Jabiru J400 / Your comments please

[EGNH_Flyboy]

Good evening all,

I'm looking for some feedback on the Jabiru J400. I'm a private owner looking to purchase, and I'd really appreciate your thoughts and experiences of ownership and operation.

Regards

EGNH

[piperboy84]

Seen one at a fly- in recently, talked to the owner he loves it. Plenty space, cheap to run, fast enough and he obviously had a lot of faith in it as it's based in the Orkneys so a lot of windy landings and water crossings.

[Steevo25]

I have a Jabiru SPL-450 and generally they are a great little aircraft. Very cheap to run and service.


Things to check are that the SBs are all done especially things like through bolts. Have an inspection done and pay particular attention to compressions.


They take a bit of getting used to for landing but generally great to fly.

[FleetFlyer]

I was part owner in Jabiru UL450 for a number of years and it shares a lot of features with the J400. My experience was similar to those who have already posted. The Jabiru engine in both 4 and 6 cylinder versions is a great piece of kit, provided one keeps up with the ADs. Same as any other engine really. Get familiar with what the importer, Skycraft say is required and you'll be fine.

Many will say that the Jab engines are somehow unreliable, but I'm certain that its simply not true. Operate them as the manual tells you to and they'll be more reliable for less fuel than the equivalent Conti/Lycoming. I've run mine at full throttle for extended periods of time (40+ minutes at way less than max RPM due to a very coarse prop) and it never missed a beat. I also crossed the Channel many times without fear of failure.

Also, the way to approach the landings is to keep a trickle of power in when you flare, as you can find yourself running out of elevator. After 10-20 landings like this you'll find yourself being able to flare without power.

The undercarriage legs appear to be consumable, and start to sag after about 500-800 hours, but they are not too expensive and are easy to replace yourself, its only three bolts on the UL 450, and probably is not too dissimilar on the J400. They give plenty of warning that they are worn out before they break. The gear is probably a weak point if you're used to being able to slam it down like a carrier pilot, but if you can land competently then its perfectly fine.

Go for it, you won't get a four seater that gives a better trade-off between speed, economy, purchase price and maintenance cost.

[Steevo25]

Jab engines have taken a hammering over the years. Some of the comments were deserved and some not. Generally, a Jab engine in a Jab airframe is ok.


A lot of the criticism of Jab engines came early on when they had cooling issues and there have been a few quality control issues over the years that have given the Jab engine a bad name and it was Jabiru's own fault as they had bad quality control. There are still minor issues with Jab engines and the occasional quality control issue but generally, now days, most other issues appear in non-Jab airframes.


Jabiru also earned a reputation for things that were outside of their control. A couple of years ago there was a faulty batch of oil coolers that were failing. The oil cooler was not supplied or recommended by Jabiru but they did get the blame for it and those comments still circulate today.


The Jab engine is extremely simple in design and very easy to work on if you want to do your own maintenance. There is not really much to go wrong in a Jab engine as long as all the recommended changes have been done and using good quality parts.


When I got mine, I had a few issues as it was the original engine with the older cylinder heads so I had to replace all the 4 cylinder heads on mine due to recessed valves and cracks. Skycraft are the UK distributor for Jabiru parts but for most everyday parts can be avoided as they are expensive. When I replaced my heads I got them from CAMiT in Australia via their UK dealer and they were half the price of Skycraft.


Other than that, I have had no real problems in the last 2 years. It will fly at around 90-95kts using between 12-14 litres per hour avgas/mogas.


The J400 has the bigger engine and uses around 20 litres per hour and can cruise at between 110-120kts. The way you fly the Jabs is very similar across the range. I did a cross-conversion course and it took me a few hours to get used to the landing but after that I find it very easy to fly.

[Rod1]

How does the overall package compare to a Jodel 1050?

Rod1

[Mariner9]

...or to a Pioneer 400? (though they are big bucks)

[FleetFlyer]

Jodel 1050
Its made of wood. You therefore can't park it outside and you'll have to budget for new covering every 20 years or so. I'd be surprised if it matched the Jabiru for fuel burn, load carrying or speed. The Jab will happily live outside under normal covers, though the metal parts will need to be regularly inspected. Overall though, the Jab is a much much cheaper ownership proposition.

The Jodel does win on kudos though, especially if you have the taildragger version.

Pioneer 400
Great plane, surely more than a match for the Jab in performance and fuel burn, but can you buy one with 40 grand? Nope.

[Rod1]

Ok a very quick look has thrown up;

Usefull load 6% advantage to the Jab

Fuel Cap 12% advantage to the Jab

Speed - around a 9% advantage to the Jab at 75%

Fuel used per hour identical

Power J400 120hp, DR1050 100hp

Price - Jab £40k DR1050 £22k

Not sure which would be considered to be the best value for money, but it is much closer than I expected.

Rod1

[EGNH_Flyboy]

Thank you for all your responses, all very useful and informative.

[FleetFlyer]

Well I must admit that Rod makes a sound point on the difference in purchase price. If you're in it for the short-haul, say 5 years rather than 10, then you may well come out better off with the Jodel. The 20 grand price difference will buy you plenty of hangarage and maintenance depending on where you are.

[Trevor McGowan]

Jabiru J400:
I am finding taxiing during takeoff and taxiing after landing to be difficult to maintain straight down the runway. At low speed in the taxiways I have good control but at takeoff and landings I am all over the runway. Any suggestions ?