JabSP6

Hi Toady Unfortunately 500kgs is it for the SP range of Jabiru. 95% of my flying is on my own going to work and back each week so the weight is not a problem with full fuel. On the very odd occasion that I do take a passenger anywhere I have to reduce fuel level to stay within the MTOW. The only option to increase your MTOW is to upgrade to a bigger Jabiru. Safe Flying JabSP6

Mak720 I dont believe they can be registered to a higher MTOW. The original SP's with the 4 cylinder were 450KG MTOW and some of the 6 cylinders aircraft were increased to 500KG MTOW. I believe you are able to increase the 450kg aircraft to 500kg but i dont think you could go higher. It would be worth looking into this some more. I would certainly welcome the additional 44kgs. Safe Flying JabSP6

Hi Geoff13 I have one of these aircraft and it depends who built it and what additional items have been fitted as to the weight of it. I bought mine already built and it came in at 284kgs empty and the MTOW is 500kgs. In saying that i have also seen some of the SP6's as heavy as 320kgs empty with the same MTOW. My aircraft has an 85 ltr fuel tank behind the seat. I have seen other SP's with wing tanks giving 135 ltrs but the heavier wings increased the empty weight of the aircraft. The cruise speed is a comfortable 120 kts and will generally burn around 20ltrs/hr. You have the same engine as the 230 only lessweight and drag so you should get a better cruise and fuel usage than the 230. The only downside is the carrying capacity is much less than the 230. Safe Flying JabSP6

Hi jeffd My SP6 is not a taildragger. Just the standard 3 wheel Jabiru Undercarridge. Not a lot of room in the SP with the 85ltr fuel tank behind the seat and MTOW of 500kgs but perfect for the task of going to work and back each week. Slightly quicker than the bigger J230 and better on fuel do to having a smaller airframe and the shorter wings but the same 6 cyl motor. Overall i am very happy with the SP. Safe Flying Andrew

Highwing The best way to get the right answer here is to give the people at Jabiru a call. ( 07 4155 1778 ) The other thing you could try is sending them an email asking them to explain the differences as you are looking to purchase one. [email protected] Safe Flying JabSP6

Bruce I do like the 230's. I think I will upgrade to one of them one day. For now the SP6 is doing what I need it to do. I hope you and the owner get the plane back in the air soon? Safe flying Andrew

Hi Bruce Thanks for the update. I have suffered the same problem with my original motor a couple of years ago. I had the valve head break off and smash thru no 2 piston but my 6 cyl engine luckily kept running and I also made a safe landing at a nearby airfield. Glad to hear you made it safely. Can I ask what type of Jab you have? Safe Flying Andrew

Ok thanks MM

Is there any word on the cause of the 2 jabiru engine failures? Just curious? Safe flying Andrew

RTFM Not sure if this helps but I know CAMit in bundaberg run all the motors they produce on their engine Dyno. 4 cyl motor produce around 80hp so it would be accurate to run your motor on. It might be worth a call to Ian to see if he can help out? Safe flying JabSP6

At least you can cross that one off the list Frank. Was just thinking outside the square what could cause this problem. Let us know what you find please Frank. Safe flying Andrew

Frank, Just something else to think about. There were 2 different length pushrods for the jabiru supplied mechanical fuel pumps depending on which type of pump you use. If you have the shorter pushrod in with the pump that requires the longer pushrod then you might have the problems you are describing. Especially with the system performing ok prior to the engine swap. The new motor may have mistakenly been fitted with the wrong pushrod and you swapping pumps making no difference would be right if the pushrods is wrong. Jabiru can give you the dimensions of the correct pushrods for the pump you have. Might be worth looking at if the fuel hose inner liner isn't the issue. Safe flying Andrew

Yes I have an MGL mini Efis fitted. I have done extensive work modifying the air inlets and outlets on the engine cowls as well as the oil cooler ducting. The highest CHT's I have seen is in climb out during summer. 145 degrees. Normal cruise temp are between 110 in winter and 125 in summer. I have all 6 temps within about 10 degrees. The egt's still have about 40 degrees spread in cruise which I have not done too much about yet. In all I am very happy with Camit's engine and I am looking forward to doing many more hours flying without having any issues. I will keep everyone informed. Safe flying Andrew

Too all those thinking about upgrading to one of Ian's motors I would suggest you take the time to talk with Ian about all the changes he has made. He will be at natfly for those who can't make it Bundy to talk in person with Ian. Last weekend I did the 175 hr service on the engine. Unfortunately I have nothing out of the ordinary to report for you all. All the head bolt tensions were good. All the valve clearances were spot on. Everything is performing the way it should. We pulled both the plugs from each cylinder to look at the top of the pistons and check the sealing faces of the valves. Ian was there to look at this and was pleased at the results. Everything was looking nice and clean inside. The leak downs are all 76/80. Prop pull thrus are all very positive with engine both cold and hot. Nice positive kick back even when I land straight after every 2 hr flight. It is good to be able to just do the normal regular maintenance and not have to remove heads due to low leak downs. I am finally enjoying flying my plane with a lot more confidence in the motor and spending less time working on it which is great. Safe Flying Andrew

Hi Camel I do agree with what you are saying. I have been using my SP6 as a weekly commutor to and from work since September 2009 and plan to do so for many more years to come which is why i have invested so much time and energy into this motor. I am also a Mechanic by trade which is why i looked at improving the motor early on. Ian has since released his Camit engine to the public which addresses all of the issues that he has seen over the last 20 years of making them. I really am impressed with the Jabiru airframe as it is perfect for my situation and now that i have Ian's motor on board i am more then confident in its performance for the future. I believe that Camit will prove themselves with this motor and it will help restore faith in people's minds about the Jabiru Brand. Safe Flying Andrew (JabSP6)