ICP Savannah

Savannah
Role Two seat ultralight
National origin Italy
Manufacturer ICP srl, Castelnuovo don Bosco
Status in production
Number built 650 sold (excluding Vimana)


The ICP Savannah is a high wing, single engine, ultralight with side-by-side seating for two produced in Italy by ICP srl. It has sold in large numbers, particularly in Europe. The Savannah is in production, sold in both kit and ready to fly form.[1]

Design and development

The Savannah is a conventionally laid out two seat aircraft which can be bought in ready to fly or kit form. It is commonly registered as a light-sport aircraft in the United States and as an ultralight elsewhere. It has much in common with the Zenith CH 701, though the Savannah has a different empennage; later versions have further diverged from the Zenith, particularly in the wing design.[2] Manufacture (both ready to fly and kits) is done in the ICP premises located in Castelnuovo Don Bosco (Piedmont, Italy), where the firm moved on September 10, 2009[3] from the original plant in Piovà Massaia.

Structurally, the Savannah is a metal semi-monocoque. Most variants have a constant chord wing like that of the Zenith, with flaps and ailerons combined into Junkers-style flaperons. The Savannah Advanced has a shorter, tapered wing. Early variants retained full span leading edge slats, later replaced with vortex generators. The high wing is braced to the lower fuselage with a V-pair of struts on each side. At their base, the spatted mainwheels of the tricycle undercarriage are mounted on cantilever legs.[2][4] The Savannah can be mounted on Kevlar/carbon fiber floats; swapping from land to water gear takes about 150 min.[5] An alternative floatplane version, using amphibious floats, was called the Savannah Hydro.[2]

Savannahs have been powered with a variety of small engines in the 35-70 kW range. The cabin seats two side by side under the wing, the newer XL version having increased width and enhanced glazing. Aft, the fuselage is flat sided, with the underside rising towards the tail. The rectangular tailplane and elevators, which use a conventional airfoil unlike that of the Zenith, are set at the top of the fuselage with the rudder running between the elevators to the keel. Fin and rudder are straight tapered and slightly swept.[2]

Zenith STOL CH 701 designer Chris Heintz considers the Savannah an unauthorized copy of his design.[6] Despite this, ICP and Zenair began a partnership in 2012 whereby ICP assembles the ready-to-fly version of the low wing Zenair 650Ei, an evolution of the AMD Zodiac, for the European market.[7]

Operational history

Sales, beginning around 2000, had by 2010 reached 650 aircraft or kits. As of mid-2010 there have been about 513 Savannahs and Bingos on the registers of European countries west of Russia.[8][9] Smaller numbers fly in North America, where the agents was Skykits Co.,[5] replaced in 2011 by I.C.P. Aviation North America, LLC (ICPANA),[10] and elsewhere.

It is expected that the total number of ICP aircraft (all models, mainly Savannah and Bingo) produced will exceed 2,000 units by the end of 2011.[11]

In 2008 an order from the Indian Air Force was expected.[2]

Variants

ICP Savannah

Data from Jane's All the World's Aircraft 2010/11[2]

Bingo 503
37 kW (50 hp) two cylinder in line, two-stroke Rotax 503 engine.
Super Bingo
First flown 19 October 2001. 68 kW (92 hp) two cylinder in line, geared Simonnini Victor 2 engine.
Bingo 4T
Introduced 2003. 45 kW (60 hp) two cylinder horizontally opposed four-stroke HKS 700E engine.
Vimana
Introduced 2006. Current production, 2011. Optimised for STOL performance, with the Savannah ADV wing with double-slotted Fowler flaps, leading edge slats, single bracing struts and a slimmer fuselage. Powered by the 74 kW (99 hp)) Rotax 912 ULS four-stroke engine. It is marketed in North America as the Rampage.[1]
Savannah ADV
Model with redesigned tapered wing of 8.00 m (26.25 ft) span and 9.40 m2 (101.18 sq ft) area, with full-span flaperons.[1]
Savannah VG
Introduced 2007. Current production, 2010. Wing with leading edge slats replaced by vortex generators; stalling speed 50 km/h (31 mph). Engine choices: 74 kW (99 hp) Rotax 912 ULS flat four; 60 kW (80 hp) Jabiru 2200 flat four; or the 60 kW (80 hp) Suzuki G10 three cylinder inline.[1]
Savannah XL
Savannah XL
Introduced 2009. Current production, 2010. As Savannah VG but with cabin width increased by bulged, transparent doors; transparent cabin roof; revised windscreen and cowling lines. Known in North America as the Savannah VGW.[5]
Savannah S
New 2010 model, with rounded tail fuselage corners, derived from XL.[1]

Specifications (XL - Jabiru engine)

Data from Jane's All the World's Aircraft 2010/11[2]

General characteristics

Performance


References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Bayerl, Robby; Martin Berkemeier; et al: World Directory of Leisure Aviation 2011-12, page 60. WDLA UK, Lancaster UK, 2011. ISSN 1368-485X
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Jackson, Paul (2010). Jane's All the World's Aircraft 2010-11. Coulsdon, Surrey: IHS Jane's. p. 395. ISBN 978-0-7106-2916-6.
  3. ↑ ICP srl (10 September 2009). "Inaugurazione". Archived from the original on 20 March 2012. Retrieved 2 October 2014.
  4. ↑ Jackson, Paul (2000). Jane's All the World's Aircraft 2000-01. Coulsdon, Surrey: Jane's Information Group. pp. 305–6. ISBN 0-7106-1898-0.
  5. 1 2 3 "Skykits". Retrieved 2010-11-26.
  6. ↑ Zenith Aircraft Company (n.d.). "STOL CH701". Archived from the original on 9 August 2014. Retrieved 15 May 2012.
  7. ↑ ULM Technologie (2012). "A new collaboration between ICP and Zenair". Retrieved 2 July 2012.
  8. ↑ Partington, Dave (2010). European registers handbook 2010. Tonbridge, Kent: Air Britain (Historians) Ltd. ISBN 978-0-85130-425-0.
  9. ↑ "UK registered Savannahs". Retrieved 2010-11-26.
  10. ↑ "ICPANA". Retrieved 2011-11-06.
  11. ↑ Volare magazine (in Italian). 328. Editoriale Domus S.p.A. April 2011. p. 58.
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