This is the first flight of my EXPERIMENTAL Kolb Firefly. I flew from Roosterville Missouri on March 13th after working on the plane for about 8 years.
Thanks for posting your videos. I came across them when I was preparing for my flight and I watched them all. Good job on keeping the fly to 254. My problem is that I'm a former GA guy, so like my things like electric start, etc. Even with all the extra weight, I still out climb everything on the field.
Thanks for stopping in at our airport and visiting with us. I enjoyed going over your plane with you and the tips you gave me on setting up my Kolb brakes. Your plane is so clean the way everything is build. I'll give you a buzz when I have a few hours on mine to let you know how it went. Keith
Keith Calvert Thanks or your kind words. Dropping in on you guys was a lot of fun. That was my first landing in someone's "back yard!" Please do keep me informed on your progress with the Mk III. I think you will enjoy it. Be safe, and let me know if there is anything I can do to help.
That was a great job. I remembered my solo flight back in 1983. God I was scared to death. I've always loved the Firefly even through I've never flown one.
Very nice video. I have put 75 hours on my firefly and just love it. I installed VG's on the wing and under the tail,lowered the stall a few knots and handles very well.Enjoy your little hot rod ultralight.
Thanks for posting this, I've recently picked up my PP and nearly finished with the instrument rating. This looks like a much more cost effective way to enjoy flying. As it stands I cannot afford to fly a GA aircraft and am looking at these as options. (PP and IR are requirements for work). Can't beat that view!
Very cool film clip. Now I know what fear looks in ones eyes. Thanks for sharing a special flight event. I'm thinking an automotive GPS might be a good backup for at least ground speed. You'd need to have near zero wind conditions but there will be some reference. Airplane in nice. .I'm jealous........Pete
That's the thing with tail staggers. You need to fly them all the way to and on the ground. Great landing for first flight with no air speed indicator! Well done and beautiful plane!
8 years to work on it. holy cow you could of had it done in 3 weeks but still i'm getting mines this summer and i know it wil bethe thrill of my life great video thanks for posting
Great meeting you last week. I look forward to getting my 2 stroke there over Labor Day Weekend. Spoke to Gary today and hopefully he'll be able to find me a safe spot. Hopefully we can get some great flights in before winter.
It was nice to meet you too! We’ve got a couple of months of great flying weather coming up. I’m going up for the 3rd time this week tonight. Good luck on your Rans ferry flight!
Nicely done (the build, the flight, _and_ the video)! Only distracting thing is the reflection from the white panel, painting it black would help. The Kolbs are great flying planes, I flew an Ultrastar for 5 years and also flew a buddy's Firestar.
I now have a Firestar 2, w the 503, I've got where I can get the tail up and taxi down the runway at 30-35 MPH, and keep her in a straight line, just about ready to take her up. I have a lot of hours in a Quicksilver MXL but no tail dragger experience. I crashed my Challenger 2 last summer when the engine quit over a vineyard so I'm trying to work thru that experience. I'm impressed how you gave it the gas and took her up with no crow hops or hesitation.
Randy Phillips Thanks. I did a lot of high speed taxi runs before I went for it. I also got a taildragger endorsement in a Citabria. I went straight from the Citabria to the Firefly. That was a rough transition. It's best if you can get at least some dual time in a taildragger. The most important thing is to hold it off the ground and full stall it at touchdown. Else, be prepared to go around if you bounce it. Good luck you you.
I echo everyone’s comments and your skills, although when I heard you speak I could tell you had some experience under your wing. Now having said that, please tell me more about your trailer. By the way my email is: frankiebpr@yahoo.com if you feel this is an easier way of communicating. Thanks for an exceptional video. Frank
I'm using a panel mount radio by MGL Avionics. I like it. I've patched the intercom into a GoPro Hero 2. The static line WAS the source of my ASI problem.
Nice little bird. Nice flight. I don't know if you see it from your perspective, but from mine, there is a lot of reflective glare from your white panel, and panel top. I think I would cover the white, with black.
Oh no. That wasn't fear. That was INTENSE concentration. Had I been afraid I would have gone home, reevaluated things, and flown again another day. When it was all over I was wired for days. Most satisfying experience of my life to date!
Very nice video! It is amazing they put this extra-thick spar tube in the wing! I think an airliner must have the same size! To my feeling two thin ones would suffice to gain even more lightness. It is heartwarming to see support from your companion! I thought you would kiss Jeff too :)) (kidding!)
