Kolb Ultrastar
{{Short description|American ultralight aircraft}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2022}}
{{Use American English|date=January 2022}}
| {{Infobox aircraft begin
| name=Kolb Ultrastar | image= | caption= }}{{Infobox aircraft type | type=Ultralight aircraft | national origin=United States | manufacturer=Kolb Aircraft | designer=Homer Kolb | first flight= | introduced=1982 | retired= | status=Production complete | primary user= | more users= | produced= | number built= | program cost= | unit cost= | developed from= Kolb Flyer | variants with their own articles= }} |
The Kolb Ultrastar is an American single seat, high wing, strut-braced, single engine, pusher configuration, conventional landing gear-equipped ultralight aircraft that was produced in kit form by Kolb Aircraft of Phoenixville, Pennsylvania and intended for amateur construction.Cliche, Andre: Ultralight Aircraft Shopper's Guide 8th Edition, page E-21. Cybair Limited Publishing, 2001. {{ISBN|0-9680628-1-4}}
The Ultrastar was the second design produced by Kolb Aircraft, was a redesigned and improved Kolb Flyer and succeeded the Flyer in production.
Design and development
The Ultrastar features a completely open cockpit with the pilot exposed to the slipstream. Unusually for this period in aircraft history when most ultralights had two-axis control, the Ultrastar has standard three-axis controls, including full span ailerons.
When the original Flyer was designed there were no suitable lightweight engines available, so the Flyer first fitted two Chrysler powerplants and later two {{convert|11.5|hp|kW|0|abbr=on}} Solo 209 engines. With the advent of better engines the Ultrastar moved to a single Cuyuna 430 engine producing {{convert|35|hp|kW|0|abbr=on}}.
The design features a forward fuselage of welded 4130 steel tubing, mated to an aluminum tailboom. The horizontal stabilizer, tail fin and wings are also constructed of riveted aluminum tubing with all flying surfaces covered in doped aircraft fabric. The Ultrastar introduced the trademark folding wings and tail that became a feature of future Kolb designs.
Like the Flyer, the Ultrastar's conventional landing gear consists of sprung steel tubing for the main gear but replaced the Flyer's sprung tail skid with a steerable sprung tail wheel instead.
Variants
Specifications (Ultrastar)
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|fuel capacity={{convert|5|u.s.gal}}
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See also
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References
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External links
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20110707215642/http://www.bdaeroworks.com/img576.jpg Photo of Kolb Ultrastar]
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20160304082921/http://www.frugalbee.com/Kolb_Ultrastar/taxi4874.JPG Photo of Kolb Ultrastar]
{{Kolb Aircraft}}
Category:1980s United States ultralight aircraft