In recognition of his work over the last two decades, Jabiru Aircraft Managing Director Rodney Stiff was awarded the 2009 Experimental Aircraft Association’s (EAA) August Raspet Award at the recent AirVenture Oshkosh international airshow.
The August Raspet Award recognises outstanding contributions to the advancement of light aircraft design, and in a major achievement Rod is the first person outside of North America to receive the honour in its 48-year history.
Since establishing Jabiru Aircraft 21 years ago, Rod has substantially grown the privately owned, wholly Australian company and received numerous accolades including the Order of Australia medal.
His Jabiru range has received certification both in Australia and the US and there are currently in excess of 1600 Jabirus in almost 50 countries around the globe.
Back on deck in the Jabiru factory in Bundaberg, Queensland, the humble engineer told Australian Flying the announcement from the EAA came as a surprise.
“I didn’t know that I’d been nominated,” Rod deadpans.
“It was a real honour - when you look at the list of previous recipients for the Award there’s just about everyone you’ve ever known in respect to light aeroplanes. All the big names.”
Despite joining the esteemed list of August Raspet Award recipients, Rod is quick to downplay the peer acclaim the award signifies, preferring to remain focussed on fine-tuning his aircraft and engine design.
“If you’re an engineer at heart you’re never very keen on personal accolades,” he says.
“You know too much about your product, where its weak points are and how much more work there is to do. And that’s really what motivates you to keep going.
“Everyday you’ve got to think about your obligations to the flyer of the aeroplane and the airworthiness of your product. The responsibility never leaves you – it’s with you 24 hours a day.”
As well as airframes, Rod has also been designing Jabiru engines since late 1992.
In dollar terms, he says Jabiru production is currently an even split between airframes and engines, but he sees engines as the future growth area.
“The reason for that is, having just come back from Oshkosh, there’s now exactly 100 compliant light sport aircraft in the United States, or companies claiming compliance to that standard,” he says.
“So you’re up against a hundred different competitor aeroplanes, and that is unprecedented in the light aircraft industry.”