After 15 Years In Operation, Jabiru USA Holds A Unique Position In The Sport Aviation Business

To understand how Jabiru USA is unique, you have to ask some questions. Does Jabiru USA sell manufactured light sport airplanes or do they specialize in developing firewall forward Jabiru engine packages for non Jabiru aircraft? The answer to these questions is…yes.

The 15th anniversary celebration being held at their Shelbyville, TN facility over the weekend of October 3-5 will feature a Friday evening cookout with some fun & games, Saturday breakfast will be a fly-out to Winchester, TN, followed by engine maintenance sessions. Saturday will also include, a presentation on avionics updates including ADS-B, and a separate session on available engine updates.

With 15 years behind them it’s interesting to learn that the company roots began in the world of ultralights. Jabiru USA Sport Aircraft, LLC had its beginnings in Neenah, WI when Pete Krotje was appointed a Jabiru dealer and service center for the upper Midwest area in September of 1999.

Pete had been flying a Jabiru 2200 engine on his Titan Tornado and accepted Jabiru’s offer of a dealership. When Jabiru reorganized its marketing plan for the USA in 2001, Pete entered into the Jabiru business full time. From 2001 through 2004 the business concentrated on sales and support of the Jabiru models 2200 and 3300 engines and quickly became the world’s largest Jabiru engine dealer. During that time period Pete and son Ben developed the first of many firewall forward installation kits facilitating easy installation of the Jabiru engines into different homebuilt aircraft.

Pete moved the business into a larger facility in Shelbyville, TN in December of 2004 with the aim of manufacturing Jabiru aircraft for the new light sport market in the USA. Jabiru USA produced 120 LSA eligible aircraft through the end of 2013.

Since early 2014, Jabiru USA now imports the Jabiru Aircraft line while still developing new Firewall forward kits for new aircraft coming onto the market. Service has become a much larger part of the business as the USA Jabiru fleet of engines and airframes mature.

Jabiru USA’s maintenance technicians service or rebuild an engine every week at the Shelbyville location. The service department repairs damaged aircraft and does all sorts of service and inspections on many LSA and experimental amateur built aircraft.

All Jabiru aircraft owners and all Jabiru engine owners are invited to Jabiru’s 15th anniversary celebration.

(Image of Jabiru airplane, and 3300 engine mounted on a Zenith Zodiac from file)

FMI: www.usjabiru.com/