Topic

Preparation

Cockpit and Controls

Tools

Wings

Sorting & Unpacking

Wheels

Safety Precautions

Doors

Fuselage

Tail

Electrical and Instruments

General

Preparation  

Contributed By:

Get a large roll of bubble - wrap packaging sheet (1.5m x 15m) from your local garden centre or packaging company (cheaper). In low temperatures, you'll use this to create an insulated 'tunnel' by draping it over the work you've bonded / flocked and, with the careful application of warm air from a fan - heater, you'll easily achieve the 20°C (or so) you need for a good epoxy cure.

In preparation for lots of bags of small parts, construct a 'wall-board' to which you can pin / hook the bags, in the order of build sequence. For the larger, bulky items, prepare as much shelf - space as you can and also some shelf - brackets (only) in pairs to rest long items like elevator, flaps, etc until you need them. Doors can also be hung on these. Keep an out-of-the-way area clear for windows and other fragile parts

Some builders are choosing to have all their aluminium parts anodised in a colour of their choice when the kit arrives. (I didn't, but I admit it does look good!). Bear in mind that some parts will require small 'adjustments' which may mean re-anodising afterwards. If you prefer the natural look, you can get a nice 'brushed' finish by rubbing with a ScotchBrite abrasive pad. Try different grades on bits of scrap metal first.

If you're going to do any painting, try to keep as much off the floor as possible, so that you can vacuum / sweep the place out thoroughly to minimise dust  before the job. I found it helpful to hose - out the workshop floor at this stage!

It's a good idea to get extra insurance for your kit during the build, to cover any risks (fire / damage / theft, etc). Most aircraft insurers will quote and (having spent all that money on the kit) it's worth - it for the 'peace of mind'.

Tools  

Electric hot air (paint stripping) gun - used to 'adjust' some non - structural GRP (Glass fibre) airframe parts, like doorframes, door stop strip, etc. Also top of windscreen - with care!

Electric Angle - Grinder (4 - 5") - this is for grinding some parts for better fit, like the window edges to fit the rebates. If you can get an adjustable - speed one, so much the better. Fit a disc sander backing pad and use discs between 80 and 240 grit.

Torque wrench for engine  / prop fitting, etc. Check the torque settings in the Technical Manual to ensure you get one with the right range.

3 or 4 straight lengths of  (e.g.) 20x20x3 x 2m aluminium angle (or channel) for setting the position of the tailplane / fin relative to the 'datum of the lower and rear door - frames. Clamp the angle across fuselage to lower door frame, then it's easy to 'eye' up the tailplane from the rear with reference to it. Clamp the angle to the rear inside of the frame, and use tape measure(s) to check that the tailplane is 'square' in its mount while screwing / gluing.

The following tools aren't essential, but they certainly make the job easier!:

Cordless Screwdriver with various bits (get some spare Phillips #2 bits: those self - tappers are hard!)

Permagrit abrasive tools for shaping / sanding GRP parts (try to get a set of various shapes, including a 600mm long coarse / fine 'block' - very useful for straight edges, like trailing edges, etc. - See their web site.

Electric Orbital Sander for surfacing filler .

Electric Jig Saw for cutting wing T/E for aileron / flap fitting, and other holes in wing / fuselage.

Digital Kitchen Scales (5kg max) for mixing resins by weight, using the mixing pots provided. Accurate measurements of small mixes can be made, and you don't have to spend time making the scale shown in the manual! These scales can be bought at Argos in UK.

Dremel Moto - Tool (cordless and multi - speed if possible) - used for grinding / drilling GRP in hard-to-get places. Permagrit make some very useful bits for these; the cut - off disc and cylindrical grinding tools are particularly useful.

Air Compressor & blow gun. You can probably do without this if you 'contract - out' your filling and painting job, but if you intend to prime / fill / paint, you'll definitely need to use the blow - gun (nozzle) to clean - out crevices and pin - holes in the gel - coat. If you intend to do all the painting, get a good spray gun and a compressor capable of 15cfm, and don't forget a good mask and protective clothing! You'll probably know this, but DO NOT attempt to spray 2 - pack (isocyanate) paints unless you have a specialised Air - Fed mask.

Vacuum cleaner with 'crevice tools' You'd be surprised how difficult it is to get GRP dust out from behind the seats with a brush! Also, you'll have loads of GRP 'dust' around after shaping parts and this is dangerous stuff if breathed - in. If you don't want to fall - out (further?) with 'Her Indoors', don't use the house vacuum cleaner!

There are some items called for in the construction manual that some people  (including me) have had problems sourcing.

