Running Cost for Jabiru

[AZNA]

Hey Guys ,

 

I am look at purchasing a Jabiru J120 / J160.

 

I was wandering of someone could give me a good guide on maintenance costs say on 100 Hours of flight?

 

Servicing ?

 

100 Hourly cost ?

 

Per Hour Cost ?

 

Average insurance cost?

 

Anything i am missing ?

 

PM is welcome :)

 

Cheers ,

 

AZNA

 

 

[Camel]

This may help you a little as a guide.

 

See jabiru website.

 

Back to the Nest Servicing - Jabiru Aircraft & Engines Australia

 

Back to the Nest Servicing

 

Book in your aircraft or engine with the Engine Service Department on +61 (0)7 4155 2811.

 

2200 Engine

 

Top End Overhaul from $3,200

 

Full Overhaul from $5,200

 

3300 Engine

 

Top End Overhaul from $4,800

 

Full Overhaul from $7,800

 

Engine and airframe 100 hrly from $ 850

 

Hourly rate $88.00 incl GST

 

 

[fly_tornado]

find a hangar, then a mechanic, then get an insurance quote

 

 

[Bruce Tuncks]

Good luck AZNA, the Jabiru is probably the cheapest plane to run, except for the fact that you can't leave it tied down outside.

 

 

[Kenlsa]

AZNA,

 

Try to get your hands on our magazine from June 09. Gives a breakup of 50, 75 and 100 hours for a SP jab; Same as the J120.

 

I don't have an electronic copy of it I'm afraid. You can update the figures in the columns to get a good idea of current cost.

 

BTW, you may fly 100 hrs in the first year but the RAAus tell is that we average about 20 hrs a year.

 

Ken

 

 

[Earl Pike]

Just had my yearly/100 hourly done, J 230, $ 530, LAME had it all day.

 

Just had my wife's Volvo done, C70, had breakfast while it was being done, $1300, 2 hours.

 

No flying, is not expensive.

 

 

[fly_tornado]

Volvo is an aspirational brand

 

 

[Earl Pike]

You are not wrong, I nearly choked.

 

 

[facthunter]

Aspirational? Not in it's country of origin. how much of that was parts? Compared to servicing cars, your Jab. is not expensive. Nev

 

 

[Bruce Tuncks]

This guy at work bought a Volvo ( $7,600 ) the very same week I bought a P76 ($2,400). Yes it was a long time ago for those prices huh.

 

One car was back at the dealers lots in the first year, the other went 360,000k with only tyres and a muffler to buy over the years.

 

Guess which was which.

 

 

[Bruce Tuncks]

And..my Jab costs nothing to run cos the wife pays all the bills and I just have to ignore her grumbles, and it is also necessary to forget about oil and plugs and stuff. It is not insured because I don't think they would ever pay out if I had a claim. Anyway, most damage could be fixed for less than the premium. Liability is from my RAAus membership.

 

 

[Camel]

This guy at work bought a Volvo ( $7,600 ) the very same week I bought a P76 ($2,400). Yes it was a long time ago for those prices huh.One car was back at the dealers lots in the first year, the other went 360,000k with only tyres and a muffler to buy over the years.

Guess which was which.

Easy question ! The P76 went back for lots of warranty work, let me guess ! first the alternator went ! Then there was a recall for a new oil pump on V8 and leaking valley gasket, the car leaked water especially in the boot in heavy rain, the gauges and switches were intermittent , brake booster problems, oh and It leaked oil ! We use to say if Leyland made a drip tray it would leak too !

 

 

[fly_tornado]

Volvo is owned by Geely, the Chinese car company, people won't pay a premium for Chinese cars unless they have European branding

 

 

[facthunter]

the P 76 was notable for aluminium swarf in the water jackets and water leaks in the boot. Sorted out it wasn't a bad car.. I'm not an old Volvo fan But they can and have run millions of miles. They are boxy and not exciting to drive, but if you wish to they can be kept going for a long time with just normal servicing. The six was another matter The head gasket was troublesome, as it was on the OHV Humber Snipe . Most modern cars do very well if serviced properly. The 50's cars rarely did over 60,000 miles. The Engine Reconditioner's Association had figures regularly printed out on average miles to a rebore for all popular makes. The Valiant sloping six was the best and OHV Morris minors the worst. Poor air cleaners would be one cause, and short trips. Commercially used vehicles and taxis always do better, because they don't spend much time cold. Nev

 

 

[Bruce Tuncks]

The Volvo had a camshaft which had somehow escaped being hardened. Imagine how long it would take a dealership to figure that one out. Not only was the hapless owner taking it back all the time, he had to put up with me laughing at him.

