CASA has proposed operational restrictions on aircraft powered by Jabiru engines over what it says are reliability issues.
Draft Consultation Document 1425 effectively bans the use of Jabiru-engine aeroplanes for carrying passengers and for solo student training.
The proposed restrictions also include a constraints on flying over populous areas and the need to placard the aircraft with operating limitations.
According to CASA, the restictions are necessary because of a "high, and increasing, rate of engine failures among aircraft that are powered by engines manufactured by, or under licence from, Jabiru Aircraft Pty Ltd."
Jabiru founder Rod Stiff was quick to condemn the regulator for proposing the action.
"CASA has based this on spurious statistics and the commercial gripes of a few," he said last Friday. "I have tried to build a strong and safe aircraft and I reluctantly boast that in 23 years of Jabiru flight no one has been killed or seriously injured as a result of my doing.
"Jabiru is the safest light sport aircraft in Australia."
RA-Aus has responded by admitting that Jabiru engines have a failure rate higher than that of Rotax, but believes owners and pilots should be left to make their own decisions about safety. A statement issued comments:
"RA-Aus maintains its stance that the available data suggests that Jabiru engines are more likely to fail than a comparable 4 stroke Rotax engine, but insists that our operators should be free to exercise their informed judgement and assess the risks for themselves. We also question whether the CASA proposed remedies are the best action to take given the risks posed."
Figures quoted from RA-Aus show that Jabiru engines have suffered 28 full or partial failures from 41834 hour flown, compared with 16 Rotax failures from 71626 hours flown. Of all engine types, 51 failures have occured from 131227 hours in the air.
At a meeting last Friday between CASA, Jabiru and RA-Aus, CASA was asked to show the risk analysis used that the restrictions were based upon.
"CASA was reminded that the LSA category had been established by CASA itself to provide a category whereby manufacturers and home builders could innovate and develop product without the expense of full FAA certification (ie the airworthiness standards of General Aviation Cessna and Pipers for example) and that pilots and passengers were well aware of the risks of operating LSA aircraft given the placards that are required in LSA aircraft," Jabiru Aircraft said in a statement released today.
"CASA was also questioned over the proposed limitation on solo flight. Training pilots don’t go solo until they are competent to do forced landings. CASA was asked whether the CASA approved flight training syllabus was now not good enough and putting out pilots that should not be going solo.
"The heavy handed urgent action by CASA was questioned intensely by RAA and Jabiru. RAA informed CASA of the financial loss implications for its members and the RAA organisation, and that the proposal itself has been having serious financial effects on the members already."
After the Friday meeting, Jabiru expressed some optimism in a favourable outcome.
"We are very pleased to report that we and CASA have reached an agreement on a pathway forward. That proposed limitations may not come to fruition, however Jabiru has much work to do. Jabiru has already put in place a range of reforms and is demonstrating to the CASA clear willingness to improve engine reliability.
"What all parties in the meeting agreed was the need for improvement in the flow and accuracy of information about engines and incidents. This needs the full co-operation of all aircraft owners and operators."
If it becomes effective, the operational restrictions will apply not only to the thousands of Jabiru Aircraft registered with Recreational Aviation Australia (RA-Aus), but also the approximately 70 aircraft on the CASA civil register.
It is thought about another 30 amateur-built VH-registered aircraft are also Jabiru-powered.
More to come.