Jabiru Phil Posted February 5, 2008 Share Posted February 5, 2008 HI David, Yes can be a bit tricky at times, I have 140 kg to play with (full tanks) but the 20 lt/ hour burn gives 6 hours with reserve, I have never gone further than 4.5 hours in a leg so can pick up a few kilos when I manage the fuel. Cheers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Rocko Posted March 9, 2008 Share Posted March 9, 2008 Too basic? The thing with the J120 is, why does it have to be so sparce a panel? I understand LSA limitations, fine, but it's beyond sparce. Seen many Drifters with better panels than that. Is something as basic as a VSI or a Turn coordinator really that dangerous? Personally, I love both of them, and would happily pay extra to have them installed. No experience with a AH, but a Turn Coord certainly helps you keep everything up to scratch, better than a ball alone. Heck, if they think basic is best, then why not leave out the GPS and the Transponder options? Plus, if they're truly serious using these as a GA replacement training aircraft, no option for dual COM? Sure, you could go overboard with instruments. But a VSI and Turn Coordinator, not to mention bigger wheels for dirt/grass strips, seem pretty straightforward upgrades. Of course, I don't have to certify the things ;) Also, is the 500kg MTOW because it needs that to keep the stall in LSA category? Scotty Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vk3auu Posted March 9, 2008 Share Posted March 9, 2008 The sparse panel is so that you jokers don't spend all your time looking at the thing, instead of keeping your eyes out the window. (Just joking). David 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Rocko Posted March 10, 2008 Share Posted March 10, 2008 Grinz. Come on! Just cause I'm the first person with a dash mounted DVD player in his cockpit, I'm not paying attention??? Umm.... What was the question again? ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blueline Posted March 10, 2008 Share Posted March 10, 2008 DUAL COM's?? Oh please! - Good luck keeping up with chatter on 2 radios! At least they have stuck a useful length tail on the thing - something that early Jabiru's really did need. Two radio's - I'm still laughing! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest brentc Posted March 10, 2008 Share Posted March 10, 2008 Dual Comms not required with the new Microair radio! It took the 'ultralight' fraternity to invent a dual com radio in the one small handy unit, when our big GA brothers are fitting two completely seperate radios at more than twice the price, plus the audio panel, etc, etc, etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest J430 Posted March 11, 2008 Share Posted March 11, 2008 You know a sparse panel is all you need, buy a GPS296 and away you go. All you could ever want in a RAA machine. Do you ever think that the J120 is a machine that they do not mind if they only ever sell 4 a year or something, so long as it brings in folk who want to buy a plane and if they want bigger faster etc etc......they buy a J160/170 or a 230. Its no different to a Toyota Echo....Corolla...Camry............Landcruiser! J:thumb_up: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jabiru Phil Posted March 11, 2008 Share Posted March 11, 2008 Great comment re the 296. (full panel):thumb_up: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Rocko Posted March 11, 2008 Share Posted March 11, 2008 DUal COM is essential equipment! If you don't have a dual COM, how can you make a twit of yourself talking to someone who isn't actually there?? Can't do that with a 296! I had enough trouble with that with my Xcom, which was dual band. Lovely little radio, but I often seemed to conduct chats to people who weren't actually there on the same frequency talking back to me. Not only did I occasionally find myself chatting to the voices in my head, but sometimes I ended up chatting to my iPod!! It's a terrible conversationalist, but an awfully good Australian Idol contender. My point was, that don't all nice little GA replacement training aircraft have dual COM's? Seems something they all want. Two of everything ;) Still love a Turn coordinator tho ;> How can you tell if your "wings are level and ball in the middle" without one??? Erm...Well, yes, I suppose you can look at them out the window, but it's just not techno-gadget enough! Scotty Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest ROM Posted April 10, 2008 Share Posted April 10, 2008 Horsham Flying Club's new J120 arrived yesterday, 9th April. This is to replace our original 55 Jab. Finish on this one is excellent for a Jabiru, both exterior and interior. Cruise at 3000 rpm is an indicated 102 to 105 kts. Handling and stability are good and this is from an