Saturday, February 16, 2019

A quick look at the ICP Savannah

The ICP Savannah is a high wing, single engine, recreational sport aircraft with side-by-side seating for two. Produced in Italy, the Savannah can be supplied to customers or importers / representatives as a ready-to-fly aircraft, or kit-form to be assembled by an amateur builder.

The Savannah can be flown by recreational pilots as a basic aircraft, or if owners are prepared to spend additional money, can be improved. Current available variants are the S and XL.

Improvement options can include (but not limited too) the addition of a digital cockpit to provide the pilot with more information, communication upgrades, enhancements to the engine or undercarriage which can include the fitment of larger, more rugged tyres, as well as a variable-pitch propeller instead of the standard fixed-type propeller.

If obtained in kit-form to be assembled privately - an engine, propeller, VHF / UHF radio and paint are not included therefore need to be sourced to complete the aircraft. The Savannah is generally powered by either a 80hp or 100hp Rotax engine, although there are other engine suppliers available such as Jabiru. 

Information from the manufacturer suggests the general cruise speed of a 100hp Rotax powered Savannah complete with vortex generators (VG) to the upper-front section of the wings, designed to improve the angle-of-attack before stalling, is 90 knots, with a maximum speed of 95 knots. It is recommended for the speed to never exceed 108 knots though. Stall speed with full flaps is a very slow 26 knots, although approach speed is about 35 knots.  

The maximum range of the Savannah with standard fuel tanks is listed as approximately 355nm / 657km. 

In Australia, the importer / supplier of ICP Savannah light sport aircraft is Aerokits : http://aerokits.net.au/