 

The P76 had the small engine and I'd still be driving it but the wife reckoned it became too unfashionable in about 1983.

 

So it was sold for $900. Recently this car restorer guy nearly wept to hear that, he said it was worth quite a lot now.

 

The only times it let me down were fixed by shorting out a blown ballast-resistor and by pressurizing the fuel tank ( 2psi) to make up for a fuel pump with a worn drive-cam. So it never failed to complete a journey. But I must admit that the rear doors let in a bit of dust on a dirt road.

 

 

[Ian West]

Hey Guys ,I am look at purchasing a Jabiru J120 / J160.

 

I was wandering of someone could give me a good guide on maintenance costs say on 100 Hours of flight?

 

Servicing ?

 

100 Hourly cost ?

 

Per Hour Cost ?

 

Average insurance cost?

 

Anything i am missing ?

 

PM is welcome :)

 

Cheers ,

 

AZNA

Hi AZNA

I have a ST Jabiru (55-3261) it is an earlier model of the J120

 

Have owned this aircraft for 7 years. This aircraft is very cheap to run - 15lt of mogas 95 or 98 rom

 

per hour. Oil changes every 25 hours about $40. Biggest cost for me is insurance around $800 per year.

 

I do all my own servicing so labour cost isn't an issue.

 

If you are looking for a cheap first aircraft this one is for sale as I haven't the time to fly it enough.

 

If interested email me at [email protected]

 

Regards

 

Ian

 

 

[Nightmare]

I own a Jabiru LSA 55 (55-0730) with the 2200 engine, The LSA's were the forerunners to the J120's.

 

25hr services by an L2 are around $350

 

100hr, I haven't had one yet, I purchased the plane last February, but I've booked it in next month. I've budgeted for $1000. I like to over budget than under.

 

Insurance: $1000/year because I pay by the month, if I paid upfront, it would be just under $900.

 

Hourly costs: I put aside $50/hr plus the fuel (Avgas). I budget and plan for 15L/hr but I actually only use 12-13L/hr

 

I have a 2 part budget for my aviation:

 

Fixed costs, an amount I pay every fortnight whether I fly or not, and an hourly cost, which I put aside after each flight.

 

Fixed costs cover:

 

Monthly hanger fees, insurance, loan repayments, x12÷26,

 

plus the yearly rego fees ÷26.

 

May be an idea to put something away for unexpected repairs and maintenance like replacing avionics, skin refurbishment etc. Possibly allow $1000 per year for this ($38/f/n)

 

I also merge some other non aircraft related commitments into the fixed costs, such as license fees, Ozrunways subscription, BFR costs, ASIC card. I convert all these costs to a fortnightly amount and add it to the fixed costs.

 

Hourly costs can include:

 

25hourlys ($350÷25hrs=$14),

 

100hourly ($1000÷100hrs=$10),

 

Engine TBO ($15000÷1000hrs=$15) This could be much less expensive, the Jab overhaul quoted above is only $5000 which would be only $5 per hour instead of $15, I'm budgeting for a total engine replacement,

 

Prop replacement ($2000÷1000hrs=$2)

 

Fuel $30/hr, I don't have my fuel in the hourly costs as I pay my fuel separately, I keep fuel costs separate from my aviation account.

 

If you haven't done so, I'd recommend getting a L1 rating so you can do minor maintenance on your aircraft. I'm not mechanically minded so I get the bulk of my maintenance done by an L2 but there is minor stuff that I can do like the simple AD's and service bulletins that come through from time to time.

 

I tend to over budget so my aviation account is looking rather healthy ATM

 

My plane is also reluctantly up for sale.

 

 

[Jiefuster]

Wonder why so many Jabirus change hands so quickly all the time?

 

 

[Keenaviator]

Wonder why so many Jabirus change hands so quickly all the time?

