Jabiru Engines

Jabiru engines have been flying for over two decades in certificated, experimental and light-sport aircraft all over the world. The early 65-80 hp models were designed specifically for the first Jabiru aircraft, the LSA 55/2K. With the success of the first four-cylinder 65-hp engine, it became an obvious choice for other aircraft manufacturers and kitplane builders to fill the need for a reliable alternative to automotive conversions and 2-stroke engines. With the release of the 6-cylinder, 120 horsepower model 3300, Jabiru’s market expanded into the range of the popular 100-125 hp used certificated engines while shaving up to 50 pounds off the firewall-forward package. Now numbering well over 6,000 engines worldwide, Jabiru engines fly hundreds of thousands of fleet hours each year for recreational flying and flight training operations. The years of experience have given Jabiru engineers unique insight into ways to improve the durability and reliability of the engine design, making today’s Jabiru engines some of the most reliable engines ever produced for light aircraft.

We not only sell Jabiru engines, we also fly them and maintain them. Our aircraft use total-engine electronic engine monitoring as standard equipment to fine-tune the performance, cooling and fuel mixture spread in all regimes of flight. As a result, we know exactly what’s going on inside all of our engines from the moment of first startup, and have been able to fine-tune our firewall-forward kits for optimum performance.

Over the years, we have designed firewall-forward kits for many popular kitplanes, providing builders with everything they need to install their Jabiru engine. Typical firewall-forward kit components include the cowling, engine mount, battery box, air filter, cabin & carburetor heat, propeller, and spinner.

 

Philosophical Differences:  Physics vs Electronics

In today’s age of electronic systems mania, Jabiru remains steadfast in its belief that an aircraft engine should not have to rely on an outside source of electricity to run. The ignition and fuel delivery systems are both completely independent of the aircraft’s electrical system, eliminating the need for backup batteries and alternators. This setup has given pilots reliable and efficient operation for over two decades and hundreds of thousands of flight hours, while retaining the design goals of simplicity and light weight for today’s light aircraft.