Item Description RS Part Number Size Price

Loctite Bearing Fit 641 RS 514-559 10ml £ 4.93

Loctite Prism 480 (Rubber Toughen Cyanacrylate) RS 514-593 20gm £16.63

Loctite Superlube (Rubber Grease) RS 184-7967 85gm £ 4.74

RS Anti-Seize Compound RS 557-073 50ml £ 1.80

RS Webb site rswww.com

I found RS to be VERY effecient - orders are delivered the next day.

Dremel grinder is a must, get a carbide arbor and 402/426 abrasive wheel. Jigsaw, preferably electronic speed control. Orbital sander with vacuum.

The aircraft can be mounted like a pig on a spit. Go to a place that fits exhaust systems. Buy a piece of steel tube with a right angle bend, to fit through the noseleg bearings and stay it (use flat steel) to the top motor mount holes, so it can't move from side to side.

Fit a length of square steel tube into the U section at the rear of the horizontal stabilizer. Weld half hinges to it so you can pin the tube to the elevator hinges. Weld a round steel tube to the square tube so it projects straight out the back. Stay it up to the rear of the fin with flat steel.

Rest the front and rear shafts projecting out either end of the fuselage on high trestles. You can now roll the aircraft fuselage to any position, even upside down. Two ropes from the wing tabs to ceiling hooks will stabilise.

OZ

AN3 max torque 25 inch pounds, AN4 max 66 inch pounds, AN5 138 inch pounds.Wooden prop, torque to 6ftlbs Check torque summer & winter as wood swells with humidity.

OZ

General

I mounted a door switch (try wreckers, electronic shops, burglar alarm shops) in the top indent hole. With no flaps, the button is depressed. When you move to first or second stage the switch closes and activates a flashing red jumbo LED on the panel. Also reminds you to retract flaps when taxiing.

OZ

Bog; Polyester automotive bog doesn't stick well to either polyester or epoxy and in time it shrinks. It's also relatively heavy, so use epoxy bog.

Poly Fibre filler is excellent, always the right consistancy or mix your own. I found West Systems epoxy 105 with 206 slow hardner was readily obtainable from boat shops. Mix in Qcell (Microballoons) so it's real thick and goop it on.

I used a digital humidity measuring device, (available from electonic hobby shops), syringes from the chemist to transfer epoxy to plastic beer cups (from the supermarket), weighed on a balance as per the constructors manual, mixed and applied with tongue depressors (from the chemist).

Sikaflex is a wonderful adhesive with many uses around the Jabiru; after all they use it to glue buses together! It is a polyurethane sealant adhesive which bonds but never hardens and never lets go. To get it apart, the trick is to use detergent on the knife blade. Unfortunately, once opened the whole cartridge goes off very quickly, keeping it in the fridge helps.

OZ

Bottom of rudder. Elevator tips. Aileron tips. Under master cylinder. Door bottoms. Sound curtain/floor. Tail cone before cross brace. Rear of passenger & pilot floors. Keel fin.

OZ

Leave the tank unpainted but glue fabric to the top of the tank to protect it from luggage. Leave a hole in the fabric near the inlet to check the fuel level when filling the tank. Don't let the fuel inlet support the weight of the fuel pump nozzle or it will crack. Instal a rubber grommet where the fuel tubing exits the centre console.

An earthing wire must run from the tank earth back to the console earth buss.

Replace the fuel tubing with high quality, blue fabric covered line (Aeroquip 8346 2705).

For security, replace threaded swivel on fuel cap with a nylock nut. Carry a tube spanner.

To prevent fuel loss on takeoff, remove the aluminium vent tube (hot iron) and cut off the fibreglass tab. Cut out a 50mm straight section and epoxy it in the tank, vertical. Run the vent tube straight up, around window and down to a 90 degree exit pipe (cut from the vent tube).

You can't see the fuel level below 30 litres. Auto instruments (83624881) have a magnetic fuel float moving on an enclosed reed switch. Epoxy the shaft in an aluminium tube mounted vertically on a double flange set 100mm starboard of the filler. Set height for 10 litres.

I velcro'd an acrylic mirror (with a 30mm hole in the centre) to the hole in the fuselage former. This enables me to see the fuel level when it gets below 20 litres (and is an excellent signaling mirror!).

A 50W lamp mounted in a holder, epoxied to the back of the fuel tank, lights it up, making fuel levels much easier to see. You don't have the light on for long. I used a starter pushbutton switch and mounted it to the right of the throttle. N.B (NEARLY CAUSED A FIRE ON ONE IN THE UK if you use Avgas and don't paint the tank, you can see the fuel - Vic)

Using a 90 degree barb on the inlet side of the boost pump makes routing fuel lines easier.

There are high pressure and there are low pressure boost pumps; and they appear identical. The Jabiru uses low pressure, the local auto parts supplier has high pressure!

