|
This baby is one of our favorites! How can you go wrong with
excellent (360°) visibility, awesome takeoff and landing
performance, and folding wings?
Using the 41-hp Rotax 447 and a two-blade wood prop, the Firestar
will launch in a mere 125'—a grass strip is no problem—and will
climb at 1000 fpm. Landing requires just 150'. Cruise is listed at
60 mph, top speed is 70 mph. Kolb advertises a sedate 29-mph stall.
Its dimensions are as follows: wingspan, 27'8"; length,
20'3"; and height 5'8". The doors are removable for
comfortable flying in the summer. Kolb also brags that it only takes
one person to take it from trailer to the air in ten minutes, no
tools necessary. Assembling the kit for the first time will take
about 400 hours.
The Firestar is a docile bird with a heart and soul that begs to
play... really superior ground handling couples with excellent
tailwheel authority to produce one of the best boony-bashing STOL
ultralights ever produced. It has a very good control arrangement
accessed by a single center-positioned control stick and rudder
pedals. The rudder is quite dominant in this aircraft though the
ailerons are plagued only moderately by adverse yaw.
The Firestar
has a simple stall, little propensity to spinning, and a very docile
recovery mode if forced into it. Excellent in-flight visibility
makes this a particularly pleasant machine to play with, and in the
hands of a somewhat skilled aviator, can be flown quite
aggressively.
Still, it's an easy flyer for new ultralight jocks and
the bird has few if any known surprises for an unprepared pilot. Oh
yes, this bird loves short grass strips... that's where the original
design was developed. A very pleasant machine, with pretty mild
stability demands.
Kolb Firestar
ZOOM REPORT: The combination of a simple folding wing,
excellent STOL capabilities, responsive controls, and a dynamite
stability profile make the Firestar one of the best deals in
ultralight aviation. By the way, this is a very sweet taildragger
that is not at all taxing to those who are still learning the art
and craft of conventional gear. It's a great aircraft by any
standard.
USA Aircraft Ratings: Kolb Firestar
- Design/Engineering: B+. Folding-wing design is spectacular.
- Ground Handling: B-.
- Flight Characteristics: B+. A real climber!
- Company Profile: A-. Very responsible, well-known company.
- Kit/Plans: B+.
- Bang for the Buck: A-. Very affordable, lots of performance.
- Risk Factor: 3.
- Final Grade: B+. A thoroughly well-designed bird. Highly
Recommended.
The above courtesy of:
http://www.av8r.net/issues/march96/top12.htm
|
