Bruce,
As promised, here's my responses to your latest questions:
Q. Reliability: By popular demand, we would like to hear
your comments about reliability. What statistics have
Jabiru gathered? I'm sure others on the list will respond
with their own experiences and observations. This issue is
of utmost concern for all of us evaluating powerplants, and
perhaps the most difficult thing for you to prove to us.
A. This subject needs a bit of background, so please bear with me! Jabiru
originally built the 4 - cylinder engine for their own aircraft, back in
about 1990. They had developed a factory-built / type-certificated composite
aircraft for the Australian training and 'Sport Aviation' market, and were
relying on the Italian KFM 1600cc engine for power. Within a few weeks of
gaining the type certificate and having almost spent all their reserves, KFM
decided to cease making engines for aircraft. Jabiru were faced
(essentially) with the Rotax 2-stroke engine (the 912 wasn't yet available
to them) as the only power plant meeting the airframe's requirements for
power and weight. They decided against 2-strokes (for reliability) and took
the unusual and bold step to design and build their own 4 - stroke engine.
The first example was flying 11 months from initial concept. The engine was
very successful in the Jabiru aircraft, and it soon became attractive to
other aircraft and kit manufacturers. Some issues (not many, but enough)
became apparent of cylinder cooling in slower cowled-in installations, like
the Kitfox, Avid, some ultralights, etc. Jabiru responded to this in the
spirit of continuous improvement, and, along with improvements in CNC
manufacturing techniques and better materials, have implemented over 1000
manufacturing changes in (mainly) the 4 - cylinder engine in the first 700
engines built. Since then (i.e. engine serial number 711), only one or two
significant changes have been made. This illustrates currently a very flat
development curve, and is the reason why, for engines over s/n 711, the Time
Between Major Overhauls (TBO) is now 2000 hours, from 1000 before. The 6 -
cylinder engine has a similar track-record; we see very few changes these
days, and these engines also carry a 2000 hour TBO.
It's also worth noting, while discussing reliability, that Jabiru have many
hundreds of type-certificated aircraft / engines in the tough environment of
flight training in Australia. All of these engines are required to be
returned to the factory for major service and this gives them very valuable
experience for product development. Some of these engines have over 6000
hours in service (i.e. multiple TBO overhauls).
Listers here will be aware of claims that Jabiru engines 'suffer from
cooling problems', and of course and unfortunately a few such cases make
bigger news than those with no problems, such is the nature of these lists!
My experience has shown that these days, it is the INSTALLATION, and not the
basic engine, that can lead to problems of cooling. My job with Europa
owners and prospects, is to try to produce a package that can be repeated
time after time, with equally good results, so we avoid some of the pitfalls
people make when trying to design-it-themselves.
Q. Cowling / appearance: I've searched various Jabiru
factory and dealer websites and have been unable to locate
any Europa cowling photos other than Bob Harrison's one-off
(?) solution. I understand from your recent e-mail comments
that there are two commercially available cowlings -- the
one from the Jabiru factory and another one that you
(Suncoast Jabiru) have produced.
A. I'll post some comparative pictures (Jabiru's and ours) on a new page on
our web site within the next week or so, and will post a brief message with
a link to it as soon as it's available.
Q. Installation: Do you have any photos of a recent
vintage Jab 3300, installed in a Europa XS. (The only
images that are easy to find are Bob Harrison's Classic
Europa utilizing a custom cowling (?) and a custom (?)
engine mount? I'd appreciate seeing a series of photos
taken at different stages of the installation showing
pre-install preparation (fuel line and power feeds etc.),
engine mount only installed, then photos with engine
mounted, then with air baffles mounted and modified as
necessary, then with bottom cowl, and finally with the top
cowl all closed up and ready to go.
A. I'll post all available pictures on our site www.suncoastjabiru.com (see
the answer above) and will commit to updating them as more information
becomes available. I'm working now on a Customer's aircraft and will post
pictures accordingly. However, I don't have the luxury of installing an
engine on a new kit, nor indeed unlimited time to produce all the
information I'd like to, at this stage. My aim is to capture sufficient key
information to be able to guide a builder through all aspects of the
installation.
Q. Serviceability and access: I recall Bob Harrison
commenting somewhere that it was challenging to access the
carburetor and perhaps other components in his Europa
Classic. I think he also speculated that access in a Europa
XS would be even tighter due to the XS's extended foot
wells. (Sorry Bob H. if you are not the one who posted this
observation). I would appreciate hearing comments from Andy
or Jabiru users regarding this concern. I also would like
to see photos that illustrate this issue if it really is a
problem and what you do as a "work-around".
