a little more complicated since it has all the controls and the firewall.  Here's the floor and side walls cleaned, corrosion applied

and assembled after 3 hours and 25 minutes.    Another 3 hours and 15 minutes and the same work is completed on the firewall. 

Here's the firewall from the front     and the rear.      That silver tipped black pole is the flap lever.  Total time spent
so far on the front fuselage is 6 hours and 40 minutes. 
 

                                                                                Total time to this point:  67 hours 12 minutes.
 

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