Country of origin:

Australia

Description:

Four-seat light touring and training aircraft

Power Plant:

One 90 kw (120 hp) Jabiru 3300 six-cylinder horizontally-opposed air-cooled engine

Specifications:

History:

The Jabiru S4 was announced in early 2001, being a development of the Company’s Avtech Jabiru two-seat series but available as a four-seat aircraft. A number of variants were proposed, the S4 two-seater designed to meet AUF restrictions, being larger than the previous model, having additional room for luggage or camping gear and having a gross weight of 544 kg (1,199 lb) with a stalling speed of 83 km/h (52 mph). The other model was the four-seater designed to meet experimental guidelines with a gross weight of 700 kg (1,543 lb) and a stalling speed of 100 km/h (62 mph).

The prototype was first shown to the public at the Natfly fly-in at Narromine at Easter 2001 and by this time the Company had delivered 470 Jabirus and over 1,000 examples of its 2.2 litre engine, and was about to place in production a new eight-cylinder 134 kw (180 hp) 5,100 cc engine for light aircraft.

The new Experimental Category in Australia enabled the Company to develop the design and build interest within the flying community. A number of special variants have been designed to meet certification requirements of other countries, including the United Kingdom and the United States, one of the latter models being the J-250 aimed at Sportplane Rules, this being a two-seat non-aerobatic model with a fixed undercarriage, a 600 kg (1,323 lb) loaded weight, a clean stalling speed of 83 km/h (52 mph), and a max cruising speed of 222 km/h (138 mph).

Numerous variants of the Jabiru have appeared over the years, basic models being the two-seat and the four-seat model. The latter has become known as the J-200/J-400 kitplane model with a lengthened fuselage, fuel tanks in the wings, a larger cabin, additional windows, and a third door. Power plant was the Jabiru 3300 engine of 90 kw (120 hp). The J-200 was available in ultralight or general aviation registered form, whilst the J-400 was for the latter only.

First flight of the prototype of the series occurred on 16 March 2001, and further development led to the J-160, a two-seater with a taller and wider cabin cross section, unveiled in April 2004, the latter being aimed at replacing aircraft such as the Cessna 152 and Piper Tomahawk with civil training organisations. Fuel capacity was 135 litres (29.7 Imp gals).

By late 2007 more than 1,200 Jabirus had been delivered to 35 countries and production continued at a rate of 120 aircraft per year, 70% of production being for export.

The Company’s subsidiary has produced light aircraft engines, producing 500 a year and delivering more than 3,000 to 45 countries. These have been installed in a variety of aircraft. In Canada, Lancaster Aero Ltd marketed the Jabiru with amphibious floats, this aircraft being known as the Calypso.