Maybe because there's a lot of them. They are well designed, economical, don't rust and lots of people have them for a long time and are in no hurry to change. I built (finished building) mine several years ago. It's my eighth powered aircraft. If I were to change to another aeroplane, I'm stumped as to what would do better for my needs. Laurie

 

 

[Jiefuster]

Maybe because there's a lot of them. They are well designed, economical, don't rust and lots of people have them for a long time and are in no hurry to change. I built (finished building) mine several years ago. It's my eighth powered aircraft. If I were to change to another aeroplane, I'm stumped as to what would do better for my needs. Laurie

Any engine issues?

 

 

[Nightmare]

Any engine issues?

I have to admit, I had just one, if you can call it an engine problem. I had a burst oil hose about 12 months ago. It was within the service range of the part so that could've happened to any aircraft engine, obviously a fault in that particular hose. Can't blame it on being a Jabiru though.

[Jiefuster]

I have to admit, I had just one, if you can call it an engine problem. I had a burst oil hose about 12 months ago. It was within the service range of the part so that could've happened to any aircraft engine, obviously a fault in that particular hose. Can't blame it on being a Jabiru though.

The Gen 4 seems to be a better, more evolved engine, with the Nicasil coating etc. Oz just doesn't have MOGAS (for Rotax) easily available if you plan touring a long way from home, and the inconsistencies in MOGAS are a concern. Did you ever think of water cooling teh heads? Rotec?

 

 

[Nightmare]

The Gen 4 seems to be a better, more evolved engine, with the Nicasil coating etc. Oz just doesn't have MOGAS (for Rotax) easily available if you plan touring a long way from home, and the inconsistencies in MOGAS are a concern. Did you ever think of water cooling teh heads? Rotec?

No, but I earned my certificate on Rotax powered aircraft. Air cooled engines are manageable, you just have to be mindful of the airflow to the engine. When warming up, it is advisable to point the nose into the wind, if possible, for maximum airflow over the engine.

 

On take-off, after I clear the trees at VX speed (60kts), I don't stay at VY speed(67kts) for long, I'm accelerating to cruise climb (80kts) soon after, to keep the airflow over my engine. It's all about monitoring your engine and responding accordingly. If the engine temps are getting a bit high, I level out and throttle back for a little while, then resume the climb when the temps are better. This only happened once, on a hottish day, for me, but it cooled quite quickly.

 

My aircraft runs on Avgas. It can take Mogas, but it's not recommended. And as you said, Avgas is more easily available, well it is for me.

 

 

[Jiefuster]

No, but I earned my certificate on Rotax powered aircraft. Air cooled engines are manageable, you just have to be mindful of the airflow to the engine.When warming up, it is advisable to point the nose into the wind, if possible, for maximum airflow over the engine.

 

On take-off, after I clear the trees at VX speed (60kts), I don't stay at VY speed(67kts) for long, I'm accelerating to cruise climb (80kts) soon after, to keep the airflow over my engine. It's all about monitoring your engine and responding accordingly. If the engine temps are getting a bit high, I level out and throttle back for a little while, then resume the climb when the temps are better. This only happened once, on a hottish day, for me, but it cooled quite quickly.

 

My aircraft runs on Avgas. It can take Mogas, but it's not recommended. And as you said, Avgas is more easily available, well it is for me.

No, but I earned my certificate on Rotax powered aircraft. Air cooled engines are manageable, you just have to be mindful of the airflow to the engine.When warming up, it is advisable to point the nose into the wind, if possible, for maximum airflow over the engine.

 

On take-off, after I clear the trees at VX speed (60kts), I don't stay at VY speed(67kts) for long, I'm accelerating to cruise climb (80kts) soon after, to keep the airflow over my engine. It's all about monitoring your engine and responding accordingly. If the engine temps are getting a bit high, I level out and throttle back for a little while, then resume the climb when the temps are better. This only happened once, on a hottish day, for me, but it cooled quite quickly.

 

My aircraft runs on Avgas. It can take Mogas, but it's not recommended. And as you said, Avgas is more easily available, well it is for me.

Thanks!

 

 

[Bruce Tuncks]

Got my SK kit in 98 and flown since 2001 on the same engine. And the plane is not for sale, although my son says I should be changing to a Jabiru 170 because of its bigger cockpit. I operate it like Nightmare does, keeping an eye on the temperatures and acting accordingly. This is a small price to pay for the really big money savings compared to a rotax.