The use of teflon tape to seal fuel connections is not acceptable in aircraft, as re-fitting can allow bits of teflon to block fuel flow (and has!). Loctite make a thread sealing compound designed for fuel fittings.

The brass fuel inlet barb to the carby just sits in place with an O-ring. The whole thing came out when I was trying to pull the fuel line off, so I epoxied it in place.

OZ

The above mainly applies to early planes. With the new yellow rubbers and especially the Red nose leg rubbers eg J160/J400 etc. You will need to compress the rubbers off the plane using long levers

Polyfibre Smooth Prime is an excellent primer (although the hardner has a very limited shelf life). Lightweight, good adhesion and safe to use. Roll it on, then sand it off. Go down to 320/400 using an orbital sander with a vacuum system (borrow the wife's Electrolux!). Round all fibreglass edges, as paint doesn't bond well to a sharp edge. Don't go too fine if using 2 pack as it needs something to 'key' in to, 400 grit is fine, as the paint is quite viscous.

Mask first with 3M Fine Line 218 to prevent paint creeping under, then masking tape on top. Use butchers paper, newspaper is small, has perforations and leaves ink on white surfaces. Remove masking ASAP as hard paint fractures as you peel it off.

Don't use thinners or citrus based cleaners on acrylic windows as they will craze the plastic later. Don't use straight metho on the acrylic as differential cooling may cause cracking. Don't use paper towels or rags containing silicon or the paint won't bond afterwards. Before spraying, remove all marks made by pencil, felt pen, chalk, etc to prevent bleed through. Before spraying, blow out and vacuum fuselage and floor as blast from the gun will blow dust around. Before spraying, damp driveway/floor area to settle dust. Which paint system? My opinion only!! 1. Two pack isocyanate paints give a superb finish, tough and easy to apply; but MUST be used with an air fed respirator (the mask filters available are designed for use in a spray booth where there is a constant flow of air, not the shed!) and suit. I used a cheap High Volume Low Pressure (HVLP) gun and the biggest compressor to run off single phase. Put the compressor where it can't ingest the spray fumes!! You will need a water trap and an oil trap in the respirator line and a water trap in the line for the gun. Isocyanates produce an alergic reaction, rather than a poison/cancer outcome. 2. Automotive acrylic is cheap, easy to apply, safe (in a ventilated area and with the right mask!) and very presentable. 3. Water based 2 packs I tried but couldn't get along with, wanted to run and produced a soft finish, not hard like 2 pack, more like vinyl house paint.

Spraying 2 Pack. Terminology! There's a 'mist coat' (which just dusts the surface) then a 'heavy mist coat'. Next is a 'just wet coat' (where there's enough paint for it to flow out), then there's a 'heavy wet coat' (dangerous because you're on the verge of running). Never paint vertical if you can paint horizontal! Start with edges. First coat mist coat. Wait for it to 'dry' (15 min). This gives the wet coat something to grip, lessening the chance of running. Follow with 3 just wet coats, 15 minutes apart. Use strong lights to view progress.

Leave for 5 days to harden. Resting on a newly painted surface will mar the finish. Rub back with 400, 800, 1200, 1500 wet. Use a rubber sanding block, sand with a crosshatch pattern, not around in circles. Polish with 'Farecla G3' by hand (much better 'feel' than with a buff. Use lots of water.

OZ

Halfords also do a 7/16 socket but its part of a set costing about fifteen pounds - better to go for the 11mm !

2. I also have a drawing for a radio mount to fit the Icom A200 underneath the standard panel if anyone is interested.

While building the fuselage I was very suspicious of factory marked holes and cut outs,checking them meticulously, and even then cutting undersize. As the fuselage got to completion I began to have much more faith in factory markings. THIS WAS A MISTAKE when starting on the second wing, I turned it upside down on the bench cut out the inspection hole and immediately drilled the 38 mm hole marked in black felt pen.

Guess what! It was on the outboard of the inspection hole but never the less very clearly marked. Allright perhaps due to the accuracy of all the other marks I had grown complacent, but it was such an easy mistake to make.

(As above) I too have found markings to be in the wrong place - i.e aileron cable hole in wing top surface - 1/2" too far outboard also 1/2" too far inboard!

Vic Leggott

Sorting & Unpacking  

Safety Precautions 

GRP dust: It's likely when you're shaping / gluing / finishing GRP parts that (unless you vacuum - up after every operation) that the air will contain very small glass particles which if breathed - in, are dangerous to the respiratory system. In fact, the particle size can be about the same as asbestos and you know what that means! So, if you don't want to spend time recovering from a '40 - a - day cough' (or worse), WEAR AT LEAST A DISPOSABLE PAPER MASK, and use your vacuum cleaner to clean - up frequently. 

