Kenlsa

Here in SA we are treated as adults. Most everything that has troubled other states as "must" is only treated as "should" in SA, the only must here is the 10 person rule. Everything is open except "venue" locations. Very little is closed and we opened up wineries yesterday. Because we are treated as adults, we have behaved as adults, asking ourselveslves "will this harm me or anyone else?" If the answer is No, generally we are all good to go. Fishing and boating is all good and I checked my log book and even though club activities have stopped, solo (social distancing) private owners/pilots are good to go, so I have had 9 flights since CV19 impacted us here in OZ. Ken

These are a solution looking for a problem. While they do work, save your money, ensure you have a 38" pitch jab prop installed, service as per the manual and use the save cash for fuel! All good. Ken

Bruce, spend your kids inheritance and get a 44" pitch Jab timber prop. That should give you 5-7 kts. Ken

Btw that Aeropup has a bolly prop and they have spent quite a bit of time getting 23" manifold pressure while testing various pitch settings to get the above numbers. Ken

Our club's current L2 and our new L2 maintainer who both seem to be serial builders have just recently finished an Aeropup with 21" bush wheels and with a 2.2 Gen2 up front. Early figures suggest 80kts true at 2800 burning 16lts. They recon they might be able to improve theses numbers a little. They both have to skills to eek out a bit more, time will tell. Ken

Rendrag, good to hear you are back in the air again. Just wondering about the numbers your Savannah puts out regarding cruise revs and speed, what prop you are turning and litres per hour? I haven't seen a Jab powered Sav in Oz but there are a few 701s, that seem to cruise at about 73 kts with the Jab 38" pitch wooden prop. Derekliston may be able to enlighten us? Ken

With Covid19 having an impact on our flying (not in SA though for private owners) and when we come out of it the financial environment may not be too friendly to flying (I am down 15% on Super) I am most pleased to have a Jab in the hangar. It is so frugal that I plan on 12 litres per hour. Further to this I run 98, with a saving of 50 to 80 cents per litre depending on the cycle. Today I filled up and saved $1 per litre, $12 per hour! I see that the latest Jab 2.2 are to use about 15L/H but everybody I have spoken to with a Gen 1 use a similar amount to me. My in flight usage is actually 11.7lt but 12 is my plan number. My Gen 1 solid lifter engine was the last iteration of that model but it was still in need of some fuel delivery work to the jets. The SP model is fairly slippery so it does sip fuel. I normally accelerate slowly and in the early days I found that the mid-range transition would lean out and the plane would almost die through lack of fuel on the needle jet, until onto the main jet. I lived with it for a while as that was what was supplied in the kit so all must be kosher right? In the end I swapped out the needle jet for one larger, a 2.80; mid range fixed! Climb-out temps were a little high but still in the green. The factory released a SB indicating that the main jet should be increased to 235 or 245 (if my memory isn't failing). So as a good little Vegemite I replaced the 220 main for the larger size. I use 2800 rpm as my cruise revs so everything is worked out around those revs and this gives me a plan speed of 100kts; easy to plan around. With the larger jet it was running harshly at 2800; very hard running is the best I can explain it. It just wasn't smooth. In the end after going through a few jets I settled on a main of 225 (2 sizes larger than stock). Results are a smooth transition through the mid range and a smooth cruise. With only me and half fuel, I climb out at 3000rpm, 85kts @1150fpm to 1500 feet AGL. Temp on climb is 275F, I then transition to a cruise climb of 2800 and 250fpm until at the desired altitude, then maintain 2800 @ 100 true. Temps are now 250F, right in the middle of the green. It must be difficult to those of us that use the Jab engine on a different air frame, particularly a draggy one, to get the jetting and cooling right, but I guess they call it "fun". Ken

Bruce, it was eventually sold on to a person on the eastern seaboard. I did see it for sale about a year ago. the rego was 19-7474 (i think) A J400 has a weight of 700kg but when many converted to RAAus they reverted to 600. They stall at about 50kts at this weight. to stall at 45 they have to weigh 544. RAAus probably accepted the experimental builder's word about 45 and left it at that. Look at pictures for both models and look at the placards. most older J400 conversions are placarded at 600 while J200 are placarded at 544, most interesting. I would like to hear from any J200 builders who have 600. I am waiting for the hate mail to keep my mouth shut!

Relocating tools etc is an option but they then become part of the aircraft build as they form part of the empty W&B, if the W&B is too far forward without them you will always have to pack them. I guess it isn't any different than putting the tail weights in a glider. We had a SK jab here ( in my hangar for a number of years) that was approved for 544kg, but the CofG range was so narrow that tail weights had to be constantly monitored depending on pax weight . There are plenty of SPs around with a 3.3 with both 470 and 500kb auw. When I visited the factory on 2005 to buy my 2.2 version, Rod showed me an SP with both wing tanks and an internal fuzz tank as well (over 200 litres) when I asked how much it will max out at he was very noncommittal, I think he was going to organise his sock drawer as an escape. From my imperfect memory it belonged to a relative of a staff member. I looked at the J200 but at 544kg it only left about 195kg for pax and fuel. My little SP has 226.5 of load. All this with a J200 may change with the weight increase. What I can't get over is that a number of VH j400 get to weigh 600kg when they convert to RAAus but the exact same j200s are stuck at 544.....go figure! Ken