Nice job on the build and the flight. The bounce did not look bad to me. I think if I ever build an aircraft I will also have a GPS and if you have a rough idea what the wind is you will have a ball park on your airspeed if the indicator fails. With experience on type you could estimate with power settings and attitude which you did not have the luxury of on your first flight. You handled the situation well. Fly safe.
Great video! As you probably know by now, a normal landing in a Kolb is done by simply flying it on. It's almost difficult to be "too fast" at touchdown while wheel landing. There's so such thing as a flare, really...just a reduction in descent rate.
Nice little birds. I had a Rans S14 clipped wing, with a Rotax 582. Great performer also. On my S14, I had similar chrome-moly gearlegs. Did you have any issue with them bending? I had to replace them once on the S14 due to that.
I think that plane is equipped with flaperons? Their use would allow for slower landings. Once I discovered that airspeed indicator was fubar it would have been seat of the pants from that moment on. Nice job everything looked good to me.
7:00 excellent understatement. Good job establishing reference and working it out. I've been looking for a Firefly and have finally found a great example. Your vid shows the plane really well, Thanks! the landing seemed worse from your view than the outside.
I agree great video and yes the view from inside seemed quite scary on the landing but when viewed from outside looked pretty smooth for the most part and well done!
Great job brother. My first solo landing ever was in my recently acquired MiniMax. Tail dragger. I had a few hours training in a Challenger tricycle gear. None in a tailwheel. My heart was in my throat both on takeoff and on landing. I had no idea what to expect with either. Fortunately both went extremely easy.
Nice job and best of luck with a sweet aircraft. I'm guessing your approach speed can come down as you get used to the aircraft and the instrument accuracy is not an issue.
Nice Aircraft, awesome Maiden, thanks for sharing, loved the Camera Work, made Me feel like I was Pilot in Command.. Great Job! as always Happy Landings.. :)
How did you fix that? Change the static port/s location? Or, just run a static line to the inside of the cockpit (or another locale). Or, just vent the indicator static port, with no line on that input. Just curious, as my EROS 1650 Mini-max did exactly the same thing. Ended up running a short tube from the static port to behind my instrument panel. Checked good! You have a very nice plane - congratulations on all of your hard work - and work it is/was! N6395T
Thanks for the compliment. I've done all my flying in Cessna's and other GA aircraft up until now. I always rented. I love the Kolb! I just fly for fun and the scenery. The Firefly works great for that.
I fixed the issue by simply disconnecting the static line from the back of the airspeed indicator. It seems to be working ok. I think part of my problem was that my probe was a little short and I was getting a little effect from the nose cone. I may reconnect it and try again at some point. Thanks for the compliments!
great video one question new aircraft first flight correct why did you not do a few runs along the strip at speed and get the feel above ground possibly would have seen the airspeed not working correctly.Never just took off in my craft always those few runs along the strip just in casegood luck and happy flying
First flight + unfamiliar airplane + no airspeed indicator = pucker factor 10. Nice job, great video. I didn't see a bounce... (He looks away very slowly..... ) :)
Gorgeous plane. I just purchased a Kolb Firestar 1, has the 447 and came with a nice trailer. It's a nice plane, not as pretty as yours, but I paid only $5,500 including trailer and avionics. I have a lot of hours in a Quicksilver MXL, but no time in a tail dragger.But, I know I can grease it in, everybody says there are easy to fly and land. I just hooked up with the owner of a small country airport, and am excited and nervous to do my first crow hops and flights. I do have a gopro. Let's have some fun. Rando
Good video. It looks like you did everything right. Try disconnecting the static line on the ASI and see if that fixes the problem. That was a good landing for the first flight, especially on asphalt. Be careful in heavier winds. The audio that you have is very good. What radio are you using? I have nearly 27 years flying an Original Firestar and still enjoy it.