Paint (primer & top coat): Pretty obvious, but try to get as good a fume / particle mask as you can reasonably afford, Vic and I used ones with dual carbon filters (for the paint fumes) with disposable outer filters (for the paint mist itself) made by 3M and costing about £40 each. A good mask (like these) will mean that you can't even smell the paint thro' it while spraying.

Tail  

There is no longer a requirement to add the glass reinforcing to the sides of the vertical fin to fuse join. There is now an extension that is fitted into the fin post. You still glass the fin post to the fuselage though.

You may want to fit a strobe at the top of the fin later, so you'll need to drill a hole at the chosen position, and run - in a suitable draw - string. To keep the run for the strobe lamp cable as far forward in the inside of the fin as possible (to minimise any interference with the VHF aerial at the back of the fin-post), Vic and I glued a couple of fairlead - rings inside the fin leading-edge. These were simply 5mm lengths of 18mm plastic pipe, glues with 5 - minute epoxy.

To get the static - pipe and plastic tube threaded into the front - top of the fin, you'll have to drill an oversized hole ( about 12mm), then 'plug' it with 5 - minute epoxy  / flock. Don't try to finish the job in one go; set the tube in place first, get it straight with the centreline of the fin, etc, then when reasonably 'set', mix some more and do the 'bullet nose' as per the manual.

I suggest you fit and glue the elevator (weighted) end-caps before the stabiliser end caps. Fit the elevator hinges first, then fit the end caps to give a small clearance with the ends of the stabiliser. Now, fit the stabiliser end-caps to be flush with the ends of the elevator ends.

Flock an aluminium eye into the keel fin to take tie down loads.

OZ

Fuselage  

When you fill the rear seat pan with foam (Bostik) this might be helpful: 

a) Check the production date of your foam can Polyurethane foam has a very limited shelf life, approximately 12 month. It is very likely that your can has expired when you need it late in the construction process. The problem with too old foam seems to be that it will fail to expand to the same volume as new one. Therefore better buy new foam at your local DIY store. Any one component polyurethane foam will do. 

b) Buy at least 660ml, probably better 750ml. 500ml of foam will expand to 25l under ideal circumstances. The supplied 340ml (Bostik) can will therefore expand to about 17l. This might be enough for the seat pan but circumstances will be less than ideal. While filling up, the already filled in foam will create resistance (due to friction and pure mass) and immediately pressure will rise. Thus you'll not get the advertised expanded volume. 

c) Spraying  some water into the cavity helps the expansion process. 

Drill 2 lots of three 10mm holes in a line under each bit where you would sit and squirt three big blobs each side and let them expand. Just scraping the excess off, that will force its way out of the holes, when it had cured.

Be careful not to overdo it as the foam can carry on expanding for some time and push the seat up, creating a bulge

Check out this Service bulletin from Jabiru regarding setting up elevator travel limits - you will need

Adobe® Acrobat® Reader (its free) installed on your PC

Here are a couple of pictures showing how they should be fitted.

The first one shows the lug riveted to the bottom cowl and where the slot has been made in the top cowl to receive it.

The second pic shows it in place. The top cowl has to be pushed in at the front to release / insert the lugs in the slots.

When fitting the top and bottom cowl, to get a good join line, put a bead of filler on one edge and masking tape on the other then compress the two together. When set, clean up and do the same to the opposite surface. Ensure the aluminium retainers on the front of the lower cowl are fitted so that the hook faces in towards a slot that needs to be made in the front of the top cowl. (early two seaters)

Fuselage comes factory joined now!

When fitting the Perspex windows,  produce a 'V' groove between the fiberglass and Perspex. Bevel the edge of the Perspex with an angle grinder fitted with a fine sanding disc and bevel the edge of the window recess. It is not necessary to use the screws and nuts to hold the windows in if using 24hr flock and resin. Still use the bolts/screws for the front screen though). Key the surface of the Perspex in the bonding area. Do not stress the Perspex while the resin is going off otherwise you'll get cracks.

Aircraft come with this arrangement now - unlikely you'll be building an SK

Vic Leggott

Sound curatin now goes on the first bulkhead - no need for brackets 'L' shaped brackets (OLD SK Type)

ST Aviation

Vic Leggott

ST Aviation

ST Aviation

Stainless steel firewall is now supplied with the kit

VicLeggott

Will crack when being drilled with a sharp drill, use a 6mm Unibit (Flintware). I found a countersinking bit with a single, sharp flange worked best. Don't drill acryllic when it's cold. To trim windows to size use a Dremmel with the abrasive wheel 426/402. Fit the curvy bits of the windscreen (at the top) first by using a hot air gun.

