nickduncs84

Doug check out the Ozrunways site. Got full instructions including where to buy all the bits and pieces.

thanks oscar. yes I'm very interested in the CAMit stuff so will keep an eye on it. only issue i see is that, if i buy a used 230, the lch mod would be a lot cheaper than a new engine.

thanks jetjr. training isn't an issue as we have a 230 at our school, so I'll have plenty of hours in that by the time i buy one. i don't rekon ill be doing any maintenance myself. im way more dangerous than any jab engine is. will keep an eye on the Camit engine over the next 6 months or so. would be good to hear how people are going with them...

I'm enjoying learning a lot from this forum. There's so much to learn and I've found this to be one of the best resources for the new rec pilot. As someone with not much of an idea, I'd be interested to hear what you guys think of this new engine and it's applicability to aviation. How have they managed to produce so much power from such a small engine? Is the technology applicable to aviation? what are the technical hurdles etc etc. I'm looking to buy a jab 230 after my training as I rekon the pros of the airframe and cost outweigh the question marks over the engine....but it would be good to have some better engine options. http://www.gizmag.com/nissan-zeod-rc-engine/30611/ As a related side note, as things are at the moment, I'd be tempted to go for a 19 rego and stick the rotec liquid cooled heads on the 3300 engine. It seems that many of the problems with the jab engine stem from overheating and that if you're ok with the 19 rego, it's a bit of a no brainer. Am I on the right track?? Nick

Yep will be looking to buy in about a year I rekon. Not sure what yet. Ideally I'd like to find one or two others to split it with. If that happens I'd like to look at a pipistrel virus sw. If not and it's just me I'll probably go with a jab or a Morgan Sierra. Still got a while to figure it out! Went up again yesterday in hot blustery conditions. Reminded me that I have lots of work to do!

I hadn't been up for a couple of weeks, so it took me a couple of laps with the instructor to get my eye back in. For some reason, when the instructor asked me to pull into the ramp, it didn't even occur to me that he was going to get out. I'm not sure why, but it was probably a good thing as I didn't have any time to think about it! Anyway, he spun me around and I was on my way. Of the 11 or so hours I've done so far, I think I've only had one day with little wind. I had actually started to get used to how much of a challenge it can be to get the darn thing on the ground with a little gust coming in. Not today though, as we had perfect conditions. Barely a breath of wind, sunny skies and 25 degrees. I wouldn't say I'm 100% automatic yet when it comes to circuits. There's been a couple of times when I forget to turn the carby heat off, a couple of times when I forget to switch the fuel pump off and only realise when I go to turn it back on again. So, in the back of my head, I was wondering what I was going to forget!! And then..... for some reason, it all just seemed to click! On my first circuit I spotted another aircraft coming towards me on the crosswind leg. I calmly called out that I had him visual and would go number 2. That seemed to make things a little easier as I just tucked in behind him and followed him around. He did run a really wide circuit, which was kind of nice as it gave me time to double check everything before decent. First landing was spot on. Right on the centre line (which i sometimes struggle with) and nice an smooth Second circuit was just as cruisy. Gentle landing, nice and easy roll to a full stop. Now the trick is not to get complacent! I'm sure the conditions won't be so kind to me next time! Nick

Hi viruspilot. Good to hear they perform as advertised. Certainly seem unmatched in the Lab field as far as speed and economy are concerned. Was looking to put an order in later in the year, but with the AUD continuing to slide against the Euro, it's looking less and less likely!

My perfect plane is a pipistrel virus sw. 140 kt cruise, slow stall speed, 17:1 glide ratio, spoilers to get down fast if needed, 17 lph fuel flow, great climb performance and can be put in a trailer in 15 minutes. Now I just need to dig up 150k!

Hi All. I'm fairly new to the RAA scene (doing my training out at Murray Bridge, SA). Loving it so far and have found this site to be very valuable, especially when it comes to researching different types of aircraft. I'm still about 2 years from buying, mainly because I think it will take me that long to work out what I really need/want. I'm doing my training in a Jab and have obviously taken an interest in the heated debate that seems to pop up on this site pretty frequently. As someone without an agenda on the issue, it seems that there are a lot of black and white opinions. Shouldn't we all just agree to call a spade a spade? The reality is that the Jab engine isn't going to win any awards for reliability, and that should enter into the risk assessment you do for every flight. It's no different to assessing the weather. Just because it's legal, doesn't make it smart or safe. In my situation, I'm happy with my decision to train in a Jab because our airfield is surrounded by flat paddocks. Would I fly one over hostile terrain? Absolutely not. I know some others would, and that's their decision, but based on the research I have done, my mechanical knowledge of the engine (low), etc, It's outside of my limits. As a side note, I know that there are plenty of stories of jabs with 2000+ hours on them. I know our school is one such example. I have also spoken to some local folks who swear by the Jab engine for one (valid) reason or another. The difference between all those people and me is that they are all aircraft mechanics! There are plenty of other examples of where aircraft characteristics may not fit someones risk profile. I wouldn't fly in a single engine turboprop or a aircraft with very high wing loading like a Lancair. I always assume the engine is going to fail and there is simply too much that is beyond my control if that were to unfold in one of those types of aircraft. Obviously, there is nothing illegal about flying a Lancair, and there are plenty of safe pilots who make the decision to fly one, being fully aware of all of the variables. The problem of course is that not all pilots are smart or safe, and because there is the chance that their decisions will impact others, we are left in a situation where we try and regulate against stupidity. So... If you you really think that the Jab engine is as reliable as anything else and that all of these engine failures are just unsubstantiated urban legends, for your own sake, wake up and smell the coffee. Or at least make sure you don't fly with any passengers that are relying on your judgement to keep them alive If you continually preach that Jabiru engines should be banished, at least accept that there are situations where they can be operated safely If you're a new student, make sure that the characteristics of what you're strapping yourself into play into your risk assessment. Don't rely on anyone else to do that for you. That includes RAA, CASA and your flight instructor. It's your arse on the line, so act accordingly. For the moment, I'm happy flying the Jab in the environment I am. Personally, I wouldn't buy one because of the uncertainty around the engine, but there seems to be a lot of chatter about improvements, so maybe things will be different a couple of years from now. Anyway...just my 2 cents as someone with less history behind me. Now I'm going back to the couch to watch the rest of the fight from a safe distance! Cheers Nick

When you get there go to a verizon store and get a prepaid mifi. Cost $100 for the device and then $100 for 12gb of data. That way you can use the nav on your ipad/iphone/android etc.

Wow. I was literally reading this thread with the TV on when the news update came on with a story of 2 pilots being rescued from Bass Strait. Eerie, but glad they both survived!!