The Savage Shock•Ultra
Why The Shock Ultra Stands Out8Hyper-STOL wing profile for short takeoff & faster rate of climb
- Double slotted fowler flaps for low-speed control; optional leading edge wing slats
- Oversized outboard shock absorbers to tame the landings
- Flattened landing flare lets you see the landing site
- Stall speed of 18 mph (solo) and 24 mph (dual)
- Basic empty weight of 725 lbs
The Shock Ultra achieves outstanding performance with the standard Rotax 912 ULS engine. Other engine options are available.
What Makes A Better Bush Plane?
- Short takeoffs. There’s not much runway where we’re going.
- Quick climbout. To clear surrounding terrain.
- Short landings. The shorter the better.
- Tame landings. Good control with minimal touchdown rebound.
- Safe slow flight. Low stall speed, spin resistance.
- Easy to fly. Responsive controls & ergonomic design.
- Simple, strong construction, repairable in the field.
A Brief Video Intro To The Savage Shock Ultra
A Shocking Development
It has been several decades since Piper’s PA-18 SuperCub set the bar for bush flying. Since then a series of technological and design innovations have enhanced the off-runway performance of cub-like aircraft with more power, lower weight, added lift, better control and braking.
But one vital component—suspension—is too often overlooked.
The Shock Ultra gets it right with custom hydraulic, outboard shock absorbers and suspension geometry integrated into main and tail landing gear, virtually eliminating the problems of touchdown rebound and ground hop that are all too common with traditionally sprung cabane landing gear. The gear position is also moved forward to enhance braking capacity with less risk of overturning. As a result, the Shock Ultra lands and taxis with remarkable control and stopping power.
Command of a vehicle on the ground depends upon constant contact between the tires and the surface. Race cars and off-road competitors go to elaborate lengths to balance weight, spring rate and shock damping in order to keep the tires on the ground no matter how rough the surface, or how strong the offsetting forces. Springs, bungee cords or polymer buffers alone will not do this. They may be adequate for light GA airplanes operated on maintained runways, but landing on river banks, mountain slopes and ultra-short fields demands more, and the Shock Ultra delivers.
Experience A Soft Landing
Call (501) 228-7777Your first landing in a Shock Ultra will be unforgettable. The energy absorbing capacity of outboard shocks and fat bush tires just has to be experienced.
No more “Touchdown Rebound!”
A Hyper-STOL Wing
The Shock Ultra’s radically improved wing is a critical feature of the airplane. Here is a summary of new features:
- Customized hyper-STOL wing profile with 6” added chord length, new spars, stamped aluminum ribs, strengthened attachments and other structural improvements
- Tested to more than 1,600 pounds @ 6g for over 2 minutes without deformation.
- Square wing tips and wing tip fences to control tip vortex and reduce drag.
- A 40% increase in aileron surface, together with refined airflow design, allow the pilot to keep full control authority at extremely low speed on approach.
- Double slotted fowler style flaps with extended surface area 70% larger than the baseline. These can be equipped with mini vortex generators installed inside the vane.
- The pitching moment generated by the flaps results in a lower nose attitude on approach, allowing the pilot to see the landing area.
- Significantly increased lift coefficient provides noteworthy performance in landing and takeoff.
- Vortex generators available for the wings, rudder, flaps and horizontal tail.
- Standard light weight wing slats pivot in response to airflow, slowing the airplane to very low speed. This simple slat device was developed and extensively tested in Alaska to minimize cruise speed reduction.
- Over 3” additional aft extension of the rudder and elevator surface area to balance the moment from the new wing design.
Just imagine...
Actually you don’t have to imagine! In the Shock Ultra you’ll fly into (and out of!) remote situations that were otherwise inaccessible. Take it, fly it, go where you want to go.
More go in a light-weight package
The airframe is reinforced and refined, with more headspace and elbow room, easier ingress and ergonomic design. The forward airframe is engineered to handle up to 141hp and outboard shock mounts.
Zlin super-sized the elevator and rudder, fundamental elements in ultra-slow flight.
The stabilizer’s vertical travel, with its new jack screw trim system, is increased to balance the angle of incidence of the hyper-STOL wing.
Thin composite seats are tough and comfortable.
A Winning Tradition
There is a reason why more than 90% of the two-seater aircraft in Alaska are tube and fabric taildraggers with tandem seats, the traditional decades-old construction.