OZ

To avoid the risk of cracking the windscreen while countersinking the fixing holes, drill all the holes (carefully!) ensuring good support behind each hole, then fit the screen on a bed of 24h resin / flock (stiff mix) and fix temporarily using self - tapping screws. The screen MUST have been cut to shape and pre-fitted (using the hot - air gun to get the top corners to fit the recess) beforehand, and you'll need to roughen the back surface of the screen - edge to give a key to the flock. Use minimal effort to pull the screen onto the flock with the screws. You'll see the flock 'bed' thro' the edge of the screen and most of what you applied will squeeze out. Remove the surplus with a cellulose - thinners rag and leave to cure. Afterwards, remove the self - tappers carefully; then countersink the holes knowing that the screen is fully supported behind. You may have to re-drill the holes 4mm but again, this should be easier with the screen in situ. Ensure that each finished screw head is below the surface of the screen so that the subsequent filling covers them completely.

Cockpit  and Controls  

The control column cross tube used to go out through the back of the seat cross member as on other models. Now the center tunnel doesn't go all the way back to the seat cross member and the output to the aileron cables is in front of the seats.

When I installed my VLA panel I cut out big access holes either side on the top of the panel molding and cut out all of the front. I re-enforced the centre section and built a radio stack and also made a mold for my Garmin 295 to sit in behind the face plate. I made the face plates in four sections out of ali sheet and they are held in by rivnuts and counter sunk stainless screws. The plate made for the GPS is removable on its own to allow access to the unit. I cut out the sections on the lower part of the panel where the switches and fuses go and moved them forwards towards the front of the panel. Left where they are makes it difficult to see the switches when seated in the plane.

This panel shape has been superseded. I can supply the new wide panel surrounds as fitted to the whole jab range

http://www.vicdrive.co.uk/extras.html

The old wide instrument panel comes in three sections. As supplied  it is designed to hinge down either side of the centre section but I didn't see this as very satisfactory, I found it was more practical to join them together with rivets and flock to make a one piece unit, this means you can dispense with the brackets for the centre section. I chose to cut out the fibre glass fronts and replace with removeable aluminium panels for improved access. I customised the center section and fitted a transponder, garmin GPS90 and Icom A20 transciever. Andy has gone a step further and had the panel finished in leather with a transponder, Icom A200 radio and a Sky Map II GPS.

Vic Leggott

Kits now come with the fus join factory done!

Two seat kits now have a pre molded door shut.

Use the tab longways so it's easier to hook your toe on to it. Don't use 5 minute epoxy, weak.Epoxy brass flywire screen just inside the opening to prevent angry wasps in the cockpit!

Stick velcro, 20mm long on the slides. The friction stops rattling and holds it in position.

OZ

When installing the rudder pedals, set the plastic bearing blocks on some resin flock and assemble the rudder bars on top in the correct position but do not tighten the bolts until resin has set. This means when the bolts are tightened, everything remains square. Without the flock, the blocks, when bolted down, will go out of alignment and make the rudder tight to operate. Some material may have to be removed from the inside surface of the bearing block. The rudder pedals should operate freely without any binding.

Turn knobs from exotic timber eg. Blackwood or Teak (Otto's 8362 3522). Don't install the throttle on the passenger side, useless and can be knocked closed!

Use the good epoxy for the fibreglass stops, 5 minute epoxy is too weak.

Replace the green nylon throttle crosstube bearing blocks with black (Enzed 8268 7566).

TRIM CABLE

Use a rubber grommet where it exits the lower fuselage. Secure with superglue. Drill a hole in the brake master cylinder mounting plate, pass cable through a grommet.

JOYSTICK ASSEMBLY

Before flocking the bearings, set minimum end play and set the plate to hit the bolt head stops. Discard plastic top (they crack) and turn up an aluminium cap to take the PTT switch. Use a single wire triggering a relay for the radio.

BRAKE CENTERING SPRING AND HORN

To centre the spring in the console, make 2 aluminium spacers. Spring sits in the middle. Run the spring in a piece of irrigation poly tube to prevent chaffing the console. Hold aluminium actuating plates together with solid rivets, not pop rivets (Parts Network).

BRAKE MASTER CYLINDER

For easier removal, tap the aluminium mounting plate for the 2 bolts, screw them in from the blind side and epoxy the 2 bolt heads to secure. This provides 2 studs. Use locknuts to mount. Drill a hole in the mounting plate for the trim cable and grommet.

FLAP ACTUATING HANDLE

Is too stiff which bends the pivot bolt. Cut slits in the top cover to allow more flex. Also, cut out a triangular section from the thick baseplate, it's still very strong but can now flex. To avoid a hole, bolt on the locating knob with a nylock nut before joining the top and bottom.

