Landing the Jabiru 230.

[JohnSim]

I have been told to add some weight into the baggage compartment with the 230 to give more elevator range when landing. Has anyone had any experience with this.

[facthunter]

Don't fly outside the allowable C of G,  I found with the 230 you run out of trim at both ends of the speed envelope. Keep the weight off the Nosewheel at all times. A nose heavy Plane at any specific landing weight will have a Higher stall speed and tend to run out of elevator authority as you get slower and have only idle power on. Nev

[BrendAn]

5 hours ago, JohnSim said:

I have been told to add some weight into the baggage compartment with the 230 to give more elevator range when landing. Has anyone had any experience with this.

yes. i did a few hrs training in a j230 and it had a 20 lt container of water strapped to the floor in the rear. the instructor said it handled much better with it.

[Moneybox]

I’ve been following this guy’s YouTube videos. He discusses loading sufficient ballast to the rear to balance the

aircraft.

 

 

 

[kgwilson]

I flew a 230 a few times during my conversion from GA & found it very easy to fly & land with plenty of elevator authority on landing. Much better than either the 160 or 170 I also flew. The extra power though was what impressed me the most.

[JohnSim]

Thanks guys for your input. Yes, a lot of people have said that some ballast in the rear helps. If the aircraft is still within the envelope it cant do any harm.

[BrendAn]

3 hours ago, JohnSim said:

Thanks guys for your input. Yes, a lot of people have said that some ballast in the rear helps. If the aircraft is still within the envelope it cant do any harm.

remember its designed as a 4 seater so i wouldn't think 20 or 30 kg would be a problem.

[skippydiesel]

Hi Moneybox,

I am concerned about the Bush Air video.

The presenters advise on one aspect of landing is completely absent - the forced one, when you may not have engine  power.

Much of what he said, was the way I was taught - power controlled landings - won't help you when the power is absent.

Yes we did do a few glide approached - however C172 (depending on variant near 1,000 kg )has very diffrent glide to a sube 600 kg aircraft.

I strongly advise "getting up to speed" with your light weight aircrafts simulated forced landing characteristics. and through regular practise, maintaining that skill. One day it may save your life.

Power controlled landings are the way to go for all of your normal landings.😈

[Moneybox]

2 hours ago, skippydiesel said:

Hi Moneybox,

I am concerned about the Bush Air video.

The presenters advise on one aspect of landing is completely absent - the forced one, when you may not have engine  power.

Much of what he said, was the way I was taught - power controlled landings - won't help you when the power is absent.

Yes we did do a few glide approached - however C172 (depending on variant near 1,000 kg )has very diffrent glide to a sube 600 kg aircraft.

I strongly advise "getting up to speed" with your light weight aircrafts simulated forced landing characteristics. and through regular practise, maintaining that skill. One day it may save your life.

Power controlled landings are the way to go for all of your normal landings.😈

Yes Skippy, I like the power controlled landings however it's always on my mind, "What happens if the power fails at that critical time"? You'd have no chance of making the airstrip because your approach is way too low to glide in. I have no flaps so approaching low under power lets me drop it right on the piano keys if I choose to just by reducing power at the correct time.

[facthunter]

You spend a lot of time  with NO airstrip access possible and you don't accurately know your height above the terrain, on a cross country.. The most likely time to lose Power is on take-off. On  approach you don't usually  require high Power so engine failure is much less likely unless you mishandle fuel. Check reliable idle as part of the taxi take-off process. IF the Motor stops on approach, you most likely won't have enough time to restart it with any assurance

[JohnSim]

Hi Moneybox,

 

I watched the video you posted and I found it very interesting and it makes a lot of sense what he says. 

[skippydiesel]

On 07/07/2026 at 12:30 PM, Moneybox said:

I have no flaps so approaching low under power lets me drop it right on the piano keys if I choose to just by reducing power at the correct time.

Okay!

How do you do a power off approach & landing?😈

[facthunter]

With Less accuracy, generally. Nev

[Blueadventures]

On 06/07/2026 at 3:31 PM, JohnSim said:

I have been told to add some weight into the baggage compartment with the 230 to give more elevator range when landing. Has anyone had any experience with this.

What is the matter your addressing?  For example I have seen Jab 230's have lead shot / epoxy added aft due to not being able to get the nose up as desired at roundout / speed decaying and that is not a normal situation for 230's when rigged and balanced correctly.  This was being done by an experienced Jab person; don't do it without seeking expert advice though.  Is the elevator deflection up and also down as per the build manual.  (This would be a first check, they have a pattern tool to check them. Perhaps Up is below spec?  Have you contacted the factory with details of your matter, they will assist with good information, I'm sure. (If you PM me I'l ask my friend who has helped with 230's if he is happy to talk to you, I sure he will.)

[JohnSim]

13 hours ago, Blueadventures said:

What is the matter your addressing?  For example I have seen Jab 230's have lead shot / epoxy added aft due to not being able to get the nose up as desired at roundout / speed decaying and that is not a normal situation for 230's when rigged and balanced correctly.  This was being done by an experienced Jab person; don't do it without seeking expert advice though.  Is the elevator deflection up and also down as per the build manual.  (This would be a first check, they have a pattern tool to check them. Perhaps Up is below spec?  Have you contacted the factory with details of your matter, they will assist with good information, I'm sure. (If you PM me I'l ask my friend who has helped with 230's if he is happy to talk to you, I sure he will.)

I don't own a Jabiru 230 but I am in the process of buying one. I had heard from a lot of people to add some ballast to the baggage area to bring the C of G more aft. 

[Blueadventures]

2 hours ago, JohnSim said:

I don't own a Jabiru 230 but I am in the process of buying one. I had heard from a lot of people to add some ballast to the baggage area to bring the C of G more aft. 

OK, understand, Just see how the owner configures it when he flys a demo flight for you, if there is a mass in the cargo area ask why.

[facthunter]

Outside of the rearward limit is the Most unsafe condition for a plane to be in. IF the Tailplane stalls you get an uncommanded pitch up and loss of control.  CofG a bit aft  will improve Performance as the usual download requires more lift from the Mainplanes (and more drag) at the same AUW.. Nev

[madhatter]

I find that having almost full elevator up trim helps when reducing power over the threshold. 

[facthunter]

It's not a trim tab so only makes the effort Less. It's not a heavy feel compared to some. Nev