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Hey all, I live in a remote community, we can only get Opal. It is okay and stories of mechanical woes seem exaggerated as we have no issues with it in outboards from way back to brand new fuel injected jobbies. It is a different colour, smells weird, I think it deteriorates quicker if not stabilised or if left for a few months, but otherwise it is not a problem. We have old 60 series petrols and a 570 Lexus all running on it, we can't spot the problem. A mate recently in a for mentioned community had the side window removed from his plane so they could access his Avgas. Trust those saying it Avgas gets the sniffers smashed, they will do anything for it. We cannot formulate a alternative to every problem. They want to do drugs, be it cava, gunja, alcohol, and the reasons are many and varied reasons, boredom being one, the other is to live in a state of euphoria. With out try to cause any angst, our Rotax loves 95, the 470 Continental in the C182 loves unleaded 91, it runs cooler and we get better economy, both manufacturers state longer oil change intervals on unleaded. The good thing about Avgas is that you can drop a drum of it the bush, and 12 months later, its still good to be used. We stick to unleaded fuels where ever possible and think its great, certainly heaps cheaper.

Frank, I did investigate putting in a 3300, it's longer than the Rotax, I would have had to get new top and bottom cowls manufactured and would have had balance issues, due, not so much from the extra weight, but mainly from the extra length of the 3300 motor. The Rotax fitted into the existing space, with no balance issues. As long as an engine consistently turns good fuel into the energy I require, I don't really mind who made it, be it Lycoming, Continental, Rotax or Jabiru.

G,day, I have flown approx.600 hrs behind a Jabiru 2200 motor, and about 30 behind the 3300. They are the nicest to listen to, very sedate and peaceful. If you look after them as per requirements, I don't think you have much to worry about. I own and maintain a jabiru with a 100 Hp Rotax, which I upgraded to for extra lift capability, I have another Jabiru with a 2200 motor, and another aircraft with a Continental 470. Everything gets the oil changed at 25 hrs, especially if running on Av Gas. All three run best on unleaded fuel, the 470 likes 91 octane, the Jabiru and Rotax require 95. My Jab motors carbon heads every 180 to 200 hrs when run on Av Gas. I have documented every hour, fuel and oil added, Etc, unfolding trends are easier to pick up this way. Fuel usage is 16 ltr per hour at 2850 RPM in the 80 Hp Jab, 18 ltr per hour at 5400 RPM in the same aircraft with the 100 Hp Rotax, The extra performance is cheap. The Jab motor is very simple, and it it continually evolving for the better. That said, the first Jab motor I flew had 345 hrs on it and had been well looked after, I took it to over 600, it's still in operation and is getting close to 900 hrs on it, and it is a 2008 build. We live and fly these motors in the north of Aust with runway temps in the high 30's. I do not have cooling issues on either the Jab motors or the Rotax, it has everything to do with how you operate them. The Rotax is definitely easier to maintain over the 2000 hrs, and I believe it will be the cheapest over that period. I know of 2 mustering aircraft that are approaching 3000 hrs and still don't use any more oil than they did from day 1, leak down test exceptionally well, but operated well and 25 hr oil changes. The 100 Hp Rotax motor certainly developers good power, the Jab 160D with that engine gets airborne so quick, climbs at rediculous ( wonderful ) rates, it added 20 kg over the 2200, but I think it's similar in weight to the 3300 motor. Jabiru engine is cheaper to purchase. Both Flood Imports and Jabiru give great back up service. Hope this helps.

jetjr, I believe you would be a cautious and safe pilot, so am I, but I don't always have the luxury of a long strip. I fly remote 99% of the week, into short gravel strips, rough grass strips, narrow strips amongst trees, strips that head up hill, some that begin from the edge of water, one has a hill at the end, on the edge of a flood plain, and where the water has crocodiles. I have to be able to reliably land, I don't want a fright, or a "that was close". I practice some thing different every time I fly. Whether its GA flying, or RAA, it will hurt if I get it wrong. I never said the Jabiru was a STOL aircraft. Short take off to me is a Zenith with a 115 hp Rotax that gets airborne in 30 meters, and lands pretty much similar. My Jabiru is a new type, 18 months old, it has door gutters, it still leaks water in rain around the door seals. No one should practice short landings on a short strip, practice on a long strip with lots of margin. When we can land long, perfectly and reliably, in all weather conditions, then we can shorten the quest, till we can land and take off short, safely. Thankfully, we are all different, and have different purposes for flying. Cheers

I fly a J160D in the tropics, 33 + deg Celsius, as you would expect, you need more runway when at Mtow, ( 540 kg) and keep your approach speed up when landing, you will use 600 m or yards. You can, at 470 kg at 15 deg, use way less ground roll, be airborne befor 300 m. When landing at that weight, full flap, more throttle to make up for the extra drag created, you can touch down at 55 kn and pull up very quick. I did 281 hrs last year in the 160. Love it. If you build one, make it water tight, mine is factory and it leaks in rain around the door seal.

Driving in the middle of the road gives the greatest chance of missing wild life with a trajectory likely to intercept yours. The view from the drivers seat of a truck is much greater than that of a car or SUV. This is in an area where at times you may not see another vehicle for an hour or more. The engine starts to wind down when he sees the car lights. He is going slow to start with. Listen for diff whine, tyre noise, it's not there, my thought is that it isn't going more than 80 ks an hour, if that, and he is doing maybe 40 when he hits them. They don't even knocks his lights out. Can you see them before it's too late? Bet the truck driver couldn't either. Most likely damage to the Kenworth was nil. Regulations are that cattle should be off the road before dusk. Also signs at both ends to warn drivers. However, in all fairness, the Coolah fence or some other fence may have got knocked down and these Weaner types got onto the road, maybe the ringers were at the end of a shitty day and it got worse quickly. Ps, Mills transport and Lindesay Bros didn't use Jacob's brakes in their Kenworths and Louivilles.

Great to see they put the pitot tube cover on. Most important. This is inspirational, I hope I am flying when I'm 80. Hope he is back flying as soon as he safely can.