 Rob Pavan’s Jabiru J258 I just finished a Jabiru J250 with the 5100 eight-cylinder engine, hence the moniker “J258.” So far I’m very happy with the airplane. It seems to climb best at 90 knots, getting just over 1500 feet per minute. Once up, it will fly 130 knots TAS at 2600 rpm with a fuel burn of 28 liters per hour. I still have to finish the wheelpants and fit them. To keep the weight down, I used a Dynon SkyView 10-inch glass panel of only 3 pounds, plus the radio. Queensland, Australia |
 Brett Wilkes’s Lockwood Drifter 100 The Lockwood Drifter took just under 10 months to build from delivery to signoff on September 24, 2010. The test flight occurred a few weeks later. Takeoff requires about 200 feet of runway, and climb performance exceeds 1200 fpm. As a first-time builder my sincere gratitude goes out to my understanding hangar partners, veteran RV-builders Troy and Dale, as well as to my wife, Irina, who tolerated my 4:30 a.m. alarm every day so I could fit in a couple of hours of build time before going to work. After weathering slightly less than 10 hours of winter flying, the real fun will begin as summer is upon us, and I’ve got the ultimate cure for the wintertime blues! Newnan, Georgia |
 Todd Copeland and TomCopeland’s GlaStar N355TC is our GlaStar, which was finished in 2008. It now has more than 140 hours on the Hobbs and flies beautifully. It is powered by a 160-horsepower Lycoming IO-320 B1A. Because of the aft induction on this engine, we used an ECi cold induction sump and a Van’s RV air intake to keep the cowl clean. It was a joint father-son project that was so much fun it has led to a Glasair III project now in process. |
BUILDERS SHARE THEIR SUCCESSES
Submissions to “Completions” should include a typed, double-spaced description (a few paragraphs only-250 words maximum) of the project and the finished aircraft. Also include a good color photograph (prints or 35mm slides are acceptable) of the aircraft that we may keep. Please include a daytime phone number where we can contact you if necessary. Also indicate whether we may publish your address in case other builders would like to contact you. Send submissions to: Completions, c/o KITPLANES Magazine, P.O. Box 315, Ashland, OR 97520. Digital submissions are also acceptable. Send text and photos to [email protected] with a subject line of “Completions.” Photos must be high-resolution-300 dpi at a 3 x 5 print size is the minimum requirement. You can also submit your aircraft through our online form.
