Compulsion

Can anyone give an opinion on the SportStar. What are they like to fly? Room in the cockpit? Any information appreciated.

Acky I fly the 160 at RPA when it is available. I think Microlights at Adelaide Soaring have a couple of Foxbats.

Normally get my PA to write everything or use spell check. Lol

I see a Jabiru 200 advertised. Is this an old design? How many hours can you expect from a 2200 engine before it needs replacing? Thank you everyone for your help.

Would a Jabiru 170 be better due to the better lift in the bigger wings?

I knew I should not have given my PA the afternoon off. LOL

Please refer to the offending post. Oh and if a moderator wishes to remove my posts then please do.

It has been pointed out that I have spelt Jabiru incorrectly. To all the offended people on this site I humbly apologise. Lmao

I am interested to hear anyones views on both aircraft. When looking at aircraft my first problem is my weight of 115 kg. The plane will be used 2 up most of the time with a combined weight of 170 kg. Most flying will be local within 2 hrs of base with hopefully a handfull of trips away. Probably second hand aircraft as new is out of my reach. Also if people would like to discuss buying versus hiring long term. I appreciate the input from all of the experianced people on this site.

My Instructor has put me on to a few videos on YouTube of landings. I have watched them over and over to attempt to get the picture right.

It is only when flying or boating that you realise just how many bad weather days there are here in Adelaide. I remember teaching scuba diving and loosing 9 weekends straight where we couldn't get students in the ocean. I have flown gliders and remember my first Solo. I am still really nervous when i think about going solo in the jab. I have been spending my spare time looking at all types of Light Aircraft. I have developed an interest in the FOXBAT. I will have to go to Gawler one day and go for a fly in one. Oh well the rain is pelting down and the wind howling outside. No flying this weekend but I have to go to sea on Saturday.

I have 6 hrs up and all I want is to keep going until I get to solo. The weather seems to have closed in and it rains weekend after weekend. Hopefully 2 more weeks and I can get back to doing circuits. I have soloed in a glider but I am looking forward to going solo in an RA aircraft. Theory is done so it is just a matter of practice.

Very nice looking aircraft. What would that set you back.

I had a ball. Too dumb to know any better. LOL

It was looking like a frustrating weekend with the 160 Jabiru I normally fly offline. Last weekend the weather kept us on the ground and this weekend no aircraft. Next weekend the RPA at Murray Bridge are away so no flying again. I got an e-mail from my instructor Ian on Friday offering me a flight in his own aircraft from Murray Bridge to Aldinga. Unfortunately Saturday morning brought rain and low cloud. Ian rang early to say not to waste my fuel. I still had to do my pre solo exam so I decided to drive up any way. When I got to the airfield the weather had lifted. Ian landed with a student in RPA's LSA and told me to help push his LSA out of the hangar. We went up with Doc another instructor at RPA and did some formation flying. I had an absolute ball. I had been towed in a glider behind a tug plenty of times but never that close. Another skill I am now keen to learn. I can't believe how nervous other aircraft in the circuit make me and then to fly so close. A real buzz. I spent the afternoon talking planes and asking Ian a million questions over many cups of coffee. I sat my pre solo exam so now one day when Ian says I am good enough I can go solo. Thanks Ian for taking me up in your own plane and giving me a great day despite not actually flying myself. They really are a top bunch of guys at RPA Murray bridge.

I just watched it on the PC. Great footage. I wouldn't want an engine failure in some of those spots though.

Why can I not get to see the video using ipad2?

Good way to pass a sunday morning. Sounds like the usual discussion with my wife. LOL

Went up to Murray Bridge today. Unfortunately a real winters day with low cloud and drizzle. Taxied out but decided not to bother and taxied back to the hanger. I used the downtime to do my radio licence exam. I will do some study this week and take the solo exam next week maybe. Booked for 2 hrs with Ian at RPA next Saturday so hopefully the weather is better.

I was flying out of Gawler one day in a GROB glider and got under a thunder head. I went from 1500ft to 10000 feet like an express elevator. I ended up with full airbrakes out and diving to get out of the lift. Very scary and potentially dangerous stuff. It looks in the video like oxygen is already being used. Gliders are great fun on a good day.

See it isn't my fault after all.

Well yesterday saw me clock up 6 hours in RA aircraft. I am now flying a Jabiru 160 and have 4 hrs in this aircraft. I am a lot more comfortable in the 160 than the LSA55 which was just too small for me. I have flown with nearly all of the instructors and CFI at RPA Murray Bridge now and I have to say they are great instructors and a good fun bunch of guys. To be able to teach a slow learner like me they have to be good. The first 2 hrs in the 160 a week ago where spent doing circuits and glide approaches. Also engine failures at height and on take off. At the end of my 2 1hr sessions I was exhausted. I was also pretty disappointed with my feeble attempts to land the aircraft. I really miss my air brake in the glider at this point. So yesterday was take 2 at circuits. Ian was my instructor and I first met Ian when I did my TIF a few weeks back. Ian would be one of the nicest guys you could meet and put everything into simple terms that even I could get my head around. I find sometimes that an instructor will tell you to do something and you blindly obey but you don't really get why you had to do it. I know you are going to say why don't i just ask but i hate looking stupid all the time. We took off to start our first 1 hr session but my head just wasn't in it. I felt totally uncoordinated and wasn't thinking straight so Ian said lets go do some practice on out landings and engine failures at height. This took my mind off having to embarrass myself doing more landings and before long I was back in the groove and really enjoying myself. We scared a few sheep and looked closely at a few power lines but it all went very well. Then Ian said we would side slip into a paddock from height. When flying gliders I hated side slipping and never really got the hang of it especially on cross wind landings. I was surprised at how easy it was to side slip the 160 and it was relatively easy to control speed and decent. We flew back to the air field and side slipped into runway 27. My first landing on grass in the 160 and it all went really well. I have to say though that Ian had a huge input into getting it right. We taxied back and had lunch. After lunch we took of again to do circuits. My mouth went try and my palms sweaty. I have up until now been glued to the runway on decent and not looking at anything else. Ian told me in the classroom before we left that he would make me get out of that habit. On the first approach Ian kept repeating Sock Speed Runway. It actually worked and I felt great at getting it at least half right. I still need to get into the centre of the runway but hey I can't get everything right at once. We did a couple of touch and goes and I was really starting to get the feeling that everything was slowing down and not happening at light speed. Ian then said lets do a glide approach from the downwind leg. All i can say is if I have to glide then give me a glider. I completely stuffed it up and we where never going to make the strip. we powered up and went round. I did one last landing for the day and once again the last landing of the day was the worst. Still it left me wanting to get back next week to do better. Ian had to control himself during the day as I constantly got my radio calls wrong. In gliders we hardly ever used the radio but that was 16 yrs ago so everything has changed. I am sure he wanted to hit me at one stage. I walked away from the day over the moon and happy that I was actually getting the PICTURE on approaches and feeling good about landings. Ian is a great instructor and I am looking forward to next week. More circuits and engine failure practice. We also have to do stalls. i love stalls and in gliders you actually get to spin the plane. I don't think I want to loose the wings so I won't try that in the 160. Well another week of watching YouTube landings and reading everything I can find on flying.

Great reading. i take it you had to do glide approaches in some of those circuits? Also did you do stall training? I remember my first solo in a glider. I was terrified but did ok. My second solo was a heavy landing and not so good. Now i have just started trying to land a 160 Jabiru and I am back to scratch again.

Hi Sally I am just converting over from Gliders to RA. Welcome and I look forward to reading more about your adventures.

Mate I would love to but I can't find the video on here. Probably looking in the wrong places.