pete8862 Posted June 16, 2011 Share Posted June 16, 2011 Can anyone who owns a 170 Jab or own a 2200 engine give me an honest apprasial of there plane or engine, I here so many stories mostly from people who dont own or fly them, so can some of you jab folk respond please. Pete Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
.Evan. Posted June 16, 2011 Share Posted June 16, 2011 I love flying the J160. Haven't had a chance to fly the J170 yet, but I'd love to give it a go if the opportunity came up! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Jake.f Posted June 16, 2011 Share Posted June 16, 2011 . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
petetheprinta Posted June 16, 2011 Share Posted June 16, 2011 I am purchasing new J170 end of this month. I have done my homework, looked at many aircraft both new and secondhand. I have no interest in building. It is my belief they are excellent value for money, I have flown them at my club for 18 mths and apart from normal and CORRECT servicing they have had no downtime. They are easy to fly, steady and predictable. They are not a go fast plane, they don't look particularly pretty however they are easy to maintain and parts can be sourced overnight. If looked after I believe they are as reliable as anything else flying (LSA).Going by what people are asking for second hand ones they appear to retain their value. (assuming they actually manage to sell them, many seem to be very unrealistic in their asking price, why buy 3- 5 year old second hand for $70,000+ when you can buy new for $80.000). What more could you ask for?? ( I have no affiliation with Jabiru :big_grin:) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
.Evan. Posted June 16, 2011 Share Posted June 16, 2011 Hey Pete, Just for interests' sake, can I ask what reasons are making you look at the 170 presently? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vev Posted June 16, 2011 Share Posted June 16, 2011 Hi Peter, I have a 160 and have done 450 hrs in Jabs and I think they are great. They are strong, easy to work on, cost effective and have great local factory back up. Cheers Vev Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gnarly Gnu Posted June 16, 2011 Share Posted June 16, 2011 I'm with petetheprinta, overall they are a nice solid aircraft and good value for money IMO. As with most things there are items that could be refined, and one would assume these are being worked on. The engines seem OK if you maintain and treat them right and don't overheat the heads; with new heads etc I heard of in the pipeline I believe within a couple of years it will be further improved. For a ground-up design including the engine the aircraft is a tribute to the Jabiru company, one of a dwindling number of Australian manufacturers. But as with any of these things spend some time flying before committing to buy if at all possible. I've spent about equal time in both but prefer the J170 in many ways for purely practical reasons like the extra lift helps in warmer weather with load / two POB & cruise speed doesn't appear to be much lower. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
turboplanner Posted June 16, 2011 Share Posted June 16, 2011 Hi Peter,I have a 160 and have done 450 hrs in Jabs and I think they are great. They are strong, easy to work on, cost effective and have great local factory back up. Cheers Vev Vev, he's talking about the 170, the one with the big long wings, short fuse, little empennage, a magic carpet without the magic in cold weather gusty conditions, some of the things the kit starts to correct. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
petetheprinta Posted June 16, 2011 Share Posted June 16, 2011 I believe they are good value for money, easy to fly, stable in the air, good crosswind/overall performance, strong, reasonably comfortable for driver and passenger, dependable (by my experience,) relatively cheap to run, Good mileage, excellent range, availability of parts, good factory back up, good knowledge base if there are problems, Australian made, can be fitted out pretty well as you like. Easily customised (I build Harleys). I am not saying these are the best aircraft in the world (far from it) but again I stress good value for money. I have been in and flown aircraft sold for twice the price but they are certainly not twice as good. The new design available now should address some of the minor issues that some people appeared to have with handling (quartering gusts etc.) Though I would question those issues as I believe (certainly some at least) were pilot issues, not aircraft issues. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vev Posted June 16, 2011 Share Posted June 16, 2011 G'day Turbo, Yes got that, but Peter also asked about the 2200 engine.... which is what I was mainly answering. Nevertheless, I thought the fuse was the same length as the 160 and the horizontal tail and elevator was bigger (not smaller) and the rudder and vertical tail was the same as the 160 (although a new larger tail/rudder is going into production to replace the retro ventricle fin). Wings are longer by 1.5m ... not a bad thing in warmer climates such as Brisbane where Peter lives. In any case, I still think they are great aircraft and hard to beat, notwithstanding there's always room for improvement with any machine. Cheers Vev Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Relfy Posted June 16, 2011 Share Posted June 16, 2011 I saw the modified 170 that is standard now, at the factory the other day. It has an airfoil section for the fin which is bigger and also the 6 cylinder cowls stretching the nose out by about 40mm, which should help both cooling and performance, like it has with the J120. With it's carrying capacity and 135l of fuel, along with the improved cross wind handling performance, the 170 is a great touring machine and with the constant improvements to the engine (new cylinder nuts, heads etc) it can only get better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
