Kolb Firefly Mini Cross Country w/time lapse and Pilot Audio

Рет қаралды 27,874

11 жыл бұрын

After several hours stuck in Roosterville's pattern working through jetting changes and perfecting my landing technique, I set out on a mini cross country flight to Lexington MO 26 miles away. This was the first landing at an airport other than home base. I decided it was a good way to work on a much needed sun tan for my pasty legs :). There was quite a bit of thermal activity, and winds were gusting up to 13 mph on the return. That caused me to balloon and abort the first landing attempt. The ballooning is not apparent in the wide-angle perspective of the GoPro, but it is there. It would have been a good time to do a wheel landing, but I'm not there yet.
FYI. The reflections you see on the lexan really just show up on the GoPro due to the angle of the mount. I don't see them.

Пікірлер: 31

@SONEXSIMMONS 10 жыл бұрын

One of the nicest kolbs I have ever seen , 8 years paid off very well , and the trailer is top notch

@lennyround-n8xlq 9 жыл бұрын

Get some sun on those legs, lol. And I loved the Video too.

@ralphriffle1126 6 жыл бұрын

flying in a fish bowl, weeeeeee! thanks for the video. pay no attention to comments about your legs, there just jealous.

@b1pig 9 жыл бұрын

I got 30 hours under me before I had to stop flying. was working towards private in C-150's. I had a decent instructor. He was always insisting I follow "procedure" on approache. Target speed here for altitude there. Etc. I was taking off and landing fine for the most part, but there was always something, and he insisted I "follow procedure".... About the 8th hour, it was a hot day with a slight crosswind. on approach, there was a change in wind direction on the ground due to trees near the runway intersection. the plane ballooned... First response was to add full power for a go around... but it was a 150 with two aboard on a hot day and a bunch of fuel... so its not like anything was happening fast. I noted immediately, the baloon/sink was arrested by power with LOTS of runway left. I held the attitude and eased power back and made a VERY nice landing.... which resulted in much clapping by my instructor. who tossed the "proceedure" in the back of the cabin and said "now you got the idea. proceedure only gets you there, it doesnt land the plane for you." I wanted to sock him in the throat, as I was had been fighting my urge to make similar moves sooner... but the go around practice and subsequent slow speed maneuvering paid off. (every maneuver is slow in a 150. lol) that was a few years ago. hopefully, i will return to the sky in the future. till then, i live vicariously through others. :)

@silasdogwood8395 5 жыл бұрын

I had the same problem with my instructor. I learned all the procedures, but by the time I soloed I had never 'flown the plane.' It wasn't until I got an instructor that would go up with no plan that I learned to fly. He just sat there and said nothing while I flew. We would talk about flying, and he would give me pointers, but he never touched the controls and never worried when I waggled the tail just to see what would happen.

@genogeno1234 7 жыл бұрын

yes there is Geoff with his quicksilver, Chuck with his quicksilver 2, Mark with his Challengers, and me and my phantom and an m- squared two place. All Rotax guys. There is another guy with a tandem airbike, but I have never met him When I was getting my sport pilot certificate, we would fly into Roosterville quite a bit from Downtown Wheeler airport in the Sky Arrow. Lots of good memories of that airport...

@bp30656 11 жыл бұрын

Very nice!!!

@JohnSmith6875 10 жыл бұрын

Nice video. Good to see some of the countryside of the heartland of America. I like how you are careful and with good reason. Suggest camera mount with wide angle lense on wing spar looking in at you flying with partial view below. Suggest Ride of the Valkyries as the next music selection by Wagner. :-)

@JWolfe104 10 жыл бұрын

I agree with being careful. Latest video posted includes 1080 "superwide" view from the wing spar!

@genogeno1234 7 жыл бұрын

You should fly down to Clinton Missouri sometime. Roosterville is a cool airport on top of that ridge.

@JWolfe104 7 жыл бұрын

I would love to. I've got a ten gallon tank. It's well within my range. Any 2-stroke guys down there?

