The New Jabiru J170-D LSA Trainer Was On Display At The Deland Sport Aviation Expo

Jabiru North America says that Australia’s most popular LSA trainer has been improved and updated to the J170-D model. This was one of the aircraft on display at the inaugural Deland Sport Aviation Expo held last week.

“The J170-SP has been a great trainer here in the USA, with its stout landing gear, stable handling, and fuel economy of less than 4 gallons per hour in daily use,” says Pete Krotje, President of Jabiru North America. Krotje also said a redesign of the vertical stabilizer, with a more swept stance and a wider airfoil shape, makes the aircraft more stable and require less rudder input than before.

Hummingbird Aviation is a full-service flight school near Minneapolis, Minnesota, that has offered Sport Pilot training with a Jabiru J170-SP for several years. The company recently added a second J170-SP to its fleet and its first aircraft has surpassed 2,000 hours of total time. Hummingbird’s chief flight instructor, Chris Cooper, states “We are very happy with the 170 as a trainer. It’s tough and economical, and it fits the mission of an LSA trainer very well. The students enjoy flying it. We are considering adding a third aircraft the future.”

Jabiru North America is being allotted one J170-D per month. The introductory price of below 100 grand includes a Garmin G3X touch-screen EFIS system, Garmin remote com radio and Mode S transponder, 2020 compliant ADS-B in & out, and night lighting package. Optional instrumentation is available to allow instrument training.

“For an aircraft that is tough enough for day after day flight training and will cruise over 100 knots for weekend excursions, the J170-D is a terrific bargain,” says Krotje. Other LSA suitable for training are often double the price, and spare parts can be difficult to obtain. In contrast, all parts for the J170-D engine and airframe are readily available from Jabiru North America. “The long-term relationship we’ve built with Jabiru allows us to offer outstanding support to our LSA owners in cases where parts, repairs or alterations are necessary.”

(Image provided by Jabiru North America)

FMI: jabiruna.com/