turboplanner Posted June 16, 2011 Share Posted June 16, 2011 OK vev We did cover the 170 in fine detail several months ago, maybe last year. The fuse is short by comparison with other aircraft, agree it's not shorter than the 160. The issue is big leverage due to the moments and small tail fin resistance if a quartering gust hits you about the flare position. You'll see them featured in the magazine now and again. In calm air no issues, and for northern Australia less issues, but with cold denser southern air more pronounced. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
winsor68 Posted June 17, 2011 Share Posted June 17, 2011 I live in North Qld... I am guessing that the one I started my training in was a bit tired but I would like to do some more time in a J170 having had some more experience. As a North Queensland I don't get the bigger wing equates to better performance up north idea... 80hp in my opinion is bugger all in a J170 airframe on a hot day... Like I said the one I flew was a bit tired. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pete8862 Posted June 17, 2011 Author Share Posted June 17, 2011 Hey Pete,Just for interests' sake, can I ask what reasons are making you look at the 170 presently? Hi Evan, I was looking at building or getting a plane that needed repairing but my dear wife has said that if i want a plane it has to be factory built (Idon't think she trusts me to finish a build) Pete Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
.Evan. Posted June 17, 2011 Share Posted June 17, 2011 I was looking at building or getting a plane that needed repairing but my dear wife has said that if i want a plane it has to be factory built (I don't think she trusts me to finish a build) Ha! I think my Wife would tell me the same, however if I was to ever have a chance at owning a plane I'd have to build her a bedroom-sized walk in wardrobe! I believe they're great value for money, look nice and fly nicely. Have you considered a J160? There's plenty of them going at good prices now! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
turboplanner Posted June 17, 2011 Share Posted June 17, 2011 Found the thread: http://www.recreationalflying.com/threads/jab-170-handling-update.23082/ The update should help things. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
petetheprinta Posted June 17, 2011 Share Posted June 17, 2011 Found the thread:http://www.recreationalflying.com/threads/jab-170-handling-update.23082/ The update should help things. That thread is now out of date due to design changes made to new J170. The handling upgrade mentioned was an interim measure whilst certifying new update. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
turboplanner Posted June 17, 2011 Share Posted June 17, 2011 Pete if the new design has less flap and more fin it should provide better insurance against that quartering gust of cold air which only seems to occur when you least expect it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Jake.f Posted June 17, 2011 Share Posted June 17, 2011 . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
winsor68 Posted June 17, 2011 Share Posted June 17, 2011 I reckon the J170 airframe is certainly one of the most practical... 600kgs at close to 100knots (if you polished her lots and lots) for more than 4 hours? Whats not to like. An extra 20 or more horsepower would be nice. Now that would be a great all round Aussie Tourer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Jake.f Posted June 17, 2011 Share Posted June 17, 2011 . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bushpilot Posted June 17, 2011 Share Posted June 17, 2011 The handling issues mentioned above have been addressed in the latest J170 design. If you didnt see it at Temora - here is a pic: http://www.centralwestflying.com/newsart.php?k=36 (click on the photo to enlarge - and, yes, I know there are a couple of typos in the text..). I test-flew this particular 170 and liked it. Ours will be delivered in about 4 weeks time. It will get a real work-out as we do more than 100 hours training and private hire a month in our J160 and J230. The 170 will do a lot of the ab-initio work, so I will report on our in-service experience over time.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
petetheprinta Posted June 17, 2011 Share Posted June 17, 2011 Turbo, that's exactly what they have done also moved motor forward some 40mm thus shifting Cof G forward slightly to have usable storage space (still not much... but more). As for more power, you could always add nitrous or turbocharger that should give you about 50-75% more HP. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
turboplanner Posted June 17, 2011 Share Posted June 17, 2011 Sounds good Bushpilot and Pete Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guy s Posted June 18, 2011 Share Posted June 18, 2011 I have done most of my flying in the 170 and find it a pleasure to fly, the only down side that comes to mind is it could do with an extra 20hp Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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