Sport Pilot Talk

rsteele · Joined: 12 Feb 2007 Posts: 99

A "local", only 50 miles away, flight school, Dominion Air Services in Gordensville, Va. Got a new Jabiru 250 over the weekend. It was on display at the AOPA fly-in on Saturday and I got to try it on in Gordensville on Sunday. It's a beauty, but alas, I don't fit in it. Plenty of headroom and adequate legroom but very narrow seats. There is a center console between the seats that houses the mechanics of the flight controls which subtracts a lot from the hip room. I don't know the internal diminsions, but the plane appears less egg shaped than some, so it may be narrow overall as well. Fit and finish were quite nice.

I was there about 1:30 in the afternoon and there had already been 6 people inquiring about it. I have to think there is a ready market for Sport Pilot instruction.

Ron

DKarnage · Joined: 01 Feb 2008 Posts: 30 Location: Baltimore KMTN

The Jabiru was one of the main reasons my girlfriend and I went to the fly-in. I've been reading a lot about it and is definitely in the top 3 (long-term) S-LSA's we would like to own. Ron you're right about how narrow the hip area is..that center console takes out about 4-6 inches of hip room..I'm skinny though so I fit in just fine. The seats are also more comfortable than they look.

Leg room and head room however are fantastic which was nice since I'm like 6'3-6'4 and still had room above me and my knees were nowhere near the panel. Visibility was also pretty good since the leading edge of the wing sits back a little.

Cargo space is fantastic and no structural changes were made from the 4 seat version.

I didn't particularly like the way the rudder pedals were rigged and the spring bracket moved slightly from side to side when pressure was applied. I think that the steerable nose wheel in the grass may have been giving a lot of resistance and played a factor in that though. Also, toe brakes would be nice as well.

Another thing is that it doesn't come with or even offered with a BRS. One of the Jabiru guys was going back and forth with me about them but that's something fairly important to us and hopefully they will start producing/offering them with a system. Overall though I liked the aircraft and maybe one day I'll actually get to fly one.

rfane · Joined: 26 Apr 2006 Posts: 80 Location: San Jose, CA

The Jabiru is a nice looking aircraft, and I love the amount of cargo space it offers. However, after flying a CT for 125+ hours, I've grown accustomed to the additional cabin width, which the Jabiru is lacking.

I'm also perplexed with the center stick and hand brakes as well. It seems it would make crosswind landings a bit of a challenge. Toe brakes would be a welcome addition in this set up. There is a Jabiru that is based at my home airport. It was recently run off the end of the runway on landing, and suffered some damage when it hit a light fixture. I'm wondering if the center stick and hand brake played a factor.

rsteele · Joined: 12 Feb 2007 Posts: 99

Good point about the centerline brakes and stick. I don't have a particular problem with either, but the combination is a little odd. Generally when you need breaks, you are steering with your feet and don't need the stick, but reaching around it for the breaks could be awkward. The Tecnam I fly has a similar brake handle which works well, but it has dual sticks. I don't miss differential braking at all. In fact, it's nice not having to balance the brakes. However I would prefer a "bicycle brake" handle on the stick.

Also, the windows don't open, and there are no vents in them. In weather like we've been having in Virgina lately (90s and humid) this could be an issue.

The cargo area is enormous. If you have lots of "stuff" this could be the only sport plane for you.

I'm sure the goof folks at Dominion would welcome the chance to demonstrate the plane to any interested folks.

Ron

Cub flyer · Joined: 10 Sep 2006 Posts: 298

Try the ailerons and see how much friction the push / pull cables have.

Rent one for two or three hours and see how it flies. not just a short demo ride but do the whole stall series, sport pilot maneuvers, pattern work with takeoffs and landings.

It's the only way to decide if it's for you. Same goes for any LSA