Building a Jabiru

Build Time

Build time for a Factory Built can vary immensely, depending upon the speed at which you work, the regularity with which you jump back into building the aircraft, and the quality of finish/ attention to detail you require. Typically we see a time of 450 hours for the 2 seater and 500 hours for the 4 seater. In terms of calendar time, several examples have been built in less than 3 months, and that is not even full time, although it is quite intensive doing it in this period of time. In those 3 months, the basic aircraft was completed in 6 weeks, with it then going to the painter who completed his work in a further 6 weeks. This included going on holiday for 2 weeks!

Unlike some Factory Builts, you don't have to 'build' anything. All major components are pre-fabricated and require assembly rather than constructing.

The largest job by far is actually bonding the fuselage together (already done on the J400). This job, together with associated reinforcement and installing the vertical & horizontal stabilisers has to be completed in a single day, due to the time the resin takes to set. Installing windows is also a significant job, but the windscreen can easily be done in a day with the rest taking a further day. Every day you can see progress being made - something being achieved, and you see your box of parts rapidly grow into a completed aeroplane.

With over 150 Jabirus flying in the UK and over 1000 globally, there is now a large resource of knowledge available of people who are willing and able to provide advice and assistance or to assist with electrical or painting work. With these tasks done you can choose to do as much or as little work as you require. If you use a painter to do the finishing, we find typically his input adds up to 200hrs, time which is included in the original estimate indicated above. Furthermore, you can go for one of the build options, which will assist in this further.

All in all, because all the major and safety related tasks have already been carried out, you can be sure of a safe aircraft at the end of the day, all you have to do is build the fuselage, windows, empennage, fit controls, electrics, engine and cowls to complete.

Wings are supplied nearly complete with only flap and aileron attachment bracketry, hinges and aileron cable to be pulled through. Several builders have completed both wings in a day ready for painting. This means you don't get involved at all in actually building or defining the profile of the wing, meaning equal lift on the wings which means the aeroplane won't try and fly round in circles all the time!

Some folks get thrown over the fact that they have to do fibreglass work. Well you do have to get the mix of resin & hardener right, using a digital scale, but the work can be best described as wallpapering - but you don't have to match the pattern up! The only fiberglassing is to join pre made components together, and there is no 'manufacturing' of parts required.

Unlike many other other microlight aircraft, all bolts are aircraft grade and hence you'll need a few imperial size spanners and sockets. A suggested list of tools can be found here. (opens in new window)

Components come on vacuum packed cards in a logical sequence with parts for each 'task' grouped together.

Everything has been thought of, right down to adhesives, resin mixing cups, mixing sticks, applicators and brushes.

Finish

Many composite Factory Built manufacturers supply components "green" requiring substantial finishing and pin hole filling. The Jabiru components all come in white gel coat finish thus greatly reducing completion times and frustration. Over the years, improved production techniques mean that parts fit together well, thus minimising any filling which may be required. Some builders anodise the aluminium parts which is attractive, provides a degree of surface hardening, and corrosion resistance.

Fuselage

The J400 comes with the fuselage pre joined with just the empennage to attach. The 2 seater fuselage is provided in two halves (top and bottom); with the most significant task being the joining of these items and the bonding of the empennage. Even this task must be completed in a day since the resin would set! The fuselage join and other aspects of the build can be pre-ordered from Jabiru as an optional extra. Most of the home builder's work involves fitting out the aircraft with components and hardware supplied. All locating points are identified by factory drilled holes.

Wings

The wings are supplied ready for painting, except for the fitment of flap and aileron attachment points & hinges and installation of the control cables. Like the fuselage, these are also gelcoated.

Build Area

Many Jabirus have been built in smallish sized garages. you might be hard pushed to build in a single width single length garage, but certainly the 2 seaters have been built in such places. For a J400 one builder has extended his single width/ length garage using tongue & groove cladding as a temporary measure. The extended garage length was around 8 metres (that's 6.5 for the plane, and 1.5 extra) and 2.7 metres wide (i.e. slightly wider than the horizontal stabiliser).

The garage itself was too narrow, so the extension had to be wide enough and high enough for the vertical stabiliser (at 2.2m). The 2 seaters require a minimum space of 2.45 metres high by 1.7 wide by 1.9m high. Also many garage doors are too low for the vertical stabiliser so an extension could accommodate this as well. Some garage doors are small, but the aircraft can be tilted back on its tail to get it out.

Composite work should be undertaken in temperatures at or above 15ºC and humidity below 80% as this can affect the curing process (Using a small heater will help to stabilise the temperature if you are working in colder conditions).

Manual

A very detailed constructors manual, developed from Jabiru's own factory Quality Assurance Manual, sets out the step-by-step procedures, checklists, engineering drawings and include more than 100 photographs, The checklists even advise the approximate time for each activity and what assistance you might need for particular tasks (e.g. two people required or have someone around to "hold this").

Note that all manuals are now supplied in electronic format on CD-ROM which enables you to find information quicker and zoom into photos etc. Paper based bound manuals can be supplied at extra cost. ST Aviation can provide further information on a CD ROM, including further build photos since we believe a picture tells 1000 words!
 

CD-ROM (windows format)
 

Click photo to enlarge