@Kolbra2004 10 жыл бұрын

Very nice. I've done a lot of X-country in my light Firestar and the thermals can really knock me around. I have a 912 Kolbra that I carry my wife in and sometimes it gets bumped pretty good in thermals. You will get used to it and fly in heavier winds. For x-wind landings, it's important to get that tail on the ground before losing flying speed. For x-wing takeoffs, keep the tail on the ground until it breaks ground, then forward. Type in flyguy8294 to see the Kolbra.

@keithcalvert8932 9 жыл бұрын

I watched your video of your flight to Lexington airport, I was born and raised and lived next to the airport for 25 years and always wanted to learn to fly, I have now been flying a star flight to see tandem style ultralight for about a year. I also really would like to get a Kolb fire fly and eventually a Mark three. My question to you is how did you make the transition to a Taildragger and learn to fly your firefly. Did you go somewhere and get instructions or just do everything yourself.

@JWolfe104 9 жыл бұрын

I transitioned the hard way. I got my tail wheel endorsement in a Citabria. I transitioned to the Kolb from that. I looked around and couldn't find anyone to get some UL taildragger time with. Light Sport regulation killed two seat ultralight training, as you may know. I spent a lot of time taxiing and fast taxiing up and down the runway in low winds. I eventually got pretty comfortable with that.

@Wingwalker77 3 жыл бұрын

I really like the look of your panel. Can you tell me what the instrument setup is that you have?

@JWolfe104 3 жыл бұрын

It’s all MGL stuff, except for a standard aviation card compass and the Becker transponder.

@sheryljanney6749 7 жыл бұрын

Nice flight. How difficult is it to get folded up and back on the trailer? Please make a video of that?

@JWolfe104 7 жыл бұрын

Sheryl Janney I'm fortunate to have a hanger now, so I don't have to fold it. When I did, it was 20 minutes if you took your time. With practice, I could do it in no more than 15.

@BunchyFishin 9 жыл бұрын

im thinking about getting one of these, do they still qualify for the drivers license to fly or do you need a lightsport?

@JWolfe104 9 жыл бұрын

I registered my Firefly because it is quite a bit over the ultralight weight limit and I carry more than the amount of fuel allowed for ultralights. Therefore, it requires a pilot license. If you have a Light Sport license, you can fly it with a "driver's license medical."

@silasdogwood8395 5 жыл бұрын

Enjoyed the video -- used the mute button to get through the last bit. Maybe a bit of rogaine for the legs...

@yxhankun 10 жыл бұрын

no big movement in the control stick!

@OzcarMike641 10 жыл бұрын

Flight of the bumble bee huh ? Well, it is yellow...

@TenorDad 4 жыл бұрын

I realize it's many years after you posted this video, so this comment is for future ultralight pilots. Your callsign should NOT be "Experimental 791" because other traffic will be looking for & expecting to see an aircraft moving faster than 55 knots (max airspeed per Part 103). Instead, your callsign should be more precise (i.e. "Ultralight 791" or "Firefly 791") so other pilots nearby will immediately know to look for a slower-moving aircraft. Can you imagine a Beechcraft Bonanza approaching the pattern at 150-175 kts? The wake turbulence alone would fold your wings in half (not to mention what a mid-air smack would do to you). Give other pilots an opportunity to see & avoid you. Play safe!

@samj1185 3 жыл бұрын

he isn't 103 legal and not technically an UL. He also has a registered plane w/ N number. What are those 'tweeners' to do?

@choppergirl 10 жыл бұрын

If you paint some of those surfaces flat black it would cut down on the reflections. My dad was an air traffic controller, and I never did understand or have an ear for com radio chatter between the tower and aircraft. Its all so much unintelligble garbled chatter to me.

@JWolfe104 10 жыл бұрын

A nice suntan on my legs would also cut down on the glare!

@derekcurtis3760 10 жыл бұрын

check us out.. 8MO3 were kolb friendly would love to see it.. we have actually been looking for one

@JWolfe104 10 жыл бұрын

Thanks for the invite. I'm still in my 40 hour phase I, so I can't leave my "box" yet. I should have my 40 hours flown off in the fall. I'll stop in then. I've heard the local guys talk about your field.