Homer Kolb, the designer, has created, built and flown what he refers to as 'lighter-than-man' aircraft since the mid-60s, before ultralights were fashionable or even known. It was Homer Kolb's hobby and also what he enjoyed doing most - building the minimum airplane.
The Kolb Flyer is a full three-Axis control ultralight. It has an aluminium and chrom-moly steel construction. The wings are covered with Dacron which is cemented on, ironed tight and given one or two coats of sealer. It has no ground steering and no brakes. The engines are mounted below wing driving pusher propellers.
The Kolb Flyer was named after the Wright Brothers' aircraft. The prototype was built and flown in 1970. It was released for sale to the general public in 1980.
In all, Mr. Kolb designed and built nine airplanes that weighed less than 77 kg (170 lbs).
This aircraft is currently not on display at the Museum.
Specifications
Wingspan: 9.5 m (29'')
Wing Area: 15 m (160 sq/ft)
Length: 6.6 m (20')
Height: 1.29 m (4' 3")
Weight: 57 kg (125 lbs) with strut-braced wings
Engines: Two solo 209 Direct Drives (4,800 rpm)
Cruise Speed: 64 km/h (40 mph)
Max. Speed: 85 km/h (50 mph)
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Tales from the sky
It is hard to say exactly when ultralights started. Some think that it started when power units added to hang gliders started to become popular around 1978. Others will point to a half a dozen or so of very light- and low-power airplanes such as Hovey's Wing Ding in 1971 or the Kolb Flyer in the '74 time frame.
Indeed there are a couple of models in the twenties powered by Harley Davidson motorcycle and other similar engines that would qualify today as ultralights and probably be pretty good flyers.