Re: Airspeed. Realize you used a water manometer to verify the AS indication; you said it was a bit out of calibration. Might try to vent the AS indicator to the cockpit and use the Impact (Q) pressure only. Yes, there might be a slight difference due to the "pressure area" in the cockpit from the air "moving by" the cockpit. Will, probably, be much closer. Wondered why you have a tail Nr. The firefly is a "true" (part 103 ultralight, right? Built 3 Exp. Amateur Blt. planes. N6395T
Thanks for the compliment. I have the MGL V10 panel mounted radio with a Mobile brand "AIRKIT" base loaded antenna. I bought mine cheaper by going direct through Mobile in Australia. It is about the only game in town for a decent base loaded aircraft antenna. It is well made. You can see it mounted to the right side of the cage. From pattern altitude I pick up surrounding air traffic 40+ miles away. I'm also using resistor plugs, shielded and grounded plug wires, and a mic muff. The V10 has some really sophisticated noise filtering/canceling software that is user adjustable. I think this is one of the main reasons for my good sound. They make a 2.25" version of that radio now. I'm also patching the audio straight into the GoPro. But, sound quality reports from the UNICOM operator are also positive. Happy Flying. Stay safe. Kolbs are a lot of fun!
Very nice. I've been learning gliders. There's a well known author of "how to" books on gliders who has a concept he calls "TLAR" or "That looks about right". Your landing looked quite good, possibly a little hot but I'm no judge. Did you already have a tailwheel endorsement? How much different was your Kolb from an ultralight? I hope you're still getting your comments. I answer old comments about my videos from 2010.
+John Hettish I still answer a few comments here and there. I had a tailwheel endorsement. The landing was a little hot, but that's that idea when you are first learning to land a light weight high drag ultralight. The airspeed decays quickly. I've slowed my approaches down with experience. I got my tailwheel endorsement in a Citabria. The Kolb handled quite differently!
Hermano muchas gracias por todos tus vídeos ahora estoy pensando fabricar mi propio avion solo es que tengo un problema y es que tengo un motor que es un solo 210 y me gustaría saber si con ese motor puede ser que me pueda elevar
I hear about flying into the ground technique from Kolbers, the problem is of course what you're going to do in an emergency. I have zero time in a Kolb, so I'm quite curious.
I didn't really know what to expect from it. The takeoff run was the first full power run. I took 8 hours of tailwheel instruction in a Citabria. No comparison. I now routinely take off in 400 feet.
I often think about clothes shopping while I wait for my rpms to stabilize. Clothes shopping is both fun and stressful. If I think about dancing then I’m certain to stall upon liftoff. You see, dancing is all fun and devoid of stress. You must offset the zen of clothes shopping with a bit of phenomenal awareness, like that the checkout lady won’t accept Diners Club or will say I’m too heavy for a size 2. In other words, if you are too relaxed and high on life, as in the case of dancing in your head, you may become numb to the real and present dangers associated with the next 45 seconds of your life.
I had a GPS unit available for the maiden flight, but I didn't take it up since I was staying in the pattern. I wanted to keep things simple. I've since used a GPS to calibrate the airspeed.
Surely a portable GPS would give ground speed and you drew a wind vector on the chart before take off right? With that set up you would have a pretty good idea of airspeed?
+Roger Blackwood Yes. GPS would have helped. I own one. But, for a maiden flight where you don't leave the traffic pattern, it doesn't make a lot of sense. It's one more thing to worry about while you already have your hands full.
HI -- great vid and a fantastic build. Is the instrument panel reflection/glare on the wind shield typical or is that something we are seeing only from the camera?I like the looks of the firefly and the Ultrastar - I want to build something but make it electric - this looks like a good candidate.Thanks for sharingCheers, Patrick
+PATRICK MCKOWEN Thanks for the kind words. The camera angle, being above my head and at a more shallow angle to the windscreen, makes the glare appear much worse. I don't even notice it when I fly. There's not a lot I can do about it. I have 100 hours on the plane now and I've enjoyed every minute. The view is fantastic!
+JWolfe104 Thx for the update -- I just really wanted to know the pilots view was good. I envy you -- just started looking into working towards getting my certification .Cheers, Patrick
Nice Airplane indeed! Hey have you thought about having those brake lines stowed away a lil further up the gear legs via ties? Or is there a kit that has an attachment for that? I am thinking of buying one of these :) Cheers
Robbie Brown These are cable style brakes, so they have to make a large sweeping bend, or they will bind. The cable and housing are very stiff. I've converted to hydraulic brakes and zip tied the lines to the gear legs. It looks much nicer now. They are lighter too.
