Frequently Asked Questions
The plane is called the "FireFly" and the kit is made by Kolb Aircraft in London, KY. It has a wing span of 22 feet and is 19'-4" long.
It is a single seater.
Whether or not a plane requires a license depends on the gross weight of the finished plane. Aircraft weighing less than 256 pounds do not
require a license. Planes under 256 pounds are referred to as "ultralights." The FireFly can be built to less than 256 pounds, but you
don't get any nice accessories at that weight (like brakes, wheel pants, nice instruments, etc.). My plane will be over the weight limit
which puts it into the "Experimental" category of aircraft. This means it will require a license, which I already have. The plane will
be registered with the FAA and will have an "N" number like any other general aviation aircraft.
The engine is a 40hp, two cycle, single carburetor, single ignition, Rotax 447. Rotax is (was) owned by Bombardier. The engine will run at
about 5500 rpm during cruise. It has a gearbox which reduces the prop speed by a ratio of 2.54:1, which is in line with conventional
aircraft prop speeds. The propeller is a three blade, 60" diameter, IVO ground-pitch-adjustable. It can be upgraded to in-flight pitch
adjustable if desired. The downside - 300 hour TBO.
A two cycle aircraft engine is not as reliable as a traditional, certified, four stroke engine. The engine is simply straining a lot harder
to do its job. The systems are typically not as robust (fuel system, ignition system). However, reliability has come a long way over the
years and I believe that the present state of reliability is at a level where the risk is acceptable.
I have followed experimental aviation for years (roughly 17 years). I have known many ultralight/experimental pilots. Over the years I
have come to one clear conclusion about the safety of this type of aircraft - It is as safe as the person building and flying it.
Experimental aircraft, by nature, attract a certain crowd of followers, many of which have no business building and flying their own plane.
Many people have the skills to build a plane, but lack the self discipline to do it right and then fly the plane within its limitations.
The fact that the ultralight category planes don't require a pilot's license causes a lot of accidents. People are flying these things and
have had only had 8 or 10 hours of instruction by a non-certified flight instructor. They have not been through the training of a typical
private pilot. Many of them do not fully understand the full flight envelope of their plane. These are the people that likely end up in the
headlines. Training, caution, and respect for what I'm doing will give me better odds than most.
The ballistic recovery chute was developed in the late 80's. It consists of a solid rocket fueled motor that is used to propel a parachute
from a canister. The chute is strapped to the framework of the plane. The pilot deploys the chute by pulling a handle in the cockpit.
When fired, the chute will deploy and lower the entire plane, with you in it, to the ground. The decent rate is high enough that the plane
will more than likely be a total loss from the stress of it all. However, more than 100 lives have been saved since inception. The cost is
about $1'600. I plan to have one.
See a factory deployment video. It takes about 3 minutes to download with a 56K modem.
I don't like to advertise this, but it is the question that every body wants to know the answer to. So, here it is:
Airframe kit: $8,500
Engine & Prop: 4,100
Radio & Instruments: 2,000
Covering & Paint: 1,200
Ballistic Parachute: 1,600
Total: $17,400
This sounds like a lot of money, but for an airplane it is very cheap. This is comparable to the price of a good used pick-up truck.
I'm building it in the single car garage of my duplex. The garage measures 19'-2" by 11'-6". Bedrooms in many homes are larger than this!
The key to building in a space like this is organization. Most of the raw building materials are stored overhead in racks that I extended from
the garage door supports.
I'm also making use of nearly every room in the house. Many completed parts are in my living room. The fuselage cage has replaced my
recliner as the favorite spot to sit and watch the Discovery Wings Channel.
Kolb claims 250 to 500 hours. It all depends on your workmanship and the complexity of the paint job. I'm planning on about 350 to 425 hours.
I plan to fly it at least by September of 2003, if not sooner.
I'll keep it in the same place I'm building it. The Kolb line of aircraft is best known for its folding wing and tail feature. In about
20 minutes you can fold the horizontal stabilizers and wings. The wings pivot and swing back until they are parallel with the fuselage.
This allows the plane to fit on a typical boat trailer (which I must buy or build and is not in the price above).
The real answer to this is that you can go as high as possible before the air gets to thin to provide enough oxygen for you to breath. This
is about 10,000 feet. The carburetor on Rotax two cycle engines is ground adjustable for mixture control. So, as you go higher the engine
mixture will richen to the point that the engine quits if you go high enough. The altitude that this becomes an issue is about 4,000 feet.
Automatic altitude compensating carburetors are available that allow you to go much higher. I plan to upgrade to this type of carb after
the break-in period.
It holds 5 gallons of auto gas. This is enough for a couple hours of flying. I may add more fuel capacity.
About 70 mph in cruise. I won't really know until that eventual first flight. Stall speed is in the mid to low 30's.
It can be flown to all airports that are not radar controlled. This means that 95% of all airports in the country are usable. You can go
as far as you want to as long as you don't mind bouncing along at low altitude at slower than the interstate speed limit! Planes similar
to this one have been flown all the way across the country and to South America. Pilot endurance is the only real limit.
