Jabiru J120 Review

I have heard a lot of people who 'bag' the Jabiru (almost as though it is a personal hobby of theirs) for one reason or another, to which I feel is just so un-Australian! Here we have a true blue Aussie company making big waves in the Recreational Aviation Market, providing job security, an Australian future in affordable Recreational Aircraft (available to the average person) helping people to gain their pilots license cheaply, aircraft that are Australian built & designed, are strong, safe and reliable - surely that is a good thing for the Recreational Aviation industry as a whole?

It is true, I have not always been a huge fan of the Jabiru aircraft (in the early days), but they have grown and developed so much since then. It would be a shame if these people who so readily 'bag' Jabiru are basing their judgment on early developments by Jabiru, because quite frankly, these newer Jabiru models are just amazing aircraft! So if you are one that has 'bagged' the Jabiru in the past, I ask you to keep an open mind and have a new look at the later models (J170/J230/J120), they really are worth a look!

The aircraft in review here, is the latest Jabiru model to come onto the Australian market - the Jabiru J120, marketed as the "no frills / no options" basic model. The J120 aircraft I reviewed was 24-5569 - the pride and joy of a syndicate ownership of 4 people at Lethbridge Airpark, Victoria. This is probably one of the more difficult reviews I have had to write, as this is a mates aircraft, and I want to remain as unbiased as I can...after all, this is not an advert for Jabiru, it is an honest opinion.

In Australia, Jabiru would have to be one of the most popular Australian Recreational Aircraft on the RAAus market, with the J160/J170/J230. The J120 will give Jabiru an even more attractive package for flying schools to consider who are looking for a basic trainer that is easy to fly, cheap, locally produced, and more importantly reliable. At first glance, the J120 basically looks like a LSA-55 model (first Jabiru trainer), although somewhat stretched. Most of the criticisms from the earlier model have been altered or rectified and the outcome is quite a pleasant aircraft, both visually (depending on taste) and to fly.

The amount of changes and improvement's that Jabiru have made from the original LSA-55 model, is quite apparent. This latest model (all beit 'revamped') truly is quite a remarkable little aeroplane! As you can see from the picture (above) the nose is longer, using the 6cyl cowl, and the rudder and tail section is also longer and larger than the original LSA-55 model. Even without flying the J120, one can visually see that the J120 has the look of a much more stable aircraft than its predecessor! The improvements are quite apparent indeed.

I must say, the overall finish is absolutely superb - the panels, joins, fuse, windscreen, etc. its all finished perfectly flush and the paint finish in general is VERY GOOD, as can be seen in the following shots:

The bubbled cabin of the J120 - beautifully finished!

As far as the J120 size goes, its not impressive, but quite adequate. My main 'issue' with it is that it stands short - does not give it an overly impressive presence. I don't want to sound as though I am comparing the J120 with the J160 - because it is not supposed to be on par with the more expensive and larger J160, after all it is actually an improved and evolved LSA-55, however, I will use the J160 as a comparison to the size and dimensions of the J120 for better frame of reference to the readers of this review, as many flying schools and RAAus pilots are very familiar with the J160 size.

The J120 stands noticeably shorter than the J160 and J170 models - and basically resembles the height and shape of the early LSA-55 model. With the main improvements on the J120 model from the earlier LSA-55 being the longer moment arm, with a longer nose and tail section, larger tail and rudder, and so forth. I must say though, the general look is far more pleasing to the eye than the LSA-55!

The overall length is only 5mm shorter than the J160, however it is 287mm shorter in height. The cabin width is approx. 1067mm, which is only 73mm less than the J160, not a big deal unless you are a person on the larger side of optimal (I put myself in that category), I personally find it a little on the narrow side.

I am 185cm tall and around 90kg, and I personally found getting into the J120 easy enough, not as easy as the J160/J170, but still manageable. If I was older and less flexible I think I may find it a bit more of a challenge though. The normal Jabi method works well - bum in first, legs follow. Once inside the cabin, I definitely felt a little bit cramped and certainly noticed the difference from the J160 cabin room. There is still plenty of leg room in the J120 which I was very happy about. At my size, I wouldn't want to spend more than an hour or two in this sized cabin, which is fine for a trainer where you would do 1 hour lessons, not so good for long trips.  

The interior of the J120, over-all, is fairly well finished off for this type and is more than adequate for a basic model, as the J120 is designed to be:

Note: the GPS is missing and fits in the void on the panel
(This is also not a standard panel)

The cockpit layout is fairly common to all Jabiru types - with its center control stick (dual controlled Y-Stick), central brake lever just in front of the control stick, arm rest, door pockets for storage of maps/flight plan/etc, dual throttle levers on the panel (tend to get in the way as you get in and out), dual trim levers on the side of the console, upholstered and carpeted (even the ceiling) quite nicely. The panel on this J120 was not standard, however for the $58,000 price tag you get: ASI, ALT, Comp, Slip ball, Tacho with hour meter, Oil Temp & Press, CHT. You also get a VHF Radio & intercom and 2 headsets. 

