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Know your Kolb

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Dennis Thate

Joined: 18 Nov 2010
Posts: 362

Posted: Thu Jun 06, 2013 6:05 am Post subject: Know your Kolb

Subject: Wing Loading

I post this  for the many new pilots learning to fly Kolbs for the first time.

 

While the airplane with the highly loaded wing can safely operate in very windy and turbulent conditions if the pilot is trained and skilled, the lightly loaded wing simply reaches a limit where the best pilot can’t safely fly it.The LSA  a lightly loaded wing will bounce around more and be harder to control and    can be ground looped easily and go off the side of the runway frequently on a windy day .



Learning to recognize our limits as pilots is crucial, but when it comes to an airplane with a very low wing loading, we must understand that the airplane has its own gust and turbulence limitations that cannot be ignored. If you are moving down to an LSA or other airplane you certainly need specific training to accommodate the differences in performance and flying qualities. But you also need training to understand that wind gusts, crosswinds, and turbulence that other popular production singles can handle are beyond the limits of an airplane with a very lightly loaded wing.



 "A man's got to know his limitations"



Harry Callahan (Clint Eastwood)

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Ralph B

Joined: 14 Apr 2007
Posts: 367
Location: Mound Minnesota

Posted: Thu Jun 06, 2013 7:41 am Post subject: Re: Know your Kolb

Knowing any aircraft comes with experience in type. Transitioning to the Kolbra from a Firestar wasn't too hard, but I would say for the average pilot transitioning from a big airplane to a Firestar would be tougher due the high drag and light wing loading. There have been many accidents attributed to big plane pilots flying ultralights and Light Sport after flying the big ones. The classic example is flaring too early on landing and stalling the airplane. It comes down hard and bends the gear. How many times have we heard about that one? When I carry a pilot who has never flown in the Kolbra and he wants to land it, I warn him about flaring too early and am ready to push that stick forward as we get closer to landing. They simply aren't used to it and old habits are embedded in them.



Ralph B

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Ralph B

Kolb Kolbra 912uls
N20386
550 hours

John Hauck

Joined: 09 Jan 2006
Posts: 4639
Location: Titus, Alabama (hauck's holler)

Posted: Thu Jun 06, 2013 8:11 am Post subject: Know your Kolb

When I carry a pilot who has never flown in the Kolbra and he wants to

land it, I warn him about flaring too early and am ready to push that stick

forward as we get closer to landing. They simply aren't used to it and old

habits are embedded in them.



Ralph B

 



Ralph B/Kolbers:



Seems pretty simple to me, but as many landings as I have done in Kolbs over

the years, I still can get too slow and drop it in.



I think what it boils down to is keeping the air speed above stall speed

until on the ground, or a few inches above the ground.  



john h

mkIII

Titus, Alabama

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John Hauck
MKIII/912ULS
hauck's holler
Titus, Alabama

undoctor

Joined: 21 Oct 2008
Posts: 212
Location: Bethelhem, PA

Posted: Thu Jun 06, 2013 8:26 am Post subject: Know your Kolb

Or, as Homer so eloquently stated it in the instruction manual, to 

keep your eye on your airspeed or "...the ground will come up to smite 

thee."



Dave Kulp

Bethlehem, PA

FireFly 11DMK

On 6/6/2013 12:10 PM, John Hauck wrote:

 	  Quote: 	
		   



    When I carry a pilot who has never flown in the Kolbra and he wants to

 land it, I warn him about flaring too early and am ready to push that stick

 forward as we get closer to landing. They simply aren't used to it and old

 habits are embedded in them.



 Ralph B

   



 Ralph B/Kolbers:



 Seems pretty simple to me, but as many landings as I have done in Kolbs over

 the years, I still can get too slow and drop it in.



 I think what it boils down to is keeping the air speed above stall speed

 until on the ground, or a few inches above the ground.



 john h

 mkIII

 Titus, Alabama

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pj.ladd(at)btinternet.com
Guest

Posted: Fri Jun 07, 2013 5:44 am Post subject: Know your Kolb

am ready to push that stick forward >>



I was waiting in a clubhouse in  for a flight one day and listening to a 

group of old guys talking flying.



One guy was discussing a flight which he had with another pilot whom they 

all knew.



He said " I was sitting behind the pilot talking to somebody when  we came 

over the hedge with the stall alarm going.. I leaned over the pilots 

shoulder and pushed the stick forward.

He was mad as hell. There was a pause and then the storyteller added "He 

sure as hell was a sloppy pilot"



Guess you had to be there.



Pat

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jbhart(at)onlyinternet.ne
Guest

Posted: Fri Jun 07, 2013 4:56 pm Post subject: Know your Kolb

At 07:05 AM 6/6/2013 -0700, you wrote:

 	  Quote: 	
		  



Subject: Wing Loading

........... But you also need training to understand that wind gusts, 
	


crosswinds, and turbulence that other popular production singles can handle 

are beyond the limits of an airplane with a very lightly loaded wing.

 	  Quote: 	
		  


	


Dennis,



This is true of the original FireFly with the 15 inch chord ailerons.  It 

was a bear to try to fly in the middle of the day.  I changed to nine inch 

chord ailerons and modified the push rod Tee bar hole spacing. This greatly 

reduced control stick roll pressure and made the FireFly a joy to fly. It was 

very easy to fly in the middle of the day.  One must accept that the first 

and last 1,000 feet agl are going to be rough.  



I have flown sailplanes/gliders with wing loading less than the FireFly.  A 

sailplane on the tow or looking for thermals can be quite smooth and at 

other times so rough as to be frightening.  The thing one learns is to keep 

your seat belt and shoulder straps tight so that you do not move relative to 

the plane and to keep flying the plane.



The difference between a sailplane, which has a wing loading less than a 

FireFly, is the empty weight.  The sailplane is much heavier.  As result, 

the low mass FireFly is will react much quicker to atmospheric disturbances 

than the sailplane.  In both cases it is not the plane that is limited, but 

it is the skill of the pilot.



Jack B. Hart FF004

Winchester, IN

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Dennis Thate

Joined: 18 Nov 2010
Posts: 362

Posted: Fri Jun 07, 2013 5:38 pm Post subject: Re: Know your Kolb

Jack,



 Thanks, that's some good input about the Firefly. I've used this highly modified yet light weight child's car seat with it's built in side support to solve the slip sliding around in rough air turbulence.



 Nothing fancy but works well !

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