old and current glider pilot. Our guys flew it hands off for most of the final leg from Griffith. Roll rate is fast like the 55's. Take off run is currently a bit long but this will get better as the engine beds in. Approach speed is recommended as 70 kts so she ain't a short field aircraft. Clean stall is very docile. With flaps down, the stall starts to get a little more interesting. Flap down limits are 94 kts. VNE 146 kts. Fuel tank is back to the older low flat version which is not good for reading when the fuel gets low in the tank. The engine cowls and doors look like J170 knock offs but are their own design specs. Panel throttles as per certified J160 / 170. The panel is sparse and that is praising it but it has the needed basic instruments! The one extra we would like to have is a VSI. There is provision in the panel as per the later jab panels for a GPS installation. Comfort and cab room is 55 standard. A set of sheep skin seat covers will be fitted which makes one heck of a difference in the comfort zones on the Jabs as we can testify. Opinion amongst the half dozen guys who have flown it so far is that we have got ourselves a very good aircraft as both a trainer and a second aircraft to the club's J230, particularly when we look at the overall price and the small change over figure from the 55. We moved quickly on this aircraft as we figured that the low price of the J120 would depress 55 prices in the future. Our charging rate for the 55 and now the J120 is currently $70 per hour engine time. Seven J120's have been sold so far we believe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snooky Posted April 10, 2008 Share Posted April 10, 2008 I picked up my new J120 1st April and flew it back to Melbourne. Cruise 3000RPM @ 105kts hands-off for hours on end with 2 blokes, full fuel and luggage on board! What a lovely, well balanced and mannered aircraft it is! When the word gets around a little more, I predict that Jabiru will sell these by the bucket load! BTW the Microair radio fitted to my J120 is in-built dual com type - works fantastic! The Garmin 296 is neatly tucked into the panel and easy to read due to the angle it is mounted. At this point in time I feel my decision to buy this aircraft was spot on! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest brentc Posted April 10, 2008 Share Posted April 10, 2008 Rom, you didn't get a VSI? I thought that was standard on these. Mr. Snooky, did you get a VSI in yours, even if eventually? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest ROM Posted April 10, 2008 Share Posted April 10, 2008 No VSI in our J120. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snooky Posted April 10, 2008 Share Posted April 10, 2008 After quite some negotiation I got a VSI Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harthy Posted April 10, 2008 Share Posted April 10, 2008 I also took delivery of a J120 in mid March, This is a fantastic machine. After doing 300 hours in a Thruster it is a piece of cake to fly and land, and the Thruster is good to fly. I applied for permission to fit a VSI, which finishes it off well. After 25 hours I was getting 13.5 litres /hour fuel usage, at 100kts doing 2800rpm. Engine temps are great, even when it was new and not run in. You can not beat this aircraft for value for money. I think it will make the competitors sit up and look. It has a new low profile fuel tank whick makes luggage storage easier. The service manal also quotes that up to 10% ethanol fuel can be used, so the fuel tank sealing agent must be different to the other models. GREAT AIRCRAFT JABIRU!!! Harthy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Relfy Posted May 6, 2008 Share Posted May 6, 2008 Has anyone else taken delivery of one of these lately? Seems they are quite a good aircraft and great value. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevinfrost Posted May 6, 2008 Share Posted May 6, 2008 Jab 120 We picked up No 6 last friday, flew it from Bundy to Kadina SA, just on a 1000 naut mls. Did'nt miss a beat, cruised at 105 - 107 @ 1900 rpm. Burned 15 lts per hr. First we were going for the 160 kit, then it was the 170. After weighing up our real requirerments and if we wanted to spend what spare time we had in the next couple of years building. You can really carry no more in the 160 or 170 if RAA reg.The only downer would be the 4" wheels but we can live with that. It really goes like stink. $58k, free use of car, full tank of juice, brand new A/C, registered, jump in and go. To all the staff at Jabiru,Thank You:clap:..............Kevin Frost & Graham Thorpe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest brentc Posted May 6, 2008 Share Posted May 6, 2008 That's great news Kevin and may you have many happy hours of flying in it. You should get an exceptional TBO if you are cruising at 1,900 RPM I also heard that you can get a J120 for $3k less with a reconditioned engine. Whilst this may not suit everyone, it might help the aircraft to be more affordable for some people. I've heard nothing but great reports on this aircraft, in particular they seem to perform better as in handling and higher cruise speed than the J160's and SP's etc. The engine is also apparently slightly more powerful now that the cam shaft and lifters have been modified (since the release of the hydraulic lifter engine). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest J430 Posted May 7, 2008 Share Posted May 7, 2008 Rocko So you think too many gadgets is never enough...... how about 3 x GPS VOR ADF DME (except its U/S) and to top it off a tablet PC running all mapping and Jepp software with a GPS link so its all real time. Now I know brent has central locking and an alarm, and a big stereo! How would a little J120 cope with all this stuff:laugh: OK......I am outa here J Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest ROM Posted May 7, 2008 Share Posted May 7, 2008 Horsham Flying Club, a fairly small mixed gliding / LSA / kit builders club now has some 18 hours of local flying time on the J120 since it's arrival on the 9th of April. The club also runs a J230 glider tug plus a two of two seat gliders including a self launcher as well as a single seat glider. Members also run two 55 series Jabs, a kit built J230 and J170 with a Lightning kit under build and another due in a couple of weeks. The J120 is very popular maybe in part because we are currently charging $70 / hour tacho time and making good money out of it. [ The J230 is $90 / hour. ] But it is also a very nice little aircraft to fly with even a couple of our resident GA cynics expressing considerable surprise at the way the J120 flies, handles and cruises. Permission to fit a VSI was readily granted by Jabiru so a bit more clutter [ ?? ] to fill up the vacant allotments on the panel. Neat, quite good looking and very well finished for a Jabiru aircraft. Quick, economical, relatively comfortable considering the cabin size, equipped with larger section tyres on the mains with a skinny on the nose gear, heavily reinforced flaps to give flap limit speeds of 94 knots plus a 140 knot VNE. Good and easy handling both in the air and on the ground plus easy maintenance and 15 ltrs an hour at a cruise of 102 to 105 kts at 3000 RPM. At 58 grand, very good value indeed! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yenn Posted May 8, 2008 Share Posted May 8, 2008 Is that teal 1900rpm. I don't know the plane but Jab engines don't give much power at 1900. On the 2.2 graph it is 48 h.p. With a new engine there is a requirement to run at full throttle for some of the time and then at a lesser power setting. The full throttle aids in bedding the piston rings and running at too little throttle can result in glazed cylinders with a later high oil consumption. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest brentc Posted May 8, 2008 Share Posted May 8, 2008 Me thinks that was a small typo! J430 is that your hairy skin under the Jepp with Pepsimax can? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TechMan Posted May 8, 2008 Share Posted May 8, 2008 RockoSo you think too many gadgets is never enough...... how about 3 x GPS VOR ADF DME (except its U/S) and to top it off a tablet PC running all mapping and Jepp software with a GPS link so its all real time. Now I know brent has central locking and an alarm, and a big stereo! How would a little J120 cope with all this stuff:laugh: OK......I am outa here J All you need now is an autopilot with a remote link to your desktop so that you can sit at home and control your aircraft which is having all the fun of flying. :black_eye: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Galpin Posted May 8, 2008 Share Posted May 8, 2008 From the photo above, with the computer, would someone please tell me more about this computer, the way it is being used and the setup for use in an aircraft. I find the above intriguing. Thanks in advance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest J430 Posted May 8, 2008 Share Posted May 8, 2008 Techman Now don't be so silly!;) You know its possible, but where is the fun in that! The A/P is a Century III and yes it works but not quite from remote desktop, it requires a gateway of the human variety! BrentC you have seen my legs, not intimately of course, but they are not those legs!!! I am in the LHS as it happens!!! The Inflight service was Coke I think courtesy of Mrs J430 in the back seat. J:wave: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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