JWolfe104 I see! That makes perfect sense! just one other question, in the event of a Engine failure (lets use ISA) what is the ROD roughly and the recommended glide speed? Thanks
Nice Plane! I just bought an assembled fire fly but I have no experience in a high wing pusher. I am gathering as much info on landing it as possible. I read that a good technique is to descend at 50mph then slow to 40mph when you get a 100 feet from the ground. Then when you get 2 feet or so off the ground, throttle back and gently pull back on the stick. Does this sound right? Do you have any advice? Thanks! Keith
Dcred45 Thanks for the compliment. You're struggling with the age old delima, as did I. I will tell you my experience, but you will need to modify it to fit your situation. My Firefly is heavy. I've got all the bells and whistles. My flying weight is about 550 lbs. So, my speeds are going to be on the high side. If yours is a true UL, then...? I approach at 58 with no flaps. I use 54 or 55 with full flaps. My stall speed is 44 no flaps, and about 41/42 with flaps at altitude. In ground effect, maybe 38/39. I typically approach with no flaps. Idle rpm in a descent with the prop windmilling is about 2900 (Rotax 447). I usually carry about 3300/3400 rpm down to, and partially through, the round out. I start the round out about 20' above the ground. This leaves me with enough speed to have time to make a nice flare (about 3 seconds). I could approach slower. But, if I did, I would certainly carry the power all the way until I was 2' off the ground. The manual that came with the kit from Kolb recommends using 55 mph for your first flight approach speed, and I would say that is about right. I'm not sure what you are used to flying, so I my be telling you what you already know. But, the issue with planes like the Firefly and other UL's is low inertia. Once you round out, the plane stops flying quickly. If your current experience is in GA type planes, it will catch you off guard. I would recommend doing what I did on my first flight, which is do a lot of stalls and slow flight. Get a feel for what the stick forces feel like as the plane slows down. The full span ailerons cause the stick forces to change drastically with speed. Find your stall speed, then add 15 to 20 mph to it for approach. Carry 500/600 rpm above idle through the round out. Be prepared to add a little throttle if needed. Work on slowing the approach down only as you gain experience. I definitely would not slow anywhere near 40 unless you are ready to fall from that altitude. There is almost no down side to a little extra speed on final until you get the hang of it. One more thing. Feed in takeoff power gently at first. If you hold neutral or a little down elevator, then feed power too quickly, it has a tendency to nose over. If you want to add power quickly, then hold full up elevator, then relax it as you get a little forward speed. Good luck, and I'd be happy to answer any more questions. The last plane I flew before the Firefly maiden flight was a Citabria. So, I've experience the apprehension of the unknown!
Thanks for the fast reply! My FF is a part 103 legal UL w/ a rotax 447. My previous flight experience is flying a cessna 152 and 172. I have been doing a number of high speed speed taxi's, lifting the tail and setting it back down. I bought my plane already built and it has a bungi cord around the bottom of the stick that it tied off under the seat. Its kinda weird imo. I suppose this is a form of trim? Thanks again for the info, I never recieved a manual with my plane!
Dcred45 A bungee is a common method of trim on ULs. It's a lot better than nothing. It should work fine for you as long as you have a decent way to adjust the tension to achieve level cruise flight.
Dcred45 I wouldn't recommend it, especially for a first flight. I've heard a lot of bad things about doing it, and nothing good. I pasted a link below that talks about one guy's experience. The issue is that you have 4 wingtips instead of two. That creates a lot of drag and reduces lift. It also makes the air dirtier around the prop and tail. I would recommend taking the time to work one up. www.homebuiltairplanes.com/forums/aircraft-design-aerodynamics-new-technology/6308-wing-center-section-gap-seal.html
Nice Video, Good job checking your stall speed a few time in the Air, I land my FS2 at 50hrs airspeed to about 6/12 inchs from the deck then roll the throttle off and let it settle. I liked your Kissing the ground when you got back down.We have all been there right. Then the Wife. Cute . Fun And Safe fly'n Bob
Captainpegs07 I would. I think it is still one of the best single seat ultralights out there. It takes a lot of effort to build. If you wanted something quick and easy, I think the Aerolite 103 would be a decent choice. The Minimax lineup is also good. What to build depends on the mission. I’m ready to take some cross country trips and fool around with aerobatics, so I’m currently building a Sonex. The Kolb will be for sale in a year or so. Engine is Rotax 447 with an Ivo 60” adjustable.
