The Colomban MC-30 Luciole () is an ultra-lightweight plans-built single-seat low-wing tail-dragger

monoplane A monoplane is a fixed-wing aircraft configuration with a single mainplane, in contrast to a biplane or other types of multiplanes, which have multiple wings. A monoplane has inherently the highest efficiency and lowest drag of any wing con ...

, designed by the French

aeronautical Aeronautics is the science or art involved with the study, design, and manufacturing of air flight-capable machines, and the techniques of operating aircraft and rockets within the atmosphere. While the term originally referred solely to ''ope ...

engineer Michel Colomban, creator of the tiny single-seat Colomban Cri-cri twin-engined

aircraft An aircraft ( aircraft) is a vehicle that is able to flight, fly by gaining support from the Atmosphere of Earth, air. It counters the force of gravity by using either Buoyancy, static lift or the Lift (force), dynamic lift of an airfoil, or, i ...

and the MC-100 Ban-Bi two-seat aircraft. LAA "Light Aviation" magazine May 2011Bayerl, Robby; Martin Berkemeier; et al: ''World Directory of Leisure Aviation 2011-12'', page 110. WDLA UK, Lancaster UK, 2011. ISSN 1368-485X The aircraft is supplied as plans for amateur construction.Tacke, Willi; Marino Boric; et al: ''World Directory of Light Aviation 2015-16'', page 116. Flying Pages Europe SARL, 2015.

Design and development

The Luciole is extremely light, weighing empty. It has mixed construction of wood,

plywood Plywood is a composite material manufactured from thin layers, or "plies", of wood veneer that have been stacked and glued together. It is an engineered wood from the family of manufactured boards, which include plywood, medium-density fibreboa ...

, metal, foam and

glass reinforced plastic Fiberglass (American English) or fibreglass (Commonwealth English) is a common type of fiber-reinforced plastic using glass fiber. The fibers may be randomly arranged, flattened into a sheet called a chopped strand mat, or woven into glass cl ...

. The cantilever wings have foam ribs with a 1 mm plywood skin, sheathed in a thin layer of resin-bonded glass tissue. The Luciole is fitted with a

V-Twin A V-twin engine, also called a V2 engine, is a two-cylinder piston engine where the cylinders are arranged in a V configuration and share a common crankshaft. The V-twin is widely associated with motorcycles, primarily installed longitudinally ...

Briggs & Stratton Briggs & Stratton Corporation is an American manufacturer of small engines with headquarters in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin. Engine production averages 10 million units per year as of April 2015. The company reports that it has 13 large faciliti ...

four-stroke A four-stroke (also four-cycle) engine is an internal combustion (IC) engine in which the piston completes four separate strokes while turning the crankshaft. A stroke refers to the full travel of the piston along the cylinder, in either directio ...

petrol engine directly driving a 2-bladed Arplast EcoProp diameter ground-adjustable propeller. The aircraft is very economical, consuming only 4.5 litres/hour at .

Operational history

Although about seven Lucioles have been built in France, only one has been completed in the UK (and half a dozen are under construction), at least one is flying in Germany. The UK aircraft was built under the auspices of the LAA, and to date has logged some 100 hours, flying under a test permit. The Luciole is awaiting full approval from the LAA. LAA approval was required as the Luciole's wing loading of 43.5 kg/m² was too high to benefit from original UK SSDR microlight sub-category. SSDRs (Single Seat De-Regulated) aircraft had to weigh less than without fuel and pilot, and the wing loading could not be more than 10 kg/m²Light Aircraft Association Technical Leaflets Sep 2010
/ref> However, the UK CAA changed the rules in May 2014, and the new SSDR rules state that the aircraft must be single seat, and must have an MTOW of 300 kg, i.e. it must weigh no more than 300 kg at takeoff, including pilot and fuel. Also, the stall speed must be 35 knots or less. There are no other design restrictions. In a flight test report, Francis Donaldson, the LAA's Chief Engineer, declared that although some design compromises were "clearly not ideal", overall he felt "very impressed with Michel Colomban's new creation", saying the aircraft "performed as claimed, was practical and fun". Donaldson's major criticism was that the elevator's GRP spring (to provide self-centering and to impart "feel") was in the cockpit and not in the tail, so that if the elevator control linkage failed, the aircraft could suffer catastrophic lack of pitch-control as "the Luciole would most likely be totally unflyable". However, Colomban has disclosed plans to "modify the system to relocate the tailplane's self-centering trim spring in the rear fuselage, attaching directly to the tailplane .... so a failure of the (linkage) would no longer be disastrous".

Variants

;Colomban MC-30 Luciole :Standard model powered by a Briggs & Stratton four-stroke engine. ;Luxembourg Special Aerotechnics MC30E Firefly :

Electric aircraft An electric aircraft is an aircraft powered by electricity. Electric aircraft are seen as a way to reduce the environmental effects of aviation, providing zero emissions and quieter flights. Electricity may be supplied by a variety of methods, ...

development of the basic design, first flown on 1 August 2011. Powered by electric motor running from a 4.7-kWh Kokam battery. The aircraft weighs empty and has a 55 minute endurance on a charge. The aircraft has achieved a top speed of .

Specifications (MC-30)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Colomban MC-30 Luciole 2000s French ultralight aircraft Homebuilt aircraft Luciole Aircraft first flown in 2007 Low-wing aircraft Single-engined tractor aircraft Single-engined piston aircraft Aircraft with fixed conventional landing gear