Guest jabbawok Posted March 3, 2011 Posted March 3, 2011 Good Day All, I am from East London, South Africa and fly a beaut little Jabiru SP. I am very impressed with the Australian aircraft designs and types. I spend a lot of my time browsing your websites and drooling over the planes - wish I had some serious Aus Dollars to spend, our Rand just does not make it feasable to even start making a wish happen. I am crazy about the Jabi and how well she flies in all types of conditions, a real little sports model. My avatar on our local forum is Jabawok, fly it like you stole it! I find it difficult to fly straight and level - just want to play all the time and we have an amazing coastline to fly and land at many coastal resorts and hotels, with runways, for breakfast or even just a good cuppa java - any excuse to get in the air.
Spin Posted March 3, 2011 Posted March 3, 2011 Welcome aboard jabbawok, nice part of the world you have to fly in. No shortage of Jabiru pilots in this corner of the globe:yes:, you'll be in good company. Is your Jab factory built or a kit?
turboplanner Posted March 3, 2011 Posted March 3, 2011 Hi Jabba, and no doubt we'll see some photos too.
farri Posted March 4, 2011 Posted March 4, 2011 I find it difficult to fly straight and level - just want to play all the time.G`Day jabbawok and . Funny that! I have the same problem! Frank.
Gnarly Gnu Posted March 4, 2011 Posted March 4, 2011 Welcome Jabbawok! Some Lewis Carroll eh? "Beware the Jabberwock, my son! The jaws that bite, the claws that catch! Beware the Jubjub bird, and shun The frumious Bandersnatch!"
Owi Posted March 4, 2011 Posted March 4, 2011 Groete, Jabbawok. Welcome to these forums. Yep, the coastline of Southern Africa - from Maputo to Luderitz - is full of fascinating things to see from the air. Good thing the SP is pretty frugal on fuel, eh? Geniet dit!
planedriver Posted March 6, 2011 Posted March 6, 2011 G'day Jabberwok. Welcome to the forums where i'm sure you'll have lots of fun here like the rest of us. A sence of humor is also a big advantage here as there are a few jesters. Just one friendly tip. Instead of "Good Day", here in Oz we tend to abbrevi 8 things things a little, so if you simply say G'day, that gives you even more time to enjoy yourself in the Jabby. How goods that? What's more we don't even charge for the advise, and long term it could save you a bundle. Look forward to hearing more from you mate, maybe you you might even be able to post a few pictures when you get a chance, we'd love to see them. Kind Regards Planey
Guest jabbawok Posted March 6, 2011 Posted March 6, 2011 G'Day all, thanks for the welcome and good wishes (see we learn rather fast, even some good old Dutch from Owi - ek geniet dit baie!). Will certainly post some pics soon as I workout how to do it. Will quit lurking and put some posts on from now. My Jabi is a factory build, early days of the SA factory when they were still in Natal (2002 according to log books) before they moved the operation down to George. She has relatively high hours (+- 1780 hours) but still in good nick, with the 80 HP solid lifter motor in which purrrrs like a kitten and has plenty of go here at the coast, where I do most of my flying. Had some great flying on Saturday where we were 19 aircraft of all makes and sizes that got together for breakfast at Wavecrest, one of our east coast resort hotels - ofcourse as far as types go the Jabiru was best represented with 5 out of the 19, 3 x SP's and 2 x 430's. There is a nest of them growing in our area 7 in total. Have a great time flying.
Guest jabbawok Posted March 6, 2011 Posted March 6, 2011 [ATTACH]13274.vB[/ATTACH][ATTACH]13273.vB[/ATTACH][ATTACH]13272.vB[/ATTACH][ATTACH]13271.vB[/ATTACH][ATTACH]13270.vB[/ATTACH][ATTACH]13269.vB[/ATTACH] Ahh! worked it out to place pics - not too difficult after all. These are some pics of my aircraft she is ZU CLR which is short for Chris's Little Rocket, which she is and certainly is apleasure to fly. I am grounded though as from tomorrow as the Annual Inspection is due for authority to fly so will not be able to fly for a week or so.
planedriver Posted March 6, 2011 Posted March 6, 2011 G'day jabberwok. Thanks for posting the pictures. Nice little SP you have there. Wish I had it in my toy-box. The SP tail section looks sooo long after the LSA's Looks like very nice country to fly around where you are.
