Oh sh!t - beach take off gone wrong
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: UK
Age: 85
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I have owned and flown a Jabiru (2 seat version) and have to say that they are delightful to fly and the Jabiru engine itself has a very good reputation. Structurally they are not 'tanks' but as far as I am concerned quite acceptable. The security of the door is largely up to the guy who built it so I cannot comment on that, probably easier to get out of in an emergency than the single door of a Pa28. Biggest problem is the load carrying restrictions but that applies to all aircraft of this genre.
Fuel tank behind the seats is not everyones cup of tea but it's a very simple solution and relatively foolproof. I've not heard of anyone having any problems with this in the event of an emergency landing.
So maybe a bit 'light' for some of our more experienced pilots but I would be hesitant to label it a 'horrible' aircraft in any way.
Fuel tank behind the seats is not everyones cup of tea but it's a very simple solution and relatively foolproof. I've not heard of anyone having any problems with this in the event of an emergency landing.
So maybe a bit 'light' for some of our more experienced pilots but I would be hesitant to label it a 'horrible' aircraft in any way.
Join Date: May 2008
Location: UK
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The Jabiru is, by a very long way, the worst aircraft I've ever flown. It's very difficult to find any good points about it.
It is incredibly cramped, and there is hardly room for your feet on the tiny rudder pedals (perhaps contributing here). I only wear size nine shoes, but my foot had to be at an angle for my toe to be on the rudder, as the cockpit gets very narrow at the bottom.
Then there's the fact that some Jabiru models in the UK are limited to an absurd 430KG max take off mass. If you're trying to get two people in it you can barely carry an hour and a half's fuel, so I'm sure these aircraft are almost always operated over weight.
Then there's the view, which is truly awful out of the tiny windscreen, and the windows in the door are so low that any normal sized person (I'm only 5'10") has to dip their head down to be able to look out of the side. This severely hampers lookout and even the most basic airmanship becomes a challenge.
The Jabiru engine isn't the worst on the market, but it's no Lycoming, and every one I've operated has been riddled with oil pressure problems.
Compare this to the Europa (with tricycle undercarriage) or even the Ikarus C42 and it loses on every point. I honestly don't know what would convince anyone to spend any time building one of these monstrosities, just to scrape along with a cruise of 75 to 80 Kts.
It is incredibly cramped, and there is hardly room for your feet on the tiny rudder pedals (perhaps contributing here). I only wear size nine shoes, but my foot had to be at an angle for my toe to be on the rudder, as the cockpit gets very narrow at the bottom.
Then there's the fact that some Jabiru models in the UK are limited to an absurd 430KG max take off mass. If you're trying to get two people in it you can barely carry an hour and a half's fuel, so I'm sure these aircraft are almost always operated over weight.
Then there's the view, which is truly awful out of the tiny windscreen, and the windows in the door are so low that any normal sized person (I'm only 5'10") has to dip their head down to be able to look out of the side. This severely hampers lookout and even the most basic airmanship becomes a challenge.
The Jabiru engine isn't the worst on the market, but it's no Lycoming, and every one I've operated has been riddled with oil pressure problems.
Compare this to the Europa (with tricycle undercarriage) or even the Ikarus C42 and it loses on every point. I honestly don't know what would convince anyone to spend any time building one of these monstrosities, just to scrape along with a cruise of 75 to 80 Kts.