Coz of Covid19 I did some searching on interstate flying by recreational aircraft. Found this on YouTube and tried to post the link but it won't do it on my iPad . If you look up - Low Level Survey Jabiru LSA 55 - it will show you how you will have to fly to avoid the rozzers. Bruce take note! Pity it is 10 years old, with the new cameras it would make for an exciting view.......too scary for me though. Ken

It is good to read that Sport Pilot is returning to our letter boxes soon. So with that news I raided the storage boxes in the shed and found some articles I wrote that may be of interest to those that hoard their magazines. November 2007, cover photo and article about our airspace. November 2008 about building and flying the first 100 hours. June 2009 about the cost of ownership and flying my Jab. Plane built with the help of Steve Biele and photos by Andrei Bezmylov. I may update the articles and summit them for the new mag. Covid19 gives me time to sit home and do this. I have written a number of training publications for my work and they are more "do it like this or else" so I will have to work on my style a bit! Ken

Anyone else want to post info about their Jabs? This will make the site a positive and active Group with in the forum. Ken

Bruce, I could put my 2kg of tools there but I recon the beacon needs to be in the cockpit so can be activated as you are going down. Might be a little breazy shimmying along the fuzz to activate it! Probably best to keep to 500kg, move the battery and only lose 20-25 kg off my current useful load of 223.5kg. If I changed out my steam gauges for a flat screen that may save me 2kg, diet and lose another 3kg ( I aint fat) should give me about 200kg of useful load. Another trap for young players is to only use the jab timber prop as it is about 2.5 kg lighter than the bolly prop and is more important as it is way out the front so has more influence on W&B. Ken

Bruce, it is my understanding that as I am the builder I must take responsibility with the build, CofG/WB, and stall speed. And these are what I supplied to RAAus before I flew it, they accepted my build, CofG and supplied me with 470kg? So rang them and said that all testing was done at 500kg and so they changed it to that amount. So if I test to say 520 and still meet the stall I should be able to do it I recon. Graham R. Did some calculations for me and I will have to put 8kg in the tail, yikes! So it will need the battery moved back to the rear curtain area to reduce this number. My main problem though is the skinny legs. I could go to the current ones that are heavier and need new streamlining etc. then it becomes even heavier ....bit of a rabbit hole chasing it all. Ken

Zero engine problems, but the microair radio has given me a headache on more than one occasion. Fixed now though. Buy with confidence and if there is a problem it is very cheap to fix and the factory sends any parts immediately. Ken

Just to stay on topic...... I mixed the water back into the oil this morning. Not a breath of air leading to a glass smooth flight. Only problem was low level fog in a 7 mile radius off the airfield so didn't go far. Just bored some holes in the sky for my own mental health. Nice. Ken

Hi all, just joining this group. I started building my SP 500 in 2005 and 18 months later it became 19-4690. 2.2 gen1. Empty weight of 276.5kg This was probably the last Sp500 that was sold. It has the largest fin and the factory stopped supplying them to the market and shortly after started marketing the J120. The engine was the 15th to last gen1 before they released the gen2. I am very happy with this engine BUT I am seriously thinking of weaponising the pane with a gen4 3.3 as I fly by myself, so a lower pax/fuel load won't worry my......yet. As I am the builder I think I can increase the mtow a little as it stalls at 43kts. Just depends on the spindly u/c legs! Ken

Bruce, flew a jolly today after speaking to our CFI who said it was OK as it was my own a/c. But crossing the Vic state line means you will have to spend 14 days in isolation! BTW my iPad played up with the OzR data update of the 26 March, though the iPhone still worked. I am in an email conversation with Jake at OzR to figure out why. Ken

Done Ken

I must say that I have been contemplating becoming one of the 'leavers' for a while now. I first met Ian over breakfast at N'mine in 04 or 05 and he talked about some ideas he had and the website. Upon returning to the airfield he discovered he had a flat tyre so a few of us helps him out while having a good old laugh talking about 'us and them' and the general direction we were all headed. All light hearted stuff..... I think I joined this group in 06 with another avatar and made a couple of comments but dropped out for while and rejoined a few years ago. But I must say that it is all a bit too negative. While I may disagree with RAAUS and Casa from time to time I have tried to keep my internal froth and bubbles of faux outrage in check; and emailed, written letters to the editor, phoned and asked/commented face to face with relevant staff. My letters were published so it showed that they are listening and encouraging comment. I have attend every seminar at Gawler over the years and they answered all questions and as it turned out I and many others had too many preconceived ideas that were fed by forums like this. If you want the answer, ask the people making the policy.....not a key board warrior. We all remember how Don Ramsay was treated on this site......a very ordinary period I must say. Good to see his comments recently. So it is time to leave. I may check out the site from time to time to see what direction it is headed. I will miss the info and energy from Bex and the input from Pmc,Skippy and Don. 'Jabiru 4690 clear all runways' Ken

I wonder how many of the members on this forum actually completed the survey. Not many I'm sure. I made the effort and checked after publication that my comments were included; and they were, so I am satisfied that I have had my say. Those that didn't take the time to complete the survey have little business commenting on it. If you don't have an official "say" all you type/complain about becomes irrelevant and if you don't even own an aircraft even less so. Knock yourself out. Ken

It is my understanding that the gen 4 Jab valves are now made in South America (can't remember country) by the same factory that make the Rotax valves. Ken

Well said. 'Twas easy to fill in the option boxes with free text. Have your say just like me. Ken