Guest jabbawok Posted March 7, 2011 Posted March 7, 2011 Hi Planedriver, we sure do have a brilliant country side to fly around - can never get enough of it. We recently (2010) had a fly in at Dundee with airies from all over the country - some 40 odd in total, all Jabirus. I think it was a record of sorts, see pics below. What an experience it was. All Jabis were welcome. [ATTACH]13277.vB[/ATTACH] [ATTACH]13276.vB[/ATTACH]
planedriver Posted March 7, 2011 Posted March 7, 2011 Every picture tells story they say. Looks like they have a brilliant breeding season in your neck of the woods. Thanks for the posting.
Spin Posted March 7, 2011 Posted March 7, 2011 Hey jabbawok, some familiar territory there - I used to live in Northern Natal and the battlefields were a staple for class outings. I also remember the Jabiru factory in Natal, it was out on the edge of the Valley of a Thousand Hills in a converted chicken shed, I went out there when they were putting together the first J400 and later had a test flight in an SP very like yours at Cato Ridge.
Guest jabbawok Posted March 8, 2011 Posted March 8, 2011 That is amazing Spin, could have been mine or one its siblings in those days - fella by the name of Wayne Bond built mine for the factory at Cato Ridge. You enjoying the life in Oz land - we have considered it but whew too much time and money to get there..... That flight to Dundee was my first real adventure flight of great distance all on my own (just me and the great blue yonder) , it was a 4 hour flight from East London via the underberg.
Guest jabbawok Posted March 21, 2011 Posted March 21, 2011 A great breeding season indeed and a very active crowd of Jabi pilots in SA. Are there similar events in your neck of the woods?
planedriver Posted March 21, 2011 Posted March 21, 2011 Hi jabberwok, there's so many jabbys at the fly-ins here, some buy a can of flyspray before attending:oh yeah: would I kid you? Seriously though, most fly-ins have a very good attendance of Jabiru's, though to be honest, i've not seen as many SP500's like the photo that you posted recently, although all models are naturally very popular.
Guernsey Posted March 22, 2011 Posted March 22, 2011 Hi Jabbawok, just loved the photos of the Jabs all lined up nose to tail. If they all started their engines, applied the brakes and applied full power, I recon the last one could be airborne without moving forward.
Guest jabbawok Posted April 1, 2011 Posted April 1, 2011 Hey Gnarly Gnu you are a poet and a gentleman here is one in context for you... "Beware the Jabbarwok, my son! The jaws that bite, the claws that catch! Beware the Jubjub bird, and shun The frumious Bundaberg flock is all we need to fly amok...."
Guest jabbawok Posted April 1, 2011 Posted April 1, 2011 just had me change made to her under carriage, a sexy legs conversion, had a bowed under carriage installed like the SP120 - man it looks good, will post some pics when I get a chance. the SP had a somewhat stick looking main gear and looked rather flimsy. Result is 200 mm wider wheel base and sturdier main gear, better for cross winds and rougher strips. She lands and taxis very comfortably now. Kind of reminds me of the argument that William Shakespear and Francis Bacon were having about who the greatest poet was - William was asked to wax lyrical about a bandy man coming toward them. " Oh yon bow legged wonder coming hither from thither..." was his retort. Francis then claimed his spot as the true poet by this remark "what manner of a man be this who keeps his balls in parenthisis" Regards Jabbawok
Spin Posted April 2, 2011 Posted April 2, 2011 That is amazing Spin, could have been mine or one its siblings in those days - fella by the name of Wayne Bond built mine for the factory at Cato Ridge. You enjoying the life in Oz land - we have considered it but whew too much time and money to get there.....That flight to Dundee was my first real adventure flight of great distance all on my own (just me and the great blue yonder) , it was a 4 hour flight from East London via the underberg. Haibo, this conversation is becoming rather hifalutin for simple pilots:oh yeah:. Willem Wikkelspies on a pilot's forum indeed! On the subject of your Jab, I don't think I even have a photo, but Wayne was the one who took me up way back when. From memory it was the first one he built (and very nicely too); we got onto him because a mate was interested in his Windlass trike and one thing lead to another, next thing I was twirling around over the Valley of a Thousand Hills. As far as Aus goes, I have great memories of growing up in Africa, but my only regret in moving was that I didn't do so 20 years earlier.
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