Steve Donald

HI does anyone know if there is any temporary hangar space at GATTON AIR PARK QLD, i have some work there for a contract job and would prefer to fly my J120 over from SA. I would appreciate any info or alternative ideas anyone has, this should occur within the month thank you Steve.

Hello Rob, The C150 was a great little plane in it's day, i owned one a few years ago oh about 10 years ago an F model 1966, 85 kts 90 on a good day, very poor climb in the heat, so much so that 2 people on board and the tanks full mine was 4 hrs, you can get into real strife, even flying on your own with full fuel in the heat requires a fair amount of runway, mind you you can put em down on a footy oval, next thing is they will spin very easy if you get near the right conditions for a spin, and your fuel use will be around 20/ 25 ltrs an hour, it would be a good idea to do an hr or so in an aerobat just to get a feel of the entry and recovery of various unusual attitudes with an aero instructor, because they will bite as will the Tommahawk most would remember the Canarvan accident and that fellow was quite experienced, these aircraft are max weight min power just look at the wing loadings and power loadings it tells you the reality of the expected perfomance, you can purchase stoll kits but they are very expensive and overall they cost heaps to maintain, i fly a jab now and it does it all faster cheaper and safer IE it's not 30 years old, use caution as if the weight increase occurs there will be a flood of alsorts on the market, some will be rubbish there are plenty of planes sitting in hangars all over the place waiting for the moment, so get it well checked out if you go this way better to spend 500 or what ever to check it out than throw 30/or 40000 in the bin, or the ultimate nightmare occuring, don't get me wrong there will be good planes as well which are in good condition, but check the storage locations ie environment humidity moisture, this is why the Yanks store there planes in the Nevarda desert, lower corrosion ect, just keep all these things in mind and enjoy your shopping for the right Aircraft for your needs. all the best Steve:thumb_up:

Great stuff Jack pleased to hear you had good results as well, a cheap effective low weight improvement and rest assured your underbonnet temp will be lower as well, which can only help your ignition system and battery, Happy Flying bud

Hi Jack , sorry i should have explained better, in flight i showed a 12C reduction in the cowi space, however the temp rises once on the ground but is still 4 deg C cooler than without the wrap, but i guess you would expect that with minimal airflow to exhaust the hot air, you do see the cowl temp reducing as full power is applied for take off, again displays the effect of positive airflow in, the temp reduction overall should help stop any heat deformation of cowling surfaces, overall i consider the process very worthwhile why, engine, elecrical,fibreglass, performance all are improved or protected by reducing temps within the cowel

hiya Jack, it is Celsius what i did forget to mention is the cowl underbonet temp i put a remote sensor near the battery it read 12C less with the wrap on, has to be better for all of the electrics as well battery, i used the black graphite bandage 50mm wide, most ignition and other electrical components fail due to heat,or a much shorter life span, the exhaust are stailess so corrosion wont be a prob, and cracking i would suspect would be less an issue as the wrap creates a damping force assorbing resonance and vibration, time will tell i guess

hiya Ross i just wrapped my pipes this morning, also put a heat mat in front of the carb and the face of the air filter box as a thermal barrier, i had no temp issues before but runs about 5 deg less cht, but i did pick up about 50 rpm static, I am sure this due to an improved mixture due to cooler induction pipes, any gain is worth the effort to balance mixtures i am happy with the result

Thanks Watto, yep that was a wild set of thunderstorms down my track, still i enjoyed the stay, hope you guy's make it down to my neck of the woods some time, yep i love that little 120 it's a rocket, and very comfortable for the trip home, i missed out on flying today because of storms, get a plane and the weather turns to crap oh well maybe tomorrow have to take the Boss for a ride she has not been in it yet. anyway mate take it easy might see you soon as i am flying back to Bundy soon. the Beer is cheaper there:big_grin:

