Chukcha

This is actually an A-20, not A-22. And it was a nice surprise, too - I was pretty sure that there were no A-20's in Australia, at least none was imported into the country through the regular channels.

Philthy, thanks for the comment on A.net It is the only aircraft of this type in Australia. The owner bought it in a secondhand shop somewhere in Asia:

I didn't know it was allowed in recreational aviation to carry a photographer strapped to the wing . Excellent photo, Ultralights! Kinda made my day.

Thanks, guys. It is made to look like a radial; actually, I believe, it is a Rotax inside. With pictures of this sort, I always try to catch a glimpse of the pilot if possible :)

Thanks for choosing my photo! Very nice surprise :) . Cheers, Chukcha

This is also Paul Bennet:

Thanks, Phil :) .

Morning in Strahan, Tasmania

At the Jamestown Fly-In & Air Spectacular 2009, Day One.

Andy, Yes, I've written "a couple of passengers", but I actually meant one at a time :) . There are a couple of guys who would love to go up in the Jabiru, but they are a bit too heavy, and taking them up, even if one at a time , would mean really pushing the MTOW. Considering that my own weight is around 95 kilos, I have to be carefull when I fly with a passenger. Andrei

Well, maybe I am :) . I wanted to do it in the J170, but the only one we have was booked out for three Saturdays ahead, and Saturday morning is the only time when I can do it. Only the J160 was available, and I definitely didn't want to wait another three weeks.

I know, but most of my flight only require up to a couple of hours endurance. As I've written above, it is always a compromise, a trade-off - you gain something, but you lose something instead. Yesterday I had to do my BFR. did it in the J160 - it was so nice to fly after the J170...

That was my point exactly. The J170 is supposed to have better short field performance than the J160, but at high approach speed it goes out the window. One thing I do like about the J170 is the higher MTOW and load capacity. I can take up a couple of passenger that seemed to heavy for the J160.

Thanks, David. I'll try it next time. I personally think that my instructor's recommendations of 60 knots approach speed come from the 'better safe than sorry' principal. We have very long runways at YGAW, and he would rather have me float a little than stall it on the approach :) . Thanks everyone for your input, it was interesting to hear other pilot's opinions. Andrei.

Same out of the LSA.

That's exactly what I was doing - 60 over the fence. After starting this thread, I was actually advised to try to approach at 55. As far as I understand, it is not exactly an "upgrade", it is a version aimed at better performance in hotter climates. Seems to be a compromise - gaining in some aspects, losing in others.

HI all, Our club has just swapped the J160 for a J170. I've just tried it out. having gone up with the instructor for the required type conversion, and than I did a couple of solo circuits. Our club used to own a Jabiru LSA, in which I learned to fly. Then we switched to the J160. The new airplane seemed more docile, quite a bit more stable around the vertical axis, albeit it lost some climb performance, being heavier than the LSA with the same engine. The roomier cockpit and extra fuel were welcome changes. One thing I didn't like at all was the electrical flaps, but that, I suppose, is a matter of personal preference. In the end, after getting used to the differences, I quite liked the J160. It was a very nice plane to take a passenger for a ride (provided the pessenger was not too heavy). Now, my first impressions from the J170 were not very favourable. I didn't really notice much difference in the climb performance, but that could be due to many factors such as the amount of fuel, air temperature and humidity; to see the difference, the two aircraft would need to be tested by the same pilot at the same TOW side by side. In the circuit, performance seemed more or less similar to the 160; the ailerons seemed a little heavier. Putting flaps down produced a pronounced nose-down attitude, especially evident on the final; this "nose dive" attitude could easily scare the dickens out of an unexperienced passenger. I approached at 60 knots, flared and it floated ... and floated ... and floated. I've done about ten landings in it so far, and every time it would float, and it seemed forever before it touched the ground. I have no doubt that the Jabiru people did a great job on this aircraft, and all the changes are well justified. Also, I'm not a very experienced pilot, and maybe I've had too little time in the J170 to learn to appreciate its advantages. This is just my first impressions, and in this thread I would love to read opinions of other pilots who switched over from J160 to J170, their impressions and comments. Cheers, Andrei

Thanks guys for the warm welcome. I've had a quick look at the forum contents - wow! My kind of stuff. Hope I have enough time not only to read, but also to participate... Cheers, Andrei

Thanks!

Hi all, The name is Andrei Bezmylov. I'm based in Adelaide, holding a Recreational Pilot License since 2005; flying from Gawler, SA; the types - Jabiru's LSA, J160, and since yesterday - J170. I don't own an aircraft, but hire them from Adelaide Soaring Club. I've been referred here by Philthy, a friend and a fellow Airliners.net photographer. Yes, this is another passion of mine - taking photos of aircraft. Got a few on Airliners.net and on Jetphotos.net... Cheers, Andrei

Hi guys, I'm new here (thanks Philthy for referring), and I have just one question. To qualify for the monthly competition, are the photos supposed to be taken in that month, or can they be from any time in the past? Cheers, Chukcha