KOLB ULTRASTAR AEROBATICS

Kolb UltraStar aerobatic flying by Dennis Souder in 1983. This video shows a totally legal 103 legal ultralight doing loops, rolls, spins, hammerheads & whipstalls. The UltraStar was standard built-to-plans aircraft weighing in at 246 lbs. Engine was the standard Cuyuna ULII-02 35 HP. Culver propeller. This UltraStar, as all UltraStars, had a 5 rib wing. No parachute was used in this video. All the maneuvers shown in this video were less than 4 g's. Later a Handbury parachute was added; with the parachute Dennis pushed the UltraStar much harder than shown in this video and the wing failed at approx. 6 G's. The drag strut failed and the wing folded back along side the fuselage. (A drag strut was then added to stabilize the center of the drag strut.) The parachute was deployed and Dennis and the UltraStar landed in a tree. A photo of the UltraStar in the tree can be seen at www.windsockstorage.com under the "airplane fun" tab. (This was an article from the local newspaper.) The aerobatics shown here were at a relatively low altitude because of the ground based video camera. When Dennis pushed the higher G's that failed the wing, the altitude was approximately 3,500 ft which provided sufficient time for parachute deployment. The UltraStar was the best handling UL Kolb made IMO; there were several reasons for this. The main masses (pilot & engine) were closer than the later FireStars reducing the moment of inertia which is the tendency to resist change of direction. There was no enclosure blocking the center part of the wing, so the entire wing area is available for lift. And the UltraStar was significantly lighter than the FS. For all these reasons the UltraStar was lighter on the controls and more responsive. While it was relatively easy to roll the UltraStar, Dennis could never coax the FireStars into rolling. Several spins are shown on the video; while the UltraStar will spin if provoked, it will not continue to spin unless pro-spin control is maintained. Just neutralizing the controls brings quick recovery. The roll looks like a slow roll - but actually it is a snap roll. To make the UltraStar roll, it takes simultaneous full back stick and full aileron deflection. No other control input could make it roll. One time Dennis did an engine out roll just before landing. He was coming in hot at a steep angle, lots of speed and It was done just above tree top level. Last minute inspiration - but really stupid - no desire to repeat. Dennis is the one flying the UltraStar in the Sun-N-Fun video with all the take-offs and one wheel landings, etc.

Видео KOLB ULTRASTAR AEROBATICS канала dennis souder