Inbound Aviation at Ballarat have a shiny (near) new Jabiru J230 and after checking it out, I just couldn’t wait to get endorsed on this aircraft! I was very pleased to hear that it wouldn’t be a long and expensive process, but rather, more like a check ride…I booked in for my ‘check ride’ straight away!

Looking at this Jabiru J230, I was immediately impressed - its size (this aircraft is long!), spacious interior, the large wings with winglets, and general overall look; for an RA-Aus registered aircraft, this one is impressive. It falls under the 'LSA' category, which allows for the heavier MTOW of 600kg, with a heap of extra room in the back where the extra seats would go in the VH registered version (J430), making this one versatile aircraft.

Even though my instructor pointed out a few differences, I found the pre-flight checks pretty much the same as all the Jabiru types, which I think made for an easier transition into this model, and made it ideal for me, as I still fly the other Jabiru types as well. The big difference in the J230 is the length, the cruise speed and the overall ‘feel’ of the aircraft in the air. The acceleration is certainly quick and the J230 will cruise easily at 120kts. The big 120hp 6 cylinder engine really pumps out the power!

Once strapped inside the spacious cockpit, it still feels pretty much like a J160, although it seems to have a slightly higher nose from the seated position. The main noticeable difference when inside this Jabiru is the space behind you – it’s more like a station wagon back there! There is a rear door to access your luggage, which makes it very convenient for loading and unloading.

Taxiing is pretty much the same as any Jabiru, direct pedal controlled nose wheel with a central hand controlled brake (no differential brakes), makes tight turns impossible, but, like all the Jabiru models, it works ok. The dual controlled central Y-stick and arm rest make for very comfortable flying, with the throttle control on the panel next to the door on the far left of the pilot within easy reach. 24-5142 has fairly standard instruments, with an easy to read EFIS screen with all the essentials displayed, and a centrally mounted Garmin moving map colour GPS.

Powering this machine up is impressive – sounds GREAT! After all the essential checks and run up, and lining up on runway 36 at YBLT, I opened the throttle for some amazing acceleration; we were at rotation speed in NO time flat! The J230 has very good short field performance...Rotate at around 35-40kts, initial climb is 65kt accelerating to 70kts with 1 stage of flaps. Flaps away at 200' and she accelerates quickly to 80kts giving around 800+ ft per min climb with two of us on-board. A really good performer! I noticed that the J230 needed a little more right rudder than the smaller J160 on climb to cancel out the adverse yaw from the larger more powerful engine – but nothing too dramatic.

Once set up in cruise with around 2800rpm she sits on 120kts easily - not bad at all. I found this aircraft to be a very well balanced and predictable flyer. The controls, even though very light and responsive, give a positive and precise ‘feel’ to the pilot with no lag or sloppy feeling  - very little input is needed to achieve smooth turns and attitude adjustments, a very well behaved aircraft indeed! Having said that, like all the Jabiru’s, this is definitely a ‘stick and rudder’ aircraft...in a turn, positive use of rudder is needed to keep it balanced - unlike a lot of the GA trainers, where rudder often seems optional. I found that it is important to have this aircraft trimmed out perfectly for comfortable flying, but once trimmed up and in balanced flight, this is a very precise and smooth aircraft to fly. I have found that the J160 can be a little bit more of a handful, particularly in turbulence and gusts, the J230 seems a lot more gracious, stable, and easy to fly, let alone land.

 Most of the flying characteristics are similar to the J160, but the J230 just seems to have that ‘larger aircraft feel’ about it - the J230 reminds me of a heavier aircraft than it really is. I think it is a good plane for those pilots who are more used to GA aircraft. This is one of the closest aircraft that I have flown under the RA-Aus banner, to give the feeling of a heavier GA trainer. This was exactly what I had been missing in my flying and was so happy to have the J230 available to me at such an affordable price that only RA-Aus flying can offer.

There is 2 stages of flap, electronically controlled, which I found was quite adequate. This aircraft has a glide ratio of 12:1, so making sure it has slowed down early in circuits is essential - unless you want to float on for 500m in the flare! My instructor made sure we did all the essentials - cross wind landings, short fielders, we even experienced some gusts, but the J230 was an absolute delight to land. Unlike some of the other Jabiru models, the J230 is a VERY forgiving aircraft while landing, certainly a much easier aircraft to land than the J160, which takes a little more work to land anywhere near as well as the J230. I’m sure those huge wings and winglets have something to do with the smooth and easy landings!

 I am so thankful to Jabiru for producing such an amazing Australian built and designed recreational aircraft, and to flying schools like Inbound Aviation at Ballarat who have this aircraft available for training and hire & fly for very reasonable rates! I used to pay around $180 - $200 per hour for a GA aircraft, now I pay only $130 for a faster, newer and much more enjoyable aircraft to fly, but which still has the ‘GA feel’ to it’s flying characteristics. If you are a pilot with a PPL and have been looking at RA-Aus but don’t like the small aircraft, do yourself a favour and try the J230, in my opinion it really does bridge the gap between RA-Aus and GA aircraft. If you can’t find a school that fly them, have a talk to the guys at Inbound Aviation (www.inboundaviation.com.au) – they will set you up in one!