Jabiru over water flight

[Stoney]

I have heard a couple of very different opinions regarding over water flight of 20 to 30NM in a Jabiru 230. Being new and inexperienced in RA, I wondered if it is a much bigger deal than in GA aircraft?

 

 

[frank marriott]

If you hire a VH registered one it is GA.

 

 

[pmccarthy]

I believe my RA registered aircraft is just as reliable as a GA aircraft. I have flown to and from Tasmania in both and felt no less secure flying RA. The Rotax 912 is reliable and the aircraft is well maintained. I think you would have to assess your aircraft and be sure that there were no incipient problems with the engine in particular.

 

 

[crashley]

the plane and engine don't knowtheir flying over water although your mind will pick up on every little noise or change if you are confident that your plane could fly 30 miles over trees or 30 miles over wet boggy paddocks I don't see anydifference as long as you take safety in consideration ie wear good life jackets maintain scheds with air traffic control get good weather forecasts etc

 

two of my friends flew their 230 jabs down to Tassie for lunch and back they had a great trip

 

You asked about their being a difference between GA and RAA , as noted before, some jabs are GA, and as long as the maintenance and servicing is done correctly there is no difference

 

 

[Stoney]

You have all made some very good points, thanks for your thoughts. Is there a specific or preferred route to Tassie? It is a trip that I would like to do at some stage.

 

 

[Ultralights]

Nothing wrong with overwater, but be aware of the rules and requirements in regards to Life jackets and life rafts.

 

A flight of more than 30 mins over water at cruise speed, you need a life raft, for example if you have an aircraft that cruises at 120 knots, then you will need a life raft if the over water leg is greater than 60 NM.

 

You will be required to carry and wear a life jacket if your over water leg of the flight is longer than the gliding distance to land. You will also need to meet this requirement regardless of the requirement for a life raft.

 

if flying to Tassie, you can island hop down to Flinders, as every little piece of rock, is still land. and from 4500ft, you can see some form of land all the time.

 

 

[facthunter]

Jabiru 230's have flown to New Zealand via Lord Howe and Norfolk Is. If you do ditch it is likely the plane will turn over with the fixed gear and you should be familiar with the best ditching techniques. Briefly.... into wind, along the swell and min speed for control and don't stall it in. (But learn more). It's all in your risk assessment but the more you prepare the better the result. A jabiru door is unlikely to jamb, which is a help. I'm not keen on overwater flights in a single engine plane , but in life there are risks with a lot of things. You make your choice.Nev

 

 

[turboplanner]

And in terms of the mechanical level, a motivational factor for Bass Strait might be something I was reading the other day - that no pilot who has ditched out in the water in Bass Strait has ever survived. There was one pilot who managed to ditch close to shore and managed to swim it. So it's a 100% commitment.

 

 

[Ultralights]

Flying Bass Straight isnt that daunting, last weekend i crossed it twice, albeit in a Cessna 206 at 180Kts GS. from our cruise height of 4500ft, we could see an island of some sort at all times. and once on Flinders Island, its only a very short over water section to mainland tassie. to be honest, i am more concerned flying over tiger country west of Sydney and the snowy mountain regions.

 

when crossing the straight, its all about preparation, especially the survival gear IF something should go wrong. water ditchings are quite survivable, and statistic show most are, but the waters of the straights are very cold.

 

Also, dont forget about the overwater scheduled radio reporting. every 15 mins. though, at C206 ground speeds, we only ever made the initial report, and within the 15 mins we were over flinders Island.

 

Via King Island, the longest overwater leg was from King Island to Victoria, about 60nm.

 

 

[coljones]

Powerin recently went to Tassie to help pick up the CAGIT. He may be able to help you with tracks, and planning and observations. (Pete, you should post it here)

 

 

[Powerin]

Ultralights has pretty much said it all. It's not as daunting as we imagined. Have the right equipment. Have a plan for ditching. Study the CASA ditching procedures document - download here. As ultra said, on the Flinders Island route you are in sight of an island or rock for most of the time. You plan to do the same as when you are over land, if the fan stops now you will glide towards that rock or that ship. We flew at 7500 or 8500 depending on direction for maximum glide potential.

 

Scheduled radio reporting gives a lot of peace of mind and ATC is quite accommodating but make sure you study the correct procedures for contacting Melbourne centre and requesting skeds in ERSA. Another thing the pilot did was have a live tracking app running on his android smartphone so family and friends could go to a website and follow our path live....although the phone signal dropped out halfway across the Strait once which gave my wife a bit of cause for concern for a few minutes.

 

The trip crossing via King Island is a bit more challenging in that there is virtually nothing but water in between, but there is the odd boat or ship.

 

I haven't quite got my cert yet so I was only a pax...but it is certainly a rewarding thing to do. Tassie is a beautiful place to fly around and the natives are mostly friendly

 

It's not an adventure if there isn't any risk

 

 

[nickduncs84]

Wow. I was literally reading this thread with the TV on when the news update came on with a story of 2 pilots being rescued from Bass Strait. Eerie, but glad they both survived!!

 

 

[Old Koreelah]

It's not an adventure if there isn't any risk

Winner!