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Pre-Purchase Inspection, Firestar

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Allonsye

Joined: 21 Jun 2013
Posts: 4
Location: Denver, NC

Posted: Sat Jun 22, 2013 3:32 am Post subject: Pre-Purchase Inspection, Firestar

Greetings to the Collective - new member here.



A little background on me:



57 y/o A&P, Fixed-wing pilot (been out of flying/aviation for the last 10-yrs). Wanting to get back to flying but on a tight budget. Interested in UL's and Powered Paragliders.



The Kolbs appear to me to be most like 3-axis general aviation aircraft that I'm very familiar with so I think it might be the route to go especially since it's easy to store. I found a deal on a Firestar, 477 Rotax, 90 TT AF & Eng.  Built in '96. Obviously sat for awhile but has been recently flown. 



I'm concerned about UL light wing loading. Can I expect to fly it as I would the Taylorcraft BC12D I used to own? The only differing characteristic I've seen addressed is the landing flares.



What are the things - airframe & engine I should be particularly attentive to in inspecting for issues before I decide to close a sale on it?



Thanks,

Paul

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"A good traveller has no fixed plans and is not intent on arriving" Lao Tzu (570-490 BC)

Richard Pike

Joined: 09 Jan 2006
Posts: 1671
Location: Blountville, Tennessee

Posted: Sat Jun 22, 2013 4:07 am Post subject: Re: Pre-Purchase Inspection, Firestar

Greeting Paul, welcome to the group. Since I just did my annual yesterday, I would suggest checking it over just as you would when you annual it. Pop the exhaust header and look at the rings and the cylinder walls, stick a dental mirror in it and look at the underside of the head. 

Are the rings free? Do the piston and cylinder walls look good? Is the underside of the head fairly clean or is it all carboned up? How about the inside of the exhaust manifold? Is it all caked up? Get a general idea of how it is running. 

Drain the gearbox oil. Is it pretty clean or is it pretty nasty with lots of metal dust on the drain magnet? Mobil 1 keeps it cleaner.

How are the carb boots? Cracked or nice? Does it have an after muffler and silencer box? Those two items help keep moisture further away from the exhaust ports and crankcase when the engine cools down after you run it. 

The airframe is simple, and what ever you would look for on any classic light fabric covered aircraft is what you would look for on a Kolb. Cosmetic items and new Lexan are things that are easily addressed, you are looking for signs of corrosion and poor workmanship overall.

As far as flying - good control authority, but a lighter experience. Biggest difference you will notice is flying in the middle of the day, or windy days. Not that a Taylorcraft would punch through turbulence, but compared to a Kolb, or any other very light aircraft - yeah, it kind of does. In that respect, the Kolb is as good as any, and better than most very light aircraft, but it is still going to fly lighter than the T-craft. Aside from that, you will like the view a lot better and the handling is good. Plan to enjoy it. In fact, I need to finish this, I am going flying right now.

_________________
Richard Pike
Kolb MKIII N420P (420ldPoops)
Kingsport, TN 3TN0

Forgiving is tough, being forgiven is wonderful, and God's grace really is amazing.

Allonsye

Joined: 21 Jun 2013
Posts: 4
Location: Denver, NC

Posted: Sat Jun 22, 2013 6:22 am Post subject: Re: Pre-Purchase Inspection, Firestar

Thanks for the reply Richard. I'll incorporate your checklist. Not going to see it for another week or so. We're not too distant from each other. Perhaps a rendezvous in the future.

P.

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"A good traveller has no fixed plans and is not intent on arriving" Lao Tzu (570-490 BC)

Dennis Thate

Joined: 18 Nov 2010
Posts: 362

Posted: Sat Jun 22, 2013 8:11 am Post subject: Re: Pre-Purchase Inspection, Firestar

Do a weight & Balance to make sure your aft CG Kolb is a safe flying  machine.  Many lighter Kolb Pilots need some nose ballast to be safe.

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Both optimists and pessimists contribute to our society. The optimist invents the airplane and the pessimist the parachute. ~Gil Stern

racerjerry

Joined: 15 Dec 2009
Posts: 202
Location: Deer Park, NY

Posted: Sun Jun 23, 2013 6:01 am Post subject: Re: Pre-Purchase Inspection, Firestar

â€œCan I expect to fly it as I would the Taylorcraft BC12D I used to own?â€  ABSOLUTELY NOT.  



The Firestar is a great flying airplane, but because it has a high thrust line, is very light, has low inertia, and is quite draggy, when you get off the power, it slows down immediately.  You must be ready to get that stick forward to maintain airspeed when coming off the throttle.



If you want to live to age 58, do yourself a large favor and find a guy to give you an hour or two of dual instruction in a 2-place Kolb Mark III.  Itâ€™s the best money you will ever spend.

_________________
Jerry King

Allonsye

Joined: 21 Jun 2013
Posts: 4
Location: Denver, NC

Posted: Mon Jun 24, 2013 5:34 pm Post subject: Re: Pre-Purchase Inspection, Firestar

Excellent feed back folks - I appreciate it. W&B yes, yes, yes. Some dual -absolutely. Which begs the question, deadstick, this must be a handful. I'm thinking that a ballistic parachute is an absolute necessity. My impression is that of a helicopter - collective down, stick forward, maintain rotor rpm till just above the ground. 



P.