OZ

I have found 1/2" Id plastic tube at my local hobby shop and used it to protect and support the Throttle and Rudder cable . It works great at any other point where the cables need to pass through a flat panel .They can be flocked in then two layers of light glass for strength .

Wheels    

J400/J430 dual brakes

The inboard pad is riveted directly to the back plate. Make sure you have the back plate the correct way round. There is a chamfer on the inboard side axle hole to allow for the radius on the axle.

I've made a tool out of a couple of bolts - one with a flat end to go up against the flat head of the rivet and the other one has a shape ground on the end like a golf tee. This splays the open end of the rivet before flattening out. If you just hit it with a hammer it will squash side ways or crack. The back plate uses slightly shorter rivets than the bar on the other side so make sure you get the correct ones. ( you must use the brass alloy rivets - I've seen people use pop rivets!) They drill out easily enough when requiring renewal.

You still require the ali. Bracket for spat mounting

Make sure you get the brake pistons the right way round i.e. flat side into the cylinder and open side out.

See photos

Brake1   Brake2

Dual brakes with quick remove pads

The latest design is for the brake back plate to remain attached to the axle and gear leg and the wheel to stay on when you change the brake pads. There is now a stainless steel back platewith the pad on it, which goes between the old back plate and the disc. The old back plate has holes drilled to allow clearance on the brake pad rivet heads.   Brake3

Nose Leg Fairing: The nose leg fairing is no longer used as it interfered with cooling on earlier models.

From my experience the Jabiru fitted with the medium size wheels will require a lot of material removed from the spats to give clearance. On the main wheels the concern is not only ground clearance but tyre clearance allowing enough space for the tyre to bulge under load. Special attention should be applied to the nose spat bearing in mind that as the nose leg suspension compresses, the spat will tilt nose down and it is possible that on soft ground that the wheel will run over the front of the spat. Locate the extreme end screw holes for the nut plates after cutting away the excess material otherwise you may have cut away an area where you had the screw.

Later kits have bleed nipples fitted to the slave cylinders so ignore the above

OZ

Slime the tyres. To repair a flat, carry a spare tube and make 2 spanners to undo the split

rims. Bend two 5" lengths of 1/4" square rod in the middle and epoxy a 12mm & 13mm socket (Cash Converters) to each. A12mm/13mm spanner, a pocket screwdriver and a high pressure bicycle pump complete the outfit.

OZ

I found the fit of the aluminium saddles to the legs was poor; the edges just dug in and there was not much more than 'point' contact. To improve matters, I filed the square internal edges off the saddles (don't take too much off!) and then bedded both saddles in with 5-minute epoxy and flock - between the saddle and the leg. I tightened the bolts, but left them about a turn short of fully tight, then tightened up fully after a few hours. This is one of the unsatisfactory elements of the kit's (otherwise good) design, and I believe Jabiru should instruct builders to use this method to spread the load of the retaining saddles to the underside of the legs. I'm sure that now the legs will remain tighter for longer.

Make sure the bolts are not thread bound. You should only have about 2 or 3 threads showing through the nyloc nut.

AN6 bolts are used instead of AN5 now

Doors  

Later kits come with an improved door shape that requires less work.

Latest two seat kits have a new design door and frame

To fit the door jam strips, fit the door and fill the doorframe to get the required even gap. If you pack the door hinge out from the door frame by approx. 5mm this will put the door in about the right position and will require less filler. With the door fitted and the latch in place you can work through the window opening before the window is put in. Feed the jam strip through the window bending and matching the contours of the inside of the door using a hot air gun, clamping every so often to hold in place. Take the strip out and drill for screw holes. Then replace the strip, this time allowing the gap for the draft excluder tape, there should be enough on the reel to cut off 6" to use as a trial fit as you go round screwing it to the door frame.

OZ

Wings   

I've added a quick sketch to show how the stall warner goes together - see below

There was a change in the stall warner set up a year or so ago. It used to be that the hole in the leading edge with the mesh and tab on the lower edge of the hole, fed in the cavity of the wing leading edge. There was a metal pipe that connected the pvc pipe from the fus. to the wing.

The way it is now, is mesh and tab with a funnel connected to a pvc pipe that runs inside the leading edge and right into the fus. See here for a PDF on how to fit the new type

My folding wing kit required replacement of the 1/4" bore bushes in the wing roots with larger tapered bore bushes. Be aware they are screwed and epoxied in, so cannot be heated & pressed out. To remove, a screwdriver slot was ground across one face with a dremmel 3/4 dia. abrasive disc. The bush was heated with a 100Watt tapered bit soldering iron & srewed out The replacement bushes were reluctant to screw in due to the epoxy re-hardening. Not having a suitable tap, I modified an original bush to make an improvised tap I turned back a couple of thread pitches to form an alignment guide then filed two deep grooves across the remaining threads like a proper tap. After a couple of passes the new bushes could be fitted The new bushes were clamped between two 1/4" nuts on a piece of studding, floxed & screwed in with a spanner.

