Thu, Sep 15, 2022
ANN assistant news editor, Earl Downs, set out on a mission at EAA AirVenture 2016 to search out some honest-to-goodness real ultralights. His trek took him to the ultralight field on the south end of Wittman Regional Airport that is commonly referred to as, ‘the fun zone’.
Downs met up with Bryan Melborn, the owner and CEO of the Kolb Aircraft Company. Kolb aircraft was one of the early entries into the ultralight business in the 1980s and they are still going strong. In the video, you’ll be introduced to their FAR 103 legal “Firefly.”
You’ll see that this neat little aircraft not only meets the requirements to be legal to fly as an ultralight, it’s also well developed, well built, and offers some convenient features. Melborn points out that this airplane is now available with a 50 horsepower engine that is still light enough to meet the ultralight requirements. It even has the convenience of folding wings.
The video provides all the details, and remember, these aircraft can be operated without being licensed or registered, and they may also be flown by noncertified operators. The world of ultralights is all about the ultimate in recreational flying.
Aero-TV is a production of the Internationally syndicated Aero-News Network. Seen worldwide by hundreds of thousands of aviators and aviation adherents, Aero-TV has produced over 2000 aviation and feature programs, including several hundred episodes of our daily aviation news program, AIRBORNE, hosted by Bri Cross & Christopher C. Odom. Parent company, Aero-News Network, has the most aggressive and intensive editorial profile of any aviation news organization and has published nearly 200,000 news and feature stories since its inception -- having pioneered the online 24/7 aviation new-media model that so many have emulated.
©2016 Aero-News Network, Inc., ALL Rights Reserved
More News
“These new aircraft strengthen our ability to respond quickly, train effectively and support communities nationwide. Textron Aviation has been a steadfast supporter in helpin>[...]
From 2011 (YouTube Edition): Rugged, Legendary, STOL Twin Makes A Comeback The de Havilland Twin Otter is an airplane with a long history, and it gained a reputation as a workhorse>[...]
A Wind Gust Lifted The Right Wing And The Airplane Turned To The Left Analysis: The pilot was departing from a 2,395-ft-long by 50-ft-wide turf runway. The pilot reported that afte>[...]
Have A Story That NEEDS To Be Featured On Aero-News? Here’s How To Submit A Story To Our Team Some of the greatest new stories ANN has ever covered have been submitted by our>[...]
Braking Action Advisories When tower controllers receive runway braking action reports which include the terms “medium," “poor," or “nil," or whenever weather con>[...]
Aero-News: Quote of the Day (12.18.25)
See All