_________________
"A good traveller has no fixed plans and is not intent on arriving" Lao Tzu (570-490 BC)

Dana

Joined: 13 Dec 2007
Posts: 1047
Location: Connecticut, USA

Posted: Tue Jun 25, 2013 2:58 am Post subject: Pre-Purchase Inspection, Firestar

At 09:34 PM 6/24/2013, Allonsye wrote:

  	  Quote: 	
		  --> Kolb-List message posted by: "Allonsye" <gainsback(at)yahoo.com>



 Excellent feed back folks - I appreciate it. W&B yes, yes, yes. Some dual -absolutely. Which begs the question, deadstick, this must be a handful. I'm thinking that a ballistic parachute is an absolute necessity. My impression is that of a helicopter - collective down, stick forward, maintain rotor rpm till just above the ground. 	




 Not at all.  Kolbs glide pretty well, though they're certainly not sailplanes.  What you lose in glide ratio you get back in the ability to use a small field.   A BRS is for structural failure, NOT for an engine failure!



 In the event of an engine failure, you need to get the nose down NOW to maintain flying speed, because the plane is so light (and counteract the pitching tendency when that high mounted engine stops pushing), but then you're fine.



 Dual is good, in at least something similar.  It was some 15 years since I last flew my Taylorcraft (or any other plane), a few hours in a 2-place Quicksilver with a friend, and I felt ready to fly my Ultrastar.  Except for the landing speed and the need to flare at six inches, not six feet, a Kolb flies more like a T-Craft than a Quicksilver.



 Dana

 --

 Space isn't remote at all.  It's only an hours drive away if your car could go straight upwards.

    [quote][b]

rickofudall

Joined: 19 Sep 2009
Posts: 1392
Location: Udall, KS, USA

Posted: Tue Jun 25, 2013 7:18 am Post subject: Pre-Purchase Inspection, Firestar

P, I'm not sure why you have the impression a Kolb with the prop stopped "must be a handful". Other than a slight degradation of the glide by the prop (mine has a three blade Warp Drive) my Mk III was no different from landing it with the engine at idle. If you do this, though, "collective down, stick forward, maintain rotor rpm till just above the ground", you will definitely make problems for yourself.

 



Rick Girard

do not archive

 

On Mon, Jun 24, 2013 at 8:34 PM, Allonsye <gainsback(at)yahoo.com (gainsback(at)yahoo.com)> wrote:

  	  Quote: 	
		  --> Kolb-List message posted by: "Allonsye" <gainsback(at)yahoo.com (gainsback(at)yahoo.com)>

  

 Excellent feed back folks - I appreciate it. W&B yes, yes, yes. Some dual -absolutely. Which begs the question, deadstick, this must be a handful. I'm thinking that a ballistic parachute is an absolute necessity. My impression is that of a helicopter - collective down, stick forward, maintain rotor rpm till just above the ground.

  

 P.

 

 --------

 "A good traveller has no fixed plans and is not intent on arriving" Lao Tzu (570-490 BC)

 

 

 

 

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-- 

Zulu Delta

Mk IIIC

Thanks, Homer GBYM

It isn't necessary to have relatives in Kansas City in order to be unhappy.

   - Groucho Marx

 

  [quote][b]

_________________
The smallest miracle right in front of you is enough to make you happy....

pj.ladd(at)btinternet.com
Guest

Posted: Tue Jun 25, 2013 9:23 am Post subject: Pre-Purchase Inspection, Firestar

. I'm thinking that a ballistic parachute is an absolute  necessity>>

  

 No it isn`t. Its nice if a wing falls off but  unless you fly over some totally unlandable territory an ultralight has so  little inertia and flying speed is so low that you can usually find a usable  spot. if it is just an engine out just fly the plane to the ground.You are in  control. You are not once you have pulled the chute

  

 Cheers

  

 Pat.

   [quote][b]

rickofudall

Joined: 19 Sep 2009
Posts: 1392
Location: Udall, KS, USA

Posted: Tue Jun 25, 2013 10:14 am Post subject: Pre-Purchase Inspection, Firestar

And then there is the question of will you use it? You're in an emergency situation where things have gone to junk as a result of your action or inaction and now according to the BRS theory you will do something you have never practiced, cannot preflight for, and do not know the outcome of should you do it. Case in point. The airplane from hell was recently sold to a fellow who has a small runway on his property. According to what we know, the engine failed on take off and the new owner flew it into a line of trees at about 30 feet off the ground. He may be out of the hospital now, we don't know. The point is that he had the BRS handle right by his left knee and did nothing with it, even though such a scenario is within the BRS safety zone, according to BRS anyway.

 



Rick Girard

do not archive



On Tue, Jun 25, 2013 at 11:52 AM, Pat Ladd <pj.ladd(at)btinternet.com (pj.ladd(at)btinternet.com)> wrote:

  	  Quote: 	
		         . I'm thinking that a ballistic parachute is an absolute  necessity>>

  

 No it isn`t. Its nice if a wing falls off but  unless you fly over some totally unlandable territory an ultralight has so  little inertia and flying speed is so low that you can usually find a usable  spot. if it is just an engine out just fly the plane to the ground.You are in  control. You are not once you have pulled the chute

  

 Cheers

  

 Pat.

    	  Quote: 	
		  



get="_blank">http://www.matronics.com/Navigator?Kolb-List

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-- 

Zulu Delta

Mk IIIC

Thanks, Homer GBYM

It isn't necessary to have relatives in Kansas City in order to be unhappy.

   - Groucho Marx

 

  [quote][b]

_________________
The smallest miracle right in front of you is enough to make you happy....

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