Great Job easy to get into situations like that , but bugger who like's visitors or whatever, you come first every time, i can remember being held overnight in Horsham due to weather, having a very important court case to attend in the morning in Adelaide, the Police prosecutor phoned me with all sorts of threats about not being there as a witness for the crown and that the Judge would impose penalties ect, i informed him to tell the Judge whilst in command of an Aircraft a pilot in command out ranks him, your decision for safe ops will always stand and be supported. you done well and made good decisions Adrian nothing worse than weather like that, it's hard work for all of us, good sence chucking the fuel in when you can, good on you cheers

That's a bugger Jac yep they are tough birds and cheap to repair, thank goodness nothing more sinister, the flight was great thanks for your hospitality great catching up with keen aviators, welcome here anytime have a hangar spot if you visit, some great spots to fly to as well, followed by some excellent fishing hope to see you down here cheers .

Hiya Kev, did you enjoy your flight home in the J160 how did she go, i was surprised at how well they punched through that headwind, i made good time, as for the return to Bundy show yea for sure only a 1000 nm what a blast, i have already advised the Minister of Household Affairs and obtained a leave pass, i am booked in for Avalon 09 as well, TAZIE in January then Family court March if i dont pull up a little, cheers mate catch up soon give me a hoy if ya head down my way.

no Mr SKYHOG no flat batteries however the master had to be on as i was demonstrating avionics, took the pic for others to see, you are very observant i am impressed. yes it was a great trip, you enjoy your vigilance i am going to do some more flying cheers.

HI all, well i had a great flight home in my J120 overnight stop at Bourke Cob&Co pub wow what a meal there, then on to Broken hill direct track hec that is remote country looks like Mars at 6500 you just see more nothing, i was thinking at the time this altitude will just get me to more nothing further on if anything happened. i continued on taking pics along the route, i saw some incredible places i met John and few of the guy's at Chinchilla, very nice people i was offered a bed if needed also a BBQ a must go place great facilities for a weekend or a fly in. Bourke was a great spot water everywhere creeks, and an interesting history, i was so amazed at the town great people too, this seems a common trait with Country folk, i met an old sheerer named Irish at 5am on the main street who quickly arranged me a ride to the Airport coz the taxi doesn't start that early in Bourke, what a great bloke. finally on to Broken hill called out the fuel truck on the CTAF ch refueled and took off again for Pt Augusta, climbed out to 6500 due to the violent conditions at 4500 overtook a c172 that took off just before me, he was heading to Whyalla, onward to the Flinders Ranges over Wilpenena Pound and then Mt Brown and a cruise desent to Flinders Field just out of Pt Augusta near Stirling township. overall my stay in QLD and flight home was a great holiday come adventure and i absolutely loved the way my J120 performed and handled she is a magic girl and fly's like a pedigree for me i could not want more. Just go and do it :thumb_up:

Hiya Ross, i have heard as well the wrap makes a huge difference to temps as well as reducing the heat that transfers to the induction pipes and leak out that occurs here, this heat on the induction does richen the mixture further but unevenly and only in the hot induction areas, causing a hotter CHT as well to an individual cld. So i wouldn't mind betting there would also be a slight performance improvement as a bonus, as cooler air induction is the first step in any performance mod, i don't have any temp issues with my aircraft but i would like to reduce the heat directly on the induction pipes to balance mixtures evenly has to be better, at full power fuel flow on the 4 cld is about 20 ish ph so that needs to mix with a correct volume of air hot air less volume cooler air more volume, the carb can only pull whats there even though the carb auto compensates it can only use what is available, more oxygen in the cooler air= better burn, i will post my findings whatever they are. induction icing is not an issue, this is caused by the atmospheric conditions on the day, it is good to be aware of conditions that exacerbate icing. it is a good idea as a check that you are not overlean just add some carb heat, now if the RPM increases i would suspect you are to lean and would recomend you get a L2 to check it out if you are not familiar with jetting ect. also dont chase economy bug, it will cost ya more in the end, burn the fuel 15/16 ph in the 4cld is good 2850 to 3100 rpm cruise the engine will love it

