Bruce,
You missed from your list of options the most important attribute of any
aircraft power plant:
Reliability.
That may be a tough one to beat in a face-off with the 912. And maybe the
source of your anxiousness (<<....I anxiously look forward to....>>)!!
Duncan McF.
----- Original Message -----
From: "Bruce" <bruce@justbruce.com>
Subject: Europa-List: Jabiru Support for Europa -- was: Firewall
Forward-less
>
> (like all my e-mails, a bit long)
>
> Hey Andy
> (Andy Silvester -- Suncoast Sportplanes -- Jabiru Dealer in
> U.S.)
>
> We welcome your participation in the Europa-List.
>
> In a previous e-mail, you mentioned that another Jabiru 3300
> installation had been accomplished in a Europa. Perhaps like
> other Europa builders, I anxiously look forward to
> evaluating realistic alternatives to the Rotax powerplants
> that have been promoted by Europa. I know that Europa
> evaluated a number of powerplants back in the early days,
> and that none of the alternatives including rotary,
> motorcycle, and Subaru powerplants were ever supported by
> the factory. Later on, the Jabiru engine and firewall
> forward kit became available, but Europa never endorsed,
> sold or supported the Jabiru alternative. Perhaps Europa
> hesitated to endorse a powerplant vendor who could also be
> considered an airframe competitor.
>
> Where we stand today is that Europa is not currently selling
> Rotax firewall forward kits anywhere in the world. The time
> is ripe for you to let us know why Jabiru should be our
> choice for powerplants. Many builders have an immediate need
> and others like me are still building and won't need
> powerplants for at least a year, but would like to decide on
> a powerplant soon so we can incorporate any unique
> construction requirements.
>
> The challenge that we as potential purchasers have, and you
> as Jabiru distributors can assist us with, is the lack of
> information that can be used to compare the various power
> plants that are realistic options. I define realistic
> options as those power plants that:
> 1. are available as a complete firewall forward kit
> 2. are supported locally by factory authorized dealers
> 3. have successfully been installed in Europas
> 4. have Europa-based performance information available
> that is based on real-life experiences
> 5. provide satisfactory performance in terms of fuel
> consumption, and speed
>
>
> Questions for today: Perhaps you or the other Jabiru
> distributors around the world will respond?
> 1. How many Jabiru 3300s have been sold?
> 2. How many Jabiru powerplants have been sold and
> installed in non-Jabiru airframes.
> 3. How many Jabirus 3300s have been installed in
> Europas?
> 4. Are there any non-Jabiru airframes (i.e.: Zenith,
> Sonex, Glastar, etc) where builders have been particularly
> receptive to installing Jabirus 3300s. In particular I'd
> like to know why they choose the Jabiru over the Rotax
> alternatives, especially in airframes that have similar
> characteristics and missions as the Europa.
> 5. Tell us about the dealer/distributor network. In
> particular I want to know about those in North America, but
> perhaps Jabiru dealers outside of North America will respond
> and let us know what territories they manage. I'm curious
> as to how long the dealers have been in business, what kind
> of support and in-house service they can offer us, do the
> dealers have protected territories (or can we deal with any
> of them), and whether the dealers are committed to working
> full time for Jabiru, or is it a part-time business for
> them.
> 6. What are the fuel requirements for the Jabiru? I know
> this can get complicated as motor fuel differs in each state
> and country. Jabiru specifies 95 RON octane which is 91 CLC
> (or Pump Octane) in North America. Here in California it is
> even more screwed up because the U.S. government has
> mandated that ethanol be added to all grades of motor fuel
> year-round.
>
>
> (Note: additional questions related to performance, fuel
> consumption, installation, prop flange design, prop weight,
> firewall kit contents, and access questions will follow
> another day)
>
>
> Thanks in advance for your response.
>
> Regards,
>
> Bruce
> XS 142
> Tracy, CA
>
>
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