marcwolf

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Hey thanks so much everyone for the great replies and information! I see what you mean about the cables and curved guides on the J-160, I checked out the kit build manual and they're like oversized, much longer motorbike clutch cables, always going to have some stiction and friction. It's good to hear that the control feel is this mostly just this type. I wonder about lubing, I use a pressure cable lube gadget with this excellent TEF-LUBE oil-and-grease-free spray with excellent results on bikes. Though I do like the idea of control rods better, I think it comes from sports bike riding, I'm used to the really direct and sensitive feel of sports bikes, even at high speed. I'm going to go out and get some more flying time, get used to it, and try some other types too :) Thanks for the tip to not overfly it, I'll really keep that in mind too as I practice. I think soon along the way will be my own active noise reduction headset, I like my good hearing ;) I always wear good earplugs on any motorbike as even there the noise will catch up with you. It's good to hear about the Jabiru's strength and characteristics as a trainer, I'll remember too about the nosewheel when I make progress to landing, cheers. It is some fun to check out the excellent range of aircraft and kits out there while still learning, there's some excellent Australian ones, so nice to see real manufacturers right here in Oz.

Hi everyone, This is my first post :big_grin: and apologies for a big post! I finally went on a trial instructional flight this weekend that I've been wanting to do for ages, it was in a Jabiru J-160C and was a lot of fun and quite an experience! I've been reading and following aviation for quite a while, been on many flights as a passenger in commercial jets and the odd turboprop, plus some excellent times in the cockpit of 747's and 737's for cruise, landings and takeoffs (before 2001 of course). But I'd never flown in any light aircraft at all, or tried flying one myself, though I'd thought about it for ages. I'm an electronics and computer engineer and like to soak up lots of info, think about and know what's going on with whatever I do, I also ride sports motorbikes, trail bikes, some fun racetrack riding and driving. I've built and modified motorbikes and cars so it's been fun to look at and learn about all kinds of GA and LSA aircraft, the airframe, controls, engines and avionics. Checking out all the light aircraft around I was first surprised at the low-ish cost of them, much lower than the $300K+ I just assumed 6 months ago they all were. It makes it really fun to realise that there's a bunch of light aircraft that I could dream about owning one of myself in a few years. So trying out flying the J-160C was cool. I'm not sure it's the 'plane for me' or maybe it was just the feel of this one, some things were quite different than what I expected! I'd love to get your feedback and ideas about it. For fun and inspiration I've been checking out heaps of LSA's, kit or built to narrow down what LSA I may get in the future, reading RA-Aus magazines and all that. In flight, I thought the J-160's controls a bit like a 70's car with slop in the steering box and some friction and stiction too. Reading many posts about other GA and LSA planes, especially ones with control rods, I was expecting this smooth, tight and progressive feel to the controls that wasn't there. It felt like I had to move the stick some to remove a bit of slop, then push through some friction to get an effect. Is this normal, just a characteristic of simpler control cable rigging setups, or this aircraft type? It's possible I wasn't used to it, being a new flyer and not doing really large control inputs yet, but I'm hoping there are a lot of other LSA models with smooth, tight controls out there. I'm going to fly some other types along the way and see. Some other impressions were, whoa this thing is noisy! You definitely know that you're in a hollow fiberglass shell with a large boxer engine and prop beating at it a hundred plus times a second. My ears were ringing for a couple of hours after, I was wearing a headset of course but probably a cheap one. Near the top of my wish list later is going to be the quietest LSA around. My situational awareness was funny, I knew it was low at times but I was in information overload, focusing on flying, watching airspeed, altitude and direction, etc. There were times where I knew I didn't know where the airfield was, it's great to have an instructor with you keeping an eye on your location, radio and traffic as you learn. Other notes: On this J-160 I noticed the door locking pin at the top of the door is difficult to grip and stiff to pull, wouldn't want to be in a hurry to get the door open and get out. "Composite" for this plane means it's a thin fiberglass fuselage and not much else, not much in the way of internal bracing or frames either but obviously it seems strong enough. I previously thought composite was strong carbon fibre and metal combinations, but I see in this area it can be any mix of materials that's not an 'all-metal' plane, even wood and fiberglass or metal combinations. I was surprised at the roll and pitch movements of the plane with some small wind currents, it felt like you had to 'fly' it a lot to keep it fairly level. I heard later these J-160's are like that, but it does make them a good trainer since they're not totally straight line or 'hands-off' trimmed cruise fliers. Well that's about all for now, I'd love to hear any ideas and feedback from the above rambling questions ;) Cheers, Marc P.S. for later dream aircraft, so far I like the look of the Morgan Aeroworks Sierra 100/200, Sonex, Pioneer 300, Zodiac XL, and CZAW Sportcruiser or whatever it's currently called! Any others? I like the idea of all-metal, low wing, quiet, strong, fast, low stall speed and a BRS. I hope to see BRS available in more LSA's, used appropriately of course. Subjects for another post I think.