It is very unlikely that you will find any disbonds to worry about.

The reason that the PFA have issued this advisory is because a kit was delivered with some disbond near the tip on the underside, the disbond was between the foam and the skin. The Jabiru wing has been designed and tested to work with 25% disbonds. The wing in question was well within the limits set in Jabiru's guidance note on checking and repairing dissbonds if found, but wisely the PFA decided to issue the advisory to make sure everyone is aware and checks specifically.

One way to check your wings top surface is to pull it outside and let the dew condence onto it, you should see your wing spar and any disbond area will show up.

As PFA point out a disbond could occour at any time through various reasons and therefore you should visually check your wings surfaces on check "A" as per any other plane.

Make sure all peel ply is removed from the wing before bonding and I suggest keying bonding surfaces with some 60 grit glass paper

Cut out the marked area on the top surface of the wing for the aileron (leave a bit on the inboard end of the cut out to trim to fit later).

The trailing edge of the wing may need to be reduced in thickness and levelled out by grinding the underside (flap side) edge be careful not to go through and make holes.

The flap can now be temporarily clamped into position with the flap arms fitted with bushes and temporary bolts, and the aileron trial fitted to give an clearence gap between the outboard end of the wing / aileron /flap. In some cases the inboard flap arm may overhang the end of the wing under surface. A small amount of trimming of the outboard end of the aileron and flap may be required to move everything along a bit.

When the position of the aileron has been determined, the aileron reo. plate and reo. fibre-glass moldings can be flocked and glassed into place. The outboard reo. molding goes right up the end and the other one is set in from the end of the reo.plate by about 1" to allow for the glassing without interfering with the end of the flap.

With the plate done, temporarily put the flap back in position and get the gaps sorted out again. It is now time to flock and glass on the flap arms. Use parcel tape on the edge of the flap to stop any surplus resin sticking the flap to the wing.

When the resin has gone off on that job you can fit the aileron and hinges. Use the trailing edge of the flap and trailing edge of the wing with the aileron held in position to mark with a marker pen how much to cut off the reo.plate. Make sure the edge where the hinges go on the aileron has been sanded to make it straight and square. Cut away on the mark on the reo.plate and re-try the aileron and mark as necessary to allow for the hinge pin gap and trim.

The position for the hinges is governed by where the reo.moldings are. Set them approx. in the middle of the moldings and evenly in from the ends of the aileron.

This is a rough guide as wings and moldings do vary between kits and the end result may require different solutions. Use the manual.

Wet wings will have some fuel tank fitting work. This write up covers 4 seat and 2 seat kits although flap / fuslage clearance requirements vary.

Long wing versions require a pair of top hat bushes on the inboard flap arm.

To fold the wing

The flap push rods and aileron cables are detached. The strut has to be removed and the wing tip lowered to the ground.  Note that in this position an angle should be cut on the underside of the flap to give clearance against the fuselage. Then the release lever is raised to detach the wing from the fuselage. The wing is pulled out away horizontally from the fuselage and rotated, trailing edge down. The wing can now be taken along side the fuselage and over the tail. Some type of support will be required. If the aircraft is on a trailer, the wing support could be built onto the trailer itself but I wouldn't recommend towing away from the airfield without removing the wings completely. If you intend removing but not folding the wings, then the wing fold kit is still worth considering due to the quick release aspect.

CLICK HERE FOR A STEP BY STEP INSTRUCTION SHEET

Start off with standard AN bolts for wing and strut attachment and DON'T use close tol. bolts as supplied. These will be tight enough and give you something to change to if wear develops in later years. Do not ream the hole out to fit clos tol. bolts!

OZ

Builders are finding it easier to fit the flaps before the ailerons, as it helps with alignment of the ailerons

ST Aviation

Remember to only do up the bolts on the wing attach and strut attach points so that the washer is still free to rotate

OZ

This method has been standard glider practice for at least 50 years.

Electrical and Instruments 

In detail, Jabiru charging system uses a PMA (permanent magnet alternator) which in my day was called a dynamo and the AC output of this around 30 volts peak is fed to the rectifier-regulator unit. Jabiru use a full wave switching rectifier and the output is regulated by triggering or not triggering the SCRs in the rectifier. Once an SCR is enabled to conduct it will not switch off until the input voltage is reversed. This results in an output to the DC bus, battery and avionics, of a series of pulses of varying length and peak voltage up to 30 volts. The set point of the Jabiru regulator is around 14.8 volts average. This is consistent with a vehicle start battery recharge cycle.