i just recently purchased some covers for my new J120 I FOUND SOME RECOMMENDATIONS on this site, DI FROM PUNKINHEAD AIR SPORTS, WOW WHAT A GREAT JOB PERFECT FIT AND MATERIALS, SERVICE PLUS NICE AS YOU CAN GET, NOTHING IS TO MUCH TROUBLE, SO IF YOU WANT GREAT COVERS FOR YOUR PRIDE AND JOY GIVE HER A CALL, THEY HAVE A WEBSITE AS WELL, YOU WONT GET BETTER CHEERS DI

Well guys, no 19 flew home the other day from Bundaburg, great trip stopped in Chinchilla for a few hours, met John with his J120, great bunch of guys there, very friendly offer of a bed if needed. The J120 performed outstandingly, it left a C172 in the distance from Broken hill to Pt Augusta he was going to Whyalla, i was putting the J120 in the hangar by the time it went overhead, very comfortable to fly handling is sporty and responsive, the controls have great authority at all speeds, very little adverse yaw, great stability in turbulance, i am very happy with this aircraft it delivers all of this great performance even at gross i am nearly 6 ft 90 kg fits me well, seeya time to fly again. :thumb_up:

NUMBER 19 is heading home to SA 24th Nov tricked up with the Sensenich prop, transponder VSI cabin heat, Garmin 296 inside outside temp, few more sleeps to go, will check out the Islands whilst in QLD, what better way to do it, i will post my trip details and snaps in this great little rocket, value plus, nothing compares oh yes i will have life jackets, but hey this baby floats beats having ya bum in the drink.

My personal belief is that we should all be very grateful for all the hard work and development that Jabiru have put into Australian aviation, in particular recreational flying, Jabiru have paved the way for other types as well to be accepted into the recreational market in Australia. They achieved this with dedication integrity and a transparent approach to development of excellent good value Aircraft with next day parts availability, good on you Jabiru

hec i do all that while flying a plane, i am buggered now and i cant afford an atsic card i am doomed for the firing squad i think

i will try not to force land at the ss airports hell you would think ya passport and d/l and tax file number would do the job, but they want more $160 bucks yea right, yet when SAR assistance is needed they dont mind you landing without the card, way over the top i think, i hear some flyers have stretched endurance to avoid the SS for alternative strips not good at all,shame big brother.

we had a flyin today at Pt Augusta Kevin flew in with his J120, i had a fly with him Wow that Aircraft is great goes like a cut snake and we were heavy, i had a fly and it is so responsive climb was great, runs cool performance was far beyond expectations Jabiru have got Aeroplane here with the j120 smaller cab yes not as much range yes so what at 58k find better and let me know, i don't expect any other recomendations as they don't exist, thanks for the ride Kevin

hiya John yep i would have to agree, at the level Tecnam market themselves you would expect a lot more, i maintained one for a while in SA and found the brake system really substandard, as well as the need for the trim tab on the ailiron having to be set at 45 deg to maintain level wings power on or off when the tab was neutral it was a 3 sec roll rate to 45 deg, an obvious rigging problem or undisclosed airframe stress problem, not sure but enquiries were not responded to , but we need to remember Duke bikes are as cheap as Jap Bikes in Italy like BMW vs FORD all have problems at times, but service suport and parts availability at an affordable cost is what counts, hec fuel is burden cost as it is, Manufacturers need to support their clients end of story, service goes beyond the sales pitch and demo flight.

Oh Boy even the poor J120 boy's copped a kicking, what did they do, Thank goodness our Jab's don't have Guns bloke could get cop one in the bum flying over Ballarat ( where is that)

Thanks for the feedback Pete, the guy's say they had a great time at Echuca, and loved the 120 our crew from Pt Augusta will Rocket over for a visit, its been years since i have been out that way, it will be good to catch up hopefully December some time, cheers

a great aircraft with performance plus easy build with great factory support offered.