A. I take the point, but I don't see the XS installation as any more
difficult than others in my exerience. The carburetor is accessible, but of
course the footwells make it a bit more difficult than types with a 'flat'
firewall. We have set-up the airbox to deliver the intake air directly
downwards from the box, through the SCAT duct to the carburetor.
Q. Electrical generating capability: From the archives of
the Europa List and the Jabiru List, I have found that many
builders believe that perhaps neither Jabiru nor Rotaxes
have alternators sufficient to power all the strobes, nav
lights, wig-wag recognition lights, avionics, and other toys
that we would like to run. Obviously most Europa's are
flown with the standard Rotax or Jabiru alternators, but is
it feasible to stack a pair of the Jab alternators on the
rear of the 3300 like I believe they do on the Jab 5100 and
does the Europa installation leave you enough room to do so?
Would there be adequate room to mount one of B&C's vacuum
pump alternators on the Jabiru vacuum pad, (and does it
work). Are there belt-driven alternators that can be
sourced and do they fit under the cowl?
A. The supplied alternator delivers 20 amps continuous and 25 amps
intermittent peak. I'm just now completing an assisted-build with a Customer
who has a very well equipped Jabiru aircraft: EFIS, Solid state Gyro, 2
GPSs, EIS, comm. radio, intercom, XPonder, VOR/ILS, Trafficscope, landing
Light, nav lights, 3 strobes, electric trim, Tru-Trak 2 - axis autopilot,
electric flaps, etc. We worked hard to find more than 11-12 amps continuous
load (i.e. stuff needed all the time), to about 18v peak. I'm sure there are
those who have, or need higher loads, but I was surprised how efficient most
of today's equipment is. In recognition of these possible needs, I've asked
Jabiru to produce the same double (tandem) alternator setup offered on the
new 8 - cylinder engine, and await their response. Some Customers have
achieved success mounting separated belt-driven alternators but we don't
support these in terms of design or functionality. The B&C alternator fitted
to the rear accessory pad is an alternative, but (as far as I know) it needs
higher RPM to provide meaningful output than can be provided by the Jabiru
at normal cruise speeds. I'll keep lobbying for the factory - designed
tandem alternator for those who need more than 25A.
Q. Prop flange design and prop weight: A Europa-List
member has provided very extensive documentation of the
challenges he faced and the modifications he had to make in
order to utilize his chosen constant speed prop with an
early Jabiru 3300. What is Jabiru's current position on
this matter and have modifications, changes to
specifications or other provisions been made in recent years
that address this issue.
A. I sympathize with, and applaud Bob Harrison for his tremendous efforts in
pioneering the fitment of the MT CS propeller. At the time, Jabiru were
making and supporting wood props (they still are) and the drive flange is
more-than-adequate for these prop types. Like MT, Airmaster provide their
own manufactured prop extension (where needed) and I don't see Jabiru
wanting to change this, at this stage. The advent of the 180hp 5.1 litre
engine, coupled with the rise in popularity of CS/VP props will influence
them to support these developments and I know of some development being
undertaken by Jabiru for their own composite ground adjustable (at this
stage) prop. Might come to nothing, but they are working on it.
Q. Lastly, inquiring minds are anxious for the
fuel-consumption update that you mentioned in an earlier
post. We need adequate and realistic fuel performance
details. Fuel usage in a Europa is a huge issue due to the
small tank size. Fuel capacity is only 18 U.S. gallons but
early Europa marketing materials diffused this issue by
discussing Kim Prout's 2.1 GPH economy-cruise experiences in
his 80 HP 912, and Dennis Vorheee's 200 MPH experiences with
his 914. A review of some of a list-member's postings
indicate Jabiru powered Europas will, based on his
experiences, only have a couple of hours of flight time. I
have saved emails from him reporting 7.08 (converted to U.S.
gallons) GPH at 125K and 6.12G GPH at economy cruise (110K).
(I believe his e-mails stated consumption in Imperial
gallons which I hope I have accurately converted to U.S.
gallons.) At his higher consumption rate, that works out to
only 2 hours and 34 minutes from which you have to subtract
a 30 to 45 minute reserve.
A. As I mentioned in a recent post, we've achieved a 20% (or so) improvement
in fuel consumption in our Jabiru 4 - place aircraft using an improved Bing
carburetor needle and associated jetting. However, I really can't predict
what the burn will be in the Europa, and our figures can only be
realistically compared with other Jabiru aircraft. Prop. choice is of
paramount importance, so we will need to measure this carefully with the
aircraft and propeller(s) we have available. At this stage, I'm confident
that the Europa's 18 US gallon tank will deliver over 3 safe hours of flight
with a late-model Jabiru engine.
Andy
Suncoast Sportplanes, Inc.
www.suncoastjabiru.com
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