Bush flying is not about getting there fast, it is about getting in and out of places where fast planes dare not go.
Imagine having to land in extreme circumstances in an airplane designed for well-kept runways, and constructed of materials that are difficult to repair in the field. In the bush, simplicity is a virtue.
The Shock Ultra preserves this winning tradition of bush plane design while pushing the boundaries of technology to improve performance where it counts.
Record-setting speed
How does a fabric and tube taildragger presume to set speed records? By flying slow, so slow that a descent in a headwind can appear to be almost vertical.
With its low stall speed the slat-winged Shock Ultra is a whole new experience in low/slow flight.
It’s so much more fun to fly slow!
What does it all mean?
Safety First—The slat-winged Shock Ultra is spin-resistant, easy to control and less dangerous in a stall. Its stall angle of attack is so high that the chance of an inadvertent stall on takeoff or approach is greatly reduced.
Remote Access, dependable low-speed control, a hyper-STOL wing, a robust airframe, a dynamic energy absorbing landing gear and bush wheels benefit the pilot in the most critical phases of flight—approach, landing, takeoff and climb.
Features of the Nomad Shock Ultra
Fuselage |
Complete 4130 reinforced fuselage |
Reinforced "U" welded frame cabin for maximum headroom & protection |
Lifetime Dacron covering |
Undercarriage |
Side mounted, long-stroke, shock absorber suspension system |
Extended reinforced landing gear & cross truss cabane system |
6" aluminum wheels and brakes |
21"Aero Classic 8.5x6 tires and tubes |
11" tail wheel mounted on triple reinforced tail springs |
Piper PA-18 style flying rods (not wires) tail bracing |
Wing & Tailfeathers |
Piper PA-18 style, 6" extended chord wing, with square tips and aluminum edge fences |
Carbon fiber leading edge wing slats (optional) |
Four independent airfoils |
Elevators and rudder extended |
Piper PA-18 style electric jackscrew stabilizer trim system |
Gap seals installed between wings/ailerons, stabilizer/elevator |
Aluminum ailerons extended |
Aluminum reinforced dual fowler style flaps |
Aluminum lower wing tank protection above main wheels |
Engine, Prop & Fuel |
100hp Rotax 912 ULS engine with water-cooled heads. Other Rotax engines available up to 141hp. |
Radiator cooled oil system |
Aux fuel pump (electric) |
Fuel drain system |
Fuel system filter |
Oil inspection door |
Standby starter back-up jump wire and stud |
Dual aluminum engine access doors with quick connect thumb fasteners |
72” propeller, 2-blade |
18-gallon dual aluminum tank fuel system |
Low point fuel drain with backup gascolator |
Cockpit |
Tilting front & rear seats |
Four point safety harnesses |
Complete wooden floorboards |
Baggage area w/cargo net |
2-12V auxiliary outlets |
Dual adjustable air vents for pilot and co-pilot |
Controls |
Control sticks, pilot & co-pilot, with PTT |
Rudder pedals & toe brakes, pilot & co-pilot |
Throttle, pilot & co-pilot |
Elevator trim, pilot |
Flap lever mechanism |
Instrument Panel |
Analog engine instrumentation (fuel shut off, starter switch, main switch, dual ignition switches, instrument switch, engine RPM, oil temperature, oil pressure, cylinder head temperature, EGT temperature, direct reading individual tank fuel gauges) |
Analog VFR flight instrumentation (AS, ALT, MC, VVI, hour meter, voltage display) |
406 Mh emergency locator transmitter |
Re-settable circuit breakers |
Performance & Specifications
Performance of the Shock Ultra equipped with the Rotax 912 ULS (100hp).
Engine | 100hp Rotax |
Prop | 2-blade 72" |
MTOW | 600/650 kg |
Load Factor | +6 -3 |
Max speed, with slats | 112 mph |
Never Exceed (VNE), with slats | 115 mph |
Cruising speed 75% | 87 mph |
Climb rate | 1000 fpm |
Stall speed, solo | 18 mph |
Stall speed, dual | 24 mph |
T/O distance, solo | 90 ft |
T/O distance, MTOW | 160 ft |
LDG distance, solo | 51 ft |
LDG distance, MTOW | 105 ft |