MC-30 Luciole | |
---|---|
MC-30 Luciole amateur built in England in 2012 | |
Role | Homebuilt recreational aircraft |
Designer | Michel Colomban |
First flight | 9 March 2007 [1] |
Status | Plans available (2015) |
The Colomban MC-30 Luciole (English: Firefly ) is an ultra-lightweight plans-built single-seat low-wing tail-dragger monoplane, designed by the French aeronautical engineer Michel Colomban, creator of the tiny single-seat Colomban Cri-cri twin-engined aircraft and the MC-100 Ban-Bi two-seat aircraft. [2] [3] [4]
The aircraft is supplied as plans for amateur construction. [5]
The Luciole is extremely light, weighing 97 kg (214 lb) empty. It has mixed construction of wood, plywood, metal, foam and glass reinforced plastic. The cantilever wings have foam ribs with a 1 mm plywood skin, sheathed in a thin layer of resin-bonded glass tissue. The Luciole is fitted with a V-Twin Briggs & Stratton four-stroke petrol engine directly driving a 2-bladed Arplast EcoProp 1.16 m (3.8 ft) diameter ground-adjustable propeller. [6] The aircraft is very economical, consuming only 4.5 litres/hour at 150 km/h (93 mph). [3] [4]
Although about seven Lucioles have been built in France, only one [7] has been completed in the UK (and half a dozen are under construction [3] ), at least one is flying in Germany. [8] The UK aircraft was built under the auspices of the LAA, and to date has logged some 100 hours, flying under a test permit. The Luciole is awaiting full approval from the LAA.
LAA approval was required as the Luciole's wing loading of 43.5 kg/m2 was too high to benefit from original UK SSDR microlight sub-category. SSDRs (Single Seat De-Regulated) aircraft had to weigh less than 115 kg (254 lb) without fuel and pilot, and the wing loading could not be more than 10 kg/m2 [9]
However, the UK CAA changed the rules in May 2014, and the new SSDR rules state that the aircraft must be single seat, and must have an MTOW of 300 kg, i.e. it must weigh no more than 300 kg at takeoff, including pilot and fuel. Also, the stall speed must be 35 knots or less. There are no other design restrictions.
In a flight test report, Francis Donaldson, the LAA's Chief Engineer, declared that although some design compromises were "clearly not ideal", overall he felt "very impressed with Michel Colomban's new creation", saying the aircraft "performed as claimed, was practical and fun". Donaldson's major criticism was that the elevator's GRP spring (to provide self-centering and to impart "feel") was in the cockpit and not in the tail, so that if the elevator control linkage failed, the aircraft could suffer catastrophic lack of pitch-control as "the Luciole would most likely be totally unflyable". However, Colomban has disclosed plans to "modify the system to relocate the tailplane's self-centering trim spring in the rear fuselage, attaching directly to the tailplane .... so a failure of the (linkage) would no longer be disastrous". [3]
Data from Light Aviation [3]
General characteristics
Performance
The Colomban Cri-Cri, also spelled Cricri, is the smallest twin-engined crewed aircraft in the world, designed in the early 1970s by French aeronautical engineer Michel Colomban.
The Milholland Legal Eagle is an American high wing, strut-braced, single engine, tractor configuration, conventional landing gear-equipped ultralight aircraft that is available as plans from Better Half VW of Brookshire, Texas, and is intended for amateur construction.
The Dyn'Aéro MCR01 is a two-seat, low-wing, all-composite carbon fibre light aircraft that was originally manufactured by Dyn'Aéro and is now available in kit form and ready-to-fly through SE Aviation.
The Alpaero Exel is a French single seat, single engine pusher pod-and-boom kit-built ultralight motor glider. About 10 had been produced by 2005.
The Aviasud Sirocco is a single-seat ultralight available in kit or fully assembled form and originally produced by Aviasud Engineering in 1983. It is of pod-and-boom design with tricycle undercarriage and pusher configuration. The fuselage is of composite construction. In 1984, one was flown by Patrice Franceschi in a circumnavigation of the earth.
The Murphy Elite is a Canadian light aircraft that was designed and is produced by Murphy Aircraft of Chilliwack, British Columbia. The aircraft is supplied as a kit for amateur construction.
The Silence Twister is a German ultralight designed by Silence Aircraft for amateur construction, either from plans or kits. The prototype first flew on 30 September 2000.
The Arplast Micro'B is a French ultralight aircraft that was designed and produced by propeller manufacturer Arplast Helice. It was supplied as a kit for amateur construction or as a complete ready-to-fly-aircraft.
The Colyaer Gannet S100 is a Spanish ultralight flying boat, designed and produced by Colyaer of Portonovo.
The Escapade Kid is a single-engine, single-seat, high-wing monoplane, developed and built in the United Kingdom in the 2000s.
The Eurofly Flash Light is an Italian ultralight aircraft, designed and produced by Eurofly Srl, of Galliera Veneta. The aircraft is supplied as a kit for amateur construction or as a complete ready-to-fly-aircraft.
The Guerpont Autoplum is a French ultralight aircraft that was designed by Maurice Guerpont. Plans are supplied by one of the first builders of the type, Roland Mangeard of Pulnoy. The aircraft is supplied as plans only for amateur construction.
The Protoplane Ultra is a French ultralight aircraft, designed and produced by Protoplane of Bagnères-de-Bigorre. The aircraft is supplied as a complete ready-to-fly aircraft.
The Vervoost FV-3 Delphin is a German ultralight aircraft, designed and produced by Vervoost Leichtflugzeuge of Sinzig. It was first flown on 19 November 2009 and introduced at the AERO Friedrichshafen show in 2010. The aircraft is supplied as a complete ready-to-fly-aircraft.
The Weller ULI NG, sometimes called the Weller Uli NG, is a German ultralight aircraft, designed and produced by Weller Flugzeugbau of Bibersfeld. It was introduced at the Aero show held in Friedrichshafen in 2010. The aircraft is supplied as a complete ready-to-fly-aircraft.
The Colomban MC-100 Ban-Bi is a French amateur-built aircraft that was designed by Michel Colomban. The aircraft is supplied as plans for amateur construction with some parts and sub assemblies available.
The Spacek SD-1 Minisport is a Czech amateur-built aircraft, designed by Igor Špaček and produced by Spacek of Hodonín. The aircraft was also produced for a short time in the United States by SkyCraft Airplanes of Orem, Utah as a light-sport aircraft, but they had gone out of businesses by 2017. The aircraft is supplied in the form of plans, as a kit for amateur construction, or as a ready-to-fly aircraft.
The Rolandas Kalinauskas RK-5 Ruth, also called the Viltis, is a Lithuanian light aircraft, designed and produced by Rolandas Kalinauskas, of Prienai. The aircraft is supplied as a complete ready-to-fly-aircraft.
The PowerTrike Light is a German ultralight trike and powered parachute, designed and produced by PowerTrike of Mackenbach. The aircraft is supplied as a complete ready-to-fly-aircraft.
The Explorair Relax MV is a German powered parachute that was designed by Mathias Mauch and produced by Explorair of Ebringen, Breisgau-Hochschwarzwald in Baden-Württemberg. Now out of production, when it was available the aircraft was supplied as a complete ready-to-fly-aircraft.