RKW

Yes, read "Slide Rule". Great novel and true story! He also wrote "On the Beach", a depressing novel about nuclear war and the end of humanity!

Thanks for the videos Jake, most enjoyable!

You are a worry, Howard!!!

The castings looked very neat and clean not unlike the Rotax so hopefully it is a vacuum die casting. Even the tappet cover is a casting, and yes, it is all done overseas and I'm told, is cheaper to produce than the present chrome molly steel cylinders. Regards, Bob

Tomo, you're too skinny to fly!

Well I'll just have to go on a diet! But not till after Christmas!!!! I've just helped the boss make the Christmas pudding. I licked the bowl and spoons, so I can't legally fly for eight hours! Merry Christmas everyone.

Hi Biggles Bob, I even offered to put some hours on it for them, if they'd pay for the fuel!

I I believe they have a new supplier of valve springs now. Hope they are better than the previous ones!

Alan, I don't know if there is any improvements with the carby. Regards, Bob

Yes, I believe that they need a diamond hone to get the final bore dimensions!

Ozzie, not being an expert on castings, I wouldn't know. Suffice to say they looked very neat, the spacing of the fins a bit wider than the current machined ones.

There is a new Jabiru engine on the horizon or rather a major update to the current series. It will feature cast alloy cylinders instead of the machined steel cylinders. There is no steel liner, instead it will have Nikasil lined bores. The cylinders are interchangeable with each other, unlike the current production and the thru-bolts are extended to retain the heads as well. (Four head bolts instead of six.) The new incarnation runs much cooler than the previous models. The heads and even the tappet cover are cast alloy! It may even weigh less than previous models.

All fixed now, though it is amazing how one valve spring can spoil your day...

well, at least it glides!

Yes David, the new fin seems to set it off. Another minor difference which I forgot to mention is that the angle of incidence of the horozontal stabilizer has been altered by 2 degrees. I didn't get the reason why. I'll have to drop in to Boonah so you can have a closer look! Regards, Bob

Hello Alan, The photo of the new rounded panel gives the impression that it obscures forward vision, however that is not the case. A person of average height would have no problems. Regards, Bob

Hello Kyliefil and Turbo, I favour the 160 over the 170 because I find it more predictable to land and particularly so for gusty crosswind conditions. The 170 has a tendency to float if you bring it in over 65kts and the excess speed does not wash off that quickly, whereas the 160 trims easily to 70kts with a steeper approach. In gusty crosswind conditions the 170 can be a bit of a handful, possibly exacerbated by the extra vertical surfaces. Rod Stiff rightly points out that if you are having a problem with the float, you are bringing it(170) in too fast! Trimming it to 65kts often means a rather flat approach. The 160 loses out to the 170 for useful load (about 40kg) but that's not a big issue for me. They are both nice to fly and the differences are in most cases minor, but in my humble opinion, I would rather have the 160. Regards, Bob

Nev, I agree with your sentiments. Why have they changed the education system where we used to learn Latin and Greek roots. (and we could add up etc without using calculators) If it aint broke, dont fix it!

Hi Turbo, I have been flying a J170, and this is a photo I took of it, flying back from Bundaberg on Tuesday somewhere west of Burrum Heads. Regards, Bob

How could I resist...Well I lashed out and bought it. Here it is landing at YCAB! I had the panel modified to take a Dynon D10a, a strobe was installed and adjustable rudder pedals. I flew it back from Bundy on Tuesday and it performed well. Many thanks to the good folk at Jabiru.

I was going to comment, but I have a problem with my Programmatic specificity!!!

Your passion for flying shines through on these forums. The fact that you are unsure of your teaching ability is an indication for me that you have given this much thought. Your desire to give something back to our wonderful sport is most admirable and I'm certain that you will do well at it. It is amazing what you learn when you teach. Share the passion and go for it. Regards, Bob

Hi LEJ, For 15 hours a year, it is not worth the drama. If it was to be used for a flying school, it may help pay for its keep but then there are other considerations such as hangerage and insurance, who is going to clean it and organise maintenance and repairs etc. If you were doing upwards of 50 hrs a year, it may be viable, but for only 15 hours, you would be better off to hire. Regards, Bob

Hi Turbo, It took about four hours to change the engine, and I thought it was included in the price. Nonetheless we can add on about $500 for labour. It was a most viable option to having the top end overhauled, and we had the plane back the same day. Regards, Bob

Turbo, regarding your engine replacement costs, we recently put a factory recon zero timed engine in our J 170 and it was less than $7k. The original motor had done around 1000hrs trouble free, and to replace it, it was not much more expensive than a top end overhaul and had a 3 month waranty. For a few extra thou, it was money well spent, the new engine having all the latest modification. Regards, Bob