The rectifier-regulator has a separate wire coming out for voltage sensing purposes. Jabiru installation instructions call for this wire and the + output wire be joined together and connected directly to the battery. Some models of Jabiru aircraft do not follow this advice. They also use aluminium bus bars and steel bolts and brass terminal lugs sandwiched with the fiberglass instrument pod to maintain connections. AC43-13 and AC-65 series FAA publications [the aviators bible] prohibit this method of electrical installation.

If the engine is running and a battery or capacitor is not connected to the output of the rectifier-regulator unit, there is no averaging of the output and any avionics have to rely on their own internal power circuits to use the power. Some equipment will not operate properly under these circumstances. This doesn't occur if the regulator is directly connected to a good battery. An old battery is less good at smoothing the pulses, in a car that means you hear "alternator whine" on the radio with older batteries and high loads on. In a Jabiru it can mean more noise on the intercom / radios and malfunction of some avionics.

If the sense wire is connected at a place different to where the output wire goes, then the output of the regulator will be increased in attempt to level the sense wire voltage to 14.8. It happens that if the sense wire is not connected the regulator output stops. But if the sense wire is connected at the end of a corroded bus bar with loose terminals, the voltage will only become 14.8 when the output of the regulator is higher than that. So some parts of the DC system will be overvoltage. I prefer to follow the installation instructions and keep the sense wire connected directly to the output wire and battery + terminal. Some Jabiru wiring has the sense wire connected to the DC bus instead. This might be an attempt to eliminate the 15mA or so leakage current, when the aircraft is shut down, of the regulator. Most batteries have a self discharge rate more than this, so I don't consider this a feature.

These are the ways the Jabiru charging system might disrupt avionics and make noises on radios / intercom. There is nothing wrong about the rectifier-regulator used, when installed correctly. Adding master solenoids, battery isolate contactor, alternator DC cutoff relays and overvoltage "protection" systems is not advisable. The size of the battery is sufficient to prvent overvoltage because the PMA is self limited in generating capability.

A car alternator has the benefit of field regulation so has a smoother output. A "linear regulator" as available from B+C or Powermate and others is a smoother output but they are not efficient and usually limited to 8 amps. The rectifier-regulator used in the Rotax 912 is similar to the Jabiru system.

ST fuel flow monitor  Blank LCD displays

Information regarding 'Replacing LCD display'  Click here for PDF

Some Jabiru owners may also wish to use special antennas built for composite aircraft that are not visible from the outside. i.e. nothing sticks out. I have installed two such antennas in my Jabiru:

1. A COM antenna that is a folded dipole with a feedpoint match that brings VSWR to less than 2:1 across the COM frequency band. It is installed on the left sidewall behind the sound curtain and follows the curvature of the Jabiru fuselage. The antenna requires 12" of fore and aft space and 26.5" vertically. It works very well.

One source is Chief AIrcraft in Grants Pass, Oregon 97526, USA Tel. +1-541-476-6605 or Fax: +1-541-479-4431 and is called SA-006 and lists for $78.00.

2. A Transponder/DME antenna which is actually an etched copper clad epoxy board dipole and does not require the usual ground plane other Transponder/DME antennas need. The dimensions are 6" by 7" and I epoxied it onto the right fuselage wall behind the sound curtain in a vertical position. It also works fine and can be purchased from the same source. The part number is SA-005 and the price $78.00.

These antennas are designed and manufactured by Archer and I am sure other distributors of avionics also carry them in their inventory. They use standard BNC connectors and the COM antenna is made out of Alclad .016" thick 2024 aluminium strips that allows tuning to a level beyond that of most antennas available today. Best of all they are featherlight and do not protude outside the fuselage skin.

A jumbo flashing LED wired to the on/off terminal on the oil pressure sender warns of low oil pressure and reminds you to shut off the master switch!

Safety flange on the master switch to avoid switching it instead of the fuel pump!

One earth point only on the firewall.

An earth wire must run from the earth buss to the tank earthing point.

Instrument bussbars must be mounted on plastic standoffs to prevent live bolt heads.

Mount a 50 Watt anti collision light on the nosewheel leg (Rocca's etc). On all the time.

Forget about a strobe, no one will see it, unless you fly at night! But; if you land later than anticipated, mount a Dick Smith swivel torch, Y2154 in plastic conduit to the upper spine behind the crossbeam (where the headsets are normally stored) to illuminate the panel.

A red filter will stop reflections off the windscreen and retain your night vision.

.

OZ