xair1159

Jordy, PITA = pain in the ass, not a type of bread. Usual caveat on the Milton, it worked for me, but use at your own risk. I diluted the Milton 4:1 in warm water, brushed it on an area with a soft bristle car wash brush, watched until the black spots faded which took about 5 minutes and then rinsed off with a hose. Repeated until all the skins were done and then thoroughly rinsed the whole thing CAREFULLY using a pressure washer with the nozzle set for a wide fan, not a concrete cutting jet, and held well away from the surface. Let the breeze and sun dry it and make sure no water trapped anywhere, re-lubricate any moving parts or hinges before flying it. As I said, no problems or significant fabric deterioration in 3 years afterwards. If you search on the Xair forum there was a long thread about it at the time and my photos are filed. Nick

A good number of people (including me) used 303 on dacron over here in Ireland/UK and ended up with mould problems. Might be OK in a warm dry climate, but I wouldn't recommend it if there is any real humidity around. I have the photos to prove it if required. PITA to remove the black spots, the local agent for 303 advised Milton baby bottle sterilising fluid diluted 4:1 in warm water and left on for just long enough for the spots to disappear - about 5 minutes. Rinse very thoroughly with plain water, drip dry in the breeze/sun and then fly it for a final blow dry. Did the trick, had the a/c for 3 years after with no ill effects or fabric problems. Nick

Before the pussy-cat bares his fangs, perhaps I'd better say I prefer the simplicity of the Jab to the plumbers dream complication of the 912. The Jab also sounds like a real engine rather than a girly sewing machine (is that provocative enough?) My previous experience has been 350 hrs behind a 4 stroke engine with a gearbox which was a lot less sensitive to prop load than the direct drive Jab. Getting the best prop match looks to be a major factor in sorting the mixture, so rather than collect a box of fixed pitch wood props that are nearly right, I'm waiting on a ground adjustable from your part of the world, but delivery is slow. There is a fair difference in conditions between Bundaberg and the west of Ireland, so some rejetting might be expected, but once running OK I would rather fly the thing than mess with it. The carby inlet is very close to the firewall and uses a glassfibre Cobrahead with the inlet vertical. I imagine any turbulence in this would have a short term effect rather than a long term seasonal change. The breather tube is vented into the filter as prescribed and should be clear, but I will check this.

The Maj. makes a good point, I fly from a strip where there are 912 engines. It looks as though I will have to change the jetting summer/winter to keep within the Jab set-up specs, and it doesn't compensate much for altitude. The Rotax doesn't seem to have any problems with mixture due to altitude or seasonal changes, so the Bing must work to some degree as advertised. Why so much grief when it is fitted to the Jabiru engine? Is it the inlet plumbing, lack of variable ignition timing or what?

Do you find the built in altitude / density compensation on the Bing carby works OK? I run a Jab 2200 and don't find it that good at adjusting for winter/summer conditions or even altitude. Looks as though a seasonal change of carb setup may be required. Any hints or tips appreciated. Nick

David, I have a Powermate on a 2200 engine and had similar tacho problems with a Grand Rapids EIS. The EIS manual said that the tacho would work on one alternator lead and not the other. Tried swapping them but still no go. Spoke to Claus at Powermate who came up with the answer - I assumed both the Powermate input leads were floating - wrong! One is earth, or very close to it, so the tacho lead has to go to the other one. Easy to measure with a meter on resistance, one side is infinity, the other zero or very low ohms. This all means you have to choose the right alternator lead and the right reg. lead, giving you four options to sort through. Nick

http://www.jabiru.net.au/Manuals/Engine/JEM2204-6_I&M.pdf Nick

Jack, Brent, Thanks for the replies, gives me a bit of confidence to hear that you have a good number of hours on the prop. What do you have your pitch set at (tip or 75% radius) and what static / max s&l rpm's are you running? I fly out of a fairly short strip, so prefer to trade a bit of cruise for good t/o and climb. Didn't think it rained much where you are, but a prop that is good in rain could be a big seller here in the wet and windy west of Ireland. Flew my previous a/c for 3 years with a different make engine and changed over from a wood prop to a 3 blade AeroSail CF prop made in Poland. I did get better performance, but it was also very smooth and quiet as you both said. Have Revolution been around long and would they be a popular prop for the Jabiru?

Can anyone offer any advice or info on using ground adjustable props on the Jab 2200? Performance any better/worse, 2 blade or 3 blade etc. Ones I can find some info on are Sensenich, Warp and DUC Swirl (French made). You have the home grown Revolution, have a price for it but not much detail. Believe Bolly are thinking about one but no idea when. Nick

No blue skies, light breeze and moderate temperature days left on the shelf?

Does the same apply to the 2200 engine? Late 07 / early08 some turned up here with single pipes and then later deliveries were back to the twin pipes.

Hi, I live near Galway in the wet and windy West of Ireland and have been flying a standard Xair for the last 4 years. Now sold that and just finished an Xair H (Hawk over here). Found your very interesting forum while looking for info on props for my new Jabiru engine. Any chance you could ship some of your good weather over here? Good Luck, Nick EI-ECK