The Kolb Firestar is a family of American open cockpit, high wing,

pusher configuration In an aircraft with a pusher configuration (as opposed to a tractor configuration), the propeller(s) are mounted behind their respective engine(s). Since a pusher propeller is mounted behind the engine, the drive shaft is in compression in no ...

conventional landing gear Conventional landing gear, or tailwheel-type landing gear, is an aircraft undercarriage consisting of two main wheels forward of the center of gravity and a small wheel or skid to support the tail.Crane, Dale: ''Dictionary of Aeronautical Ter ...

-equipped

ultralight aircraft Ultralight aviation (called microlight aviation in some countries) is the flying of lightweight, 1- or 2-seat fixed-wing aircraft. Some countries differentiate between weight-shift control and conventional three-axis control aircraft with aile ...

that was produced in kit form by Kolb Aircraft of

Phoenixville, Pennsylvania Phoenixville is a borough in Chester County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is located northwest of Philadelphia at the junction of French Creek and the Schuylkill River. It is in the Philadelphia metropolitan area. The population is 18,616 a ...

and intended for amateur construction.Vandermeullen, Richard: ''2012 Kit Aircraft Buyer's Guide'', Kitplanes, Volume 28, Number 12, December 2011, page 72. Belvoir Publications. ISSN 0891-1851Downey, Julia: ''1999 Kit Aircraft Directory'', Kitplanes, Volume 15, Number 12, December 1998, page 53. Primedia Publications. ISSN 0891-1851Cliche, Andre: ''Ultralight Aircraft Shopper's Guide'' 8th Edition, page B-36. Cybair Limited Publishing, 2001. Purdy, Don: ''AeroCrafter - Homebuilt Aircraft Sourcebook'', page 187. BAI Communications. The Firestar was designed to comply with the American FAR 103 ultralight regulations, including that category's maximum empty weight and was later a developed into the current production Kolb Firefly.

Design and development

The Firestar was intended to be a ''FAR 103'' legal ultralight when powered by the

Rotax 277 The Rotax 277 is a , single-cylinder, two-stroke aircraft engine, that was built by BRP-Rotax GmbH & Co. KG of Austria for use in ultralight aircraft.Raisner, William: ''LEAF catlog'', pages 6-105. Leading Edge Airfoils, 1995. Development The ...

engine. The

Rotax 447 The Rotax 447 is a , inline 2-cylinder, two-stroke aircraft engine, built by BRP-Rotax GmbH & Co. KG of Austria for use in ultralight aircraft.Raisner, William: ''LEAF catlog'', pages 6-105. Leading Edge Airfoils, 1995. Design and development ...

or the

Rotax 503 The Rotax 503 is a , inline 2-cylinder, two-stroke aircraft engine, built by BRP-Rotax GmbH & Co. KG of Austria for use in ultralight aircraft.Raisner, William: ''LEAF catlog'', pages 6-105. Leading Edge Airfoils, 1995. As of 2011 the R ...

were optional engines, although the aircraft then falls into the US ''Experimental - amateur-built'' category. The design features a forward

fuselage The fuselage (; from the French ''fuselé'' "spindle-shaped") is an aircraft's main body section. It holds crew, passengers, or cargo. In single-engine aircraft, it will usually contain an engine as well, although in some amphibious aircraft t ...

of welded

4130 steel 41xx steel is a family of SAE steel grades, as specified by the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE). Alloying elements include chromium and molybdenum, and as a result these materials are often informally referred to as chromoly steel (common var ...

tubing, mated to an

aluminum Aluminium (aluminum in American and Canadian English) is a chemical element with the symbol Al and atomic number 13. Aluminium has a density lower than those of other common metals, at approximately one third that of steel. It h ...

tailboom. The

horizontal stabilizer A tailplane, also known as a horizontal stabiliser, is a small lifting surface located on the tail (empennage) behind the main lifting surfaces of a fixed-wing aircraft as well as other non-fixed-wing aircraft such as helicopters and gyroplan ...

, tail fin and wings are also constructed of riveted aluminum tubing with all flying surfaces covered in doped

aircraft fabric Aircraft fabric covering is a term used for both the material used and the process of covering aircraft open structures. It is also used for reinforcing closed plywood structures. The de Havilland Mosquito is an example of this technique, as are ...

. The wings are quick-folding for storage and ground transport. The aircraft can be made ready to fly from trailering in eight minutes by one person, without the use of tools. The landing gear is sprung tubing for the main gear, with a steerable sprung tailwheel. Factory options originally included removable doors for cool weather flying. The Firestar II was created using the same fuselage but adding a small

jump seat In aviation, a jump seat or jumpseat is an auxiliary seat for individuals—other than normal passengers—who are not operating the aircraft. In general, the term 'jump seat' can also refer to a seat in any type of vehicle which can fold up out ...

in the baggage area. The seating is very restricted for the rear seat passenger and their legs are placed beside the front seat pilot. There are no dual controls. The wing used on the Firestar II is taken from the Kolb Twinstar Mk III. In 1999 the two seat option added only US$216 to the Firestar I base price.Cliche, Andre: ''Ultralight Aircraft Shopper's Guide'' 8th Edition, page B-87. Cybair Limited Publishing, 2001. The Firestar II was developed into the ''Tandem'' ultralight trainer, which was introduced in 2000. The Tandem incorporated dual controls to facilitate

flight instruction Flight training is a course of study used when learning to pilot an aircraft. The overall purpose of primary and intermediate flight training is the acquisition and honing of basic airmanship skills. Flight training can be conducted under a st ...

. In 2012 the company introduced the Firestar II SS, with

side-by-side configuration Tandem, or in tandem, is an arrangement in which a team of machines, animals or people are lined up one behind another, all facing in the same direction. The original use of the term in English was in ''tandem harness'', which is used for two ...

seating.Bernard, Mary and Suzanne B. Bopp: ''Kolb Aircraft: Firestar II SS'', Kitplanes, Volume 29, Number 12, December 2012, page 26. Belvoir Publications. ISSN 0891-1851

Operational history

Reviewer Andre Cliche said of the Firestar I: "the Firestar is a well proven ultralight that is held in high esteem by pilots and non-pilots alike. lt probably has something to do with its charming clean lines. It has exceptionally clean aerodynamics and can fly with little power." Kit builder Woody Spurlock of

Percival, Iowa Percival is a small unincorporated community and census-designated place in Fremont County, Iowa, United States. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 87. The old part of town is along the BNSF tracks, and is accessible from Interstate 2 ...

stated: "building the little jewel has been a fun project...we are very pleased with the flying characteristics, it handles beautifully".

Variants

;Firestar I :Single seat, high wing ultralight, powered by a

engine or optionally a

or a

two stroke engine. ;Firestar II :Two seat, high wing ultralight, powered by a

or a

two stroke engine. ;Tandem :Two seat, high wing ultralight trainer, powered by a

Rotax 582 The Rotax 582 is a two-stroke, two-cylinder, rotary intake valve, oil-in-fuel or oil injection pump, liquid-cooled, gear reduction-drive aircraft engine manufactured by BRP-Rotax GmbH & Co. KG. It is for use in non-certified aircraft operati ...

two stroke, liquid-cooled engine. ;Firestar II SS :Two seat

seating and

two stroke engine or optionally a

two stroke engine. Introduced in 2012.

Specifications (Firestar I)

References

External links