Not included, but optional, is: Cabin Heat ($750), transponder/encoder/antenna ($3273), and GPS bracket ($250),  

Just one minor criticism to Jabiru, and is not specific to the J120, but rather all Jabiru models, is with the door pockets for storage. They are held to the door by press studs that are riveted into the fiberglass panel on the door - the rivet ends do not hold properly and, like this J120 which is brand new (and just about every Jabiru I have flown), the fitting doesn't hold and falls out of the hole - leaving a fairly 'ordinary look' (see picture above and below) and a saggy pocket where things can fall out of easily. It's only a VERY minor detail (Jabiru could find a better fitting in my opinion and has nothing to do with budget), but otherwise, I was impressed with the interior, especially for a ' no frills basic model' - certainly a long way from the LSA-55 finish!

Taxiing is no drama at all in the J120 - The pilots arm fits between the Y-stick and holds the brake lever, that way with your arm you can essentially point an aileron into wind (if taxiing in a x-wind) by applying pressure on the stick while still having full control over the brake lever (as with all factory Jabiru's it's not differential braking). The J120 has direct steering linked to the nose wheel, and is very light yet positive in its response to input. A new student would learn very quickly on this aircraft and certainly should have no problems with taxiing.

Take off is with one stage of flaps. The flap lever (identical to the LSA-55 model) is located above the left ear of the pilot between the upper door panel and the ceiling (See pictured Right).

There are 3 possible settings - Fully retracted (as pictured above), 1 stage of flap (placed in center hole), and Full Flaps (lever placed in bottom hole - for landing). The flaps are reasonably easy to use, does take a little getting used to, the lever does tend to feel reasonably natural to grab and pull down while flying - it's ok, not great. To operate, the pilot pulls it out of the hole and moves it up or down and places it into the corresponding hole for that setting. I'm not a fan of this 'old fashion' flap system, but it is quite adequate.

Take off is achieved using full throttle (applied gently over 2-3 seconds). The 2200cc Jabiru 4 cyl engine gives a good amount of positive acceleration - feels quite reassuring! Rotation is light and positive, as with all the Jabiru range, with very quick acceleration thereafter. Flaps are retracted at 200' AGL and a fairly respectable climb performance is achieved - 500 ft/min at MTOW.

The flying characteristics of this aircraft are fairly impressive. To my surprise, It is definitely a 'hands off flyer' (in suitable weather) and I feel is definitely well suited for the training market - This aircraft would give any new pilot the confidence and motivation to continue in their learning and skills. The stability is the big surprise - but then looking at the length and moment arm on this aircraft you quickly see where the stability comes from in comparison to earlier models. Even in the gusts and thermals on the day I reviewed this aircraft, for such a light aircraft (500kg MTOW) it seemed to pretty much take most of it in her stride and had no observable quirky or 'manic' side to her, as the LSA-55 seems to be infamous for. The J120 is quite predictable and very manageable to fly - a very benign flyer, unlike her older sister the 'drunken dinosaur'!

The stall is genuinely a non-event. Applying and holding full back pressure on the stick with idle power, the J120 seemed to just 'hang' on the stall, with no evidence of a wing drop even when I tried to provoke it a little. In fact the nose barely bobbed in the stall, giving a very mushy feeling stall with full aileron control right throughout the maneuver. The J120 recovers from the stall by slightly reducing the angle of attack and applying NO power - it becomes 'un-stalled' very quickly and with very little effort. This aircraft stalls at 49kt clean, so while attempting the stalls, I was quite surprised to be flying this aircraft with full aileron control at 50kt IAS (descending), with just a slight "bob" of the nose now and again - nothing aggressive was observed in any configuration of the stall. Again, a very benign and predictable aircraft to fly - making this a very safe aircraft for the new pilot/trainee.

Turning and banking the J120 is actually quite different to the J160/J170 models, and certainly nothing like the earlier LSA-55. The J120 is definitely a more balanced aircraft, there is no doubt about it, and no more noticeable than in the turns. This aircraft produces very little induced yaw when banking, unlike other 4 cyl Jabiru's. In fact reasonably balanced turns are achievable by using aileron alone (not optimal), the benefit there is that it doesn't take much rudder co-ordination to achieve impressive results. This aircraft will build confidence in new or lower hour pilots - no doubt about it! It would also be a good platform for nervous passengers - something I would not say about the older LSA-55 model! As with the other Jabiru models, the aileron control is quick and snappy, you really don't need to move the stick much to achieve desired movements. As the pilot, you feel positively in control of this aircraft - all control forces are fed back very well though the controls and there is a quick and positive response to all flight surfaces when inputs are made - there is absolutely no lag.

