SonexBuilders.net

Keith, I believe anyone that puts a turbocharger on a VW engine is dealing with some great unknowns. I don't think that you can expect the same level of reliability until all the "unknowns" are discovered.

vwglenn wrote:So you know for a fact that both crashes were caused by engine failure and said engine failure was caused by and internal defect of the Aerovee? Because I'm not aware of any evidence to support that. We don't even know that engine failure was what caused Jeremy's accident. It could be engine failure but speculation without evidence is just that...speculation.

I would not go so far as to state they were both "engine failure", but they are extremely sobering because I would assume that "builder error" is not a factor. Being that I have not purchased an engine yet, I am in a "wait and see" mode. If I had purchased the engine, I would continue building. If I were flying behind it, I would continue to do so but with even more attention given to burps/hesitations, or anything that would be considered 'less than ideal' performance.

The Jabiru's reliability has been called into question just as often as the VW in my opinion. So much so that the Australian aviation authority banned them from night operations and over populated areas for a time. I've run into some problems with mine that have had me really scratching my head. Has that stopped me from flying across the country in my Jab powered Sonex? Nope


Looks like ,the Austrailian case was more about politics than the engine safety .

Concorde wrote:The Jabiru's reliability has been called into question just as often as the VW in my opinion. So much so that the Australian aviation authority banned them from night operations and over populated areas for a time.

I have heard this stated a number of times. Did Jabiru do anything to address specific known issues with the engine? Did they make any modifications or have to address consistency of parts quality?

Don't want to run too far into this rabbit hole, but if you're going to do it, do it before the little ones come along. They take a lot of time too (if done right). The fact that you're young and married makes this a real consideration.
I've had my Sonex kit for 17 years. I've moved, worked, moved, gotten married, moved, moved, gone to graduate school, moved and had a child. I've lived in 8 houses in 3 different states in that time. Sometimes my kit was in storage, sometimes in a workshop away from my house, sometimes it was in my own garage, but there are always things that come up.
In hindsight, I should've waited to purchase because I could've bought a quick-build kit now that didn't exist at the time when I bought my plans and components.

The other thing is - don't get too wrapped up in the statistics. You'll never leave home out of fear if you think about how many people die in automobile wrecks every day. You won't be able to stay home because of the people who are assaulted in their own homes or have meteorites fall on them.
Good luck.

dbdevkc wrote:

Concorde wrote:The Jabiru's reliability has been called into question just as often as the VW in my opinion. So much so that the Australian aviation authority banned them from night operations and over populated areas for a time.

I have heard this stated a number of times. Did Jabiru do anything to address specific known issues with the engine? Did they make any modifications or have to address consistency of parts quality?

This may help.
https://youtu.be/250TMFHlreE