Once established and trimmed in cruise, the J120 easily sits on 100kt IAS at a power setting of 2850rpm, burning between 14-16lt's per hour. As I said earlier, this Jabiru is a definite 'hands off flyer' even in the thermals on the day I reviewed this aircraft, there wasn't much that would throw her off course, with just minor adjustments and very little effort the J120 kept straight and on course - this would make for a lot less fatigue when flying over longer distances. I know that many other similar recreational aircraft can do the same, but the J120 seems to do it exceedingly well!

Even though initially (on the ground) I found the J120 a little 'cramped', once in the air it seems larger and not as cramped. The seats are a little on the firm side, however are comfortable. The leg room is what I love about the Jabiru's and this one was no exception, and the center arm rest is great - very well designed. The visibility is excellent with tinted window all round, and typical to high winged aircraft, it is difficult to see into the turn due to the wing getting in the way, particularly in the circuit pattern. However the wing on the J120 is quite narrow and you can actually look in front and behind of the wing to get your bearings - try that in a C150/152!

Overall the ride and handling of this aircraft reassures the pilot and passenger that it is a very capable flyer...There really isn't anything it can't do, and do well. The structure of the aircraft has been tested to +8 -4 G's (certified to +4 -2 G's), which brings huge comfort and reassurance to the structural integrity of the aircraft! There is only a 235kg usable load, so with 65lts of fuel being available in a fuel tank (just as in the LSA-55) that sits behind the pilot and passenger seats, this allows for 185kg's of pilot, passenger and (if any left over) baggage, giving the J120 a maximum range of around 3.5 hours with 45 min reserve.

J120 has a max cross wind rating of 14kts and will tackle with ease a landing with a reasonable cross wind, I think it would come down to the pilots experience more so than the aircrafts ability. As in most configurations, the J120 is very forgiving when landing - again perfect for new or low time pilots, while more experienced pilots will find it a simple pleasure to fly. With an 8-10kt cross wind on the day of this review, the J120 eased onto the runway with finesse and poise! Absolutely nothing unpredictable about this aircraft what-so-ever! It is a sheer pleasure to fly and to be a passenger in - I found very little to complain about at all with the flying capability and handling of this aircraft.

In general I am impressed with the finish, both inside and out, the instrumentation is quite adequate (not exciting), and the upholstery and general quality is quite good for the price - At only $58,000 fly away including GST (2009) and a 2 year warranty!! That is just amazing when you consider that second hand Skyfox Gazelles are still selling in the $40k's and the older Jabiru LSA-55's are still selling in the $45-$50k bracket!

Not specific to the J120, but my only real criticism of the paint finish (as it is with all Jabiru models - and it really bugs me) is in the ends of the flaps, ailerons and in the nose air-intakes where the finish is 'raw' and unpainted/unfinished. It really is only a minor criticism, but why spend the time and effort finishing the aircraft as well as they do and leave these areas like this. I feel as though I can overlook the flap and aileron ends, as you can't really see them when they are level and flush with the wing, but the nose air-intake vents is really noticeable. I feel that it would make a big difference to the overall look if these vent intakes were 'finished off' a little better - just my own personal opinion and I feel it is such a minor thing at very little extra expense that Jabiru could do to significantly improve the entire look.

Here are 2 shots to show what I mean:

As I said it is only a minor criticism, but I believe is worth mentioning - It just doesn't match the excellent workmanship and finish on the rest of the aircraft.

Conclusion:

Horses for courses - This is not a luxury cruiser nor is it marketed as such, however, If you are after a strong, durable and fast (100kt) 'basic trainer' aircraft, do yourself a favour and check out the J120. You will definitely be impressed with this aircraft for the money!

This aircraft sure makes sense from a training school point of view. Think about it, for the price, you can have 2 of these factory built aircraft on-line working for less than the price of 1 imported recreational trainer. While there are always those who have their preferences, this aircraft will do the job just as well, week in and week out - Makes great sense indeed!

I sincerely hope that more Australian Recreational Flying Schools see the logic in providing this aircraft to ab-initio students. Not to mention providing an Australian built and designed aircraft!

I honestly do not think you can do better for the price...

My overall rating for the Jabiru J120

The J120 gets the thumbs up from me and, for this type of Recreational Aircraft, I give it a rating of nine out of ten. Certainly a long way and a great improvement from the original LSA-55 factory model that I rated six out of 10 (in my earlier review of it). My main criticisms with the J120, which prevented me from giving it a 10/10 is: the fuel being in the cabin behind the pilot and pax (as the LSA-55), old fashion flap system, un-finished on the cowl intake vents and flap/aileron ends, and the (known) problem with the door pocket fasteners.

Overall though - A superb job Jabiru, well done!