Kolb Aircraft FireStar II
These figures describe a typical build. Each aircraft of this design was built by its owner, and the one you are looking at may differ.
The Kolb FireStar II is the two-seat version of Kolb's single-seat FireStar, a folding-wing pusher ultralight-type aircraft with a welded steel cage, an aluminium boom and fabric covering, powered by a 40 hp Rotax 447 or 50 hp 503 (64 hp 582 on the Tandem trainer); the FireStar II SS of 2012 seats two side by side.
A FireStar II is open-air, 50-knot two-stroke flying with wings that fold for a trailer, and nothing beyond its engine options could be sourced in this research, so the aircraft's own weight-and-balance and documentation are the only figures; the two-seat FireStars are light enough that two adults and fuel may be at or over gross, and the two-stroke needs an owner who understands its care and short overhaul life. Many were flown under the old two-seat ultralight-trainer exemption and converted to E-LSA, others are amateur-built, so the airworthiness certificate decides the maintenance rules, and a 'no papers' example is a project whatever its hours. Tubing, fabric and the pusher mount are the inspection. Kolb Aircraft remains in business in Kentucky and supplies parts.
Variants of the Kolb FireStar
- FireStar II · 40 active · this page
Also consider
TAILFAX SCORE
Partial: 8.5 out of 30 (safety not scored, too few records)
Among 1–2 seat pistons (321 models)
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Put Kolb Aircraft FireStar II side by side with up to three other models.
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What it is
| Seats | 2 |
|---|---|
| Landing gear | tailwheel |
| Engines | — |
| Engine | Rotax 503 (50 hp) or Rotax 447 (40 hp); Rotax 582 on the Tandem |
| Horsepower | 50 hp |
| Fuel | — |
| Certification basis | amateur-built |
| Production start | — |
| Production end | — |
| Endorsements required | — |
Performance
| Cruise speed | — |
|---|---|
| Range | — |
| Service ceiling | — |
| Climb rate | — |
| Stall speed (Vso) | — |
| Takeoff over 50 ft | — |
| Landing over 50 ft | — |
Load and fuel
| Seats | 2 |
|---|---|
| Useful load | — |
| Full-fuel payload | — |
| Max takeoff weight | — |
| Empty weight | — |
| Usable fuel | — |
| Fuel burn at cruise | — |
Cost of ownership
| Price, low | — |
|---|---|
| Price, high | — |
| Prices as of | — |
| Engine TBO | — |
| Overhaul cost, low | — |
| Overhaul cost, high | — |
The fleet and its record
| Registered, all time | 90 |
|---|---|
| Active fleet | 40 |
| Median year built | 2004 |
| NTSB events, last 10 years | 3 |
| Fatal events, last 10 years | 1 |
| Events per 1,000 active, last 10 years | 75 · thin base (low)1 |
| Personal-flying events per 1,000 active | 75 · thin base (low)2 |
| Ownership transfers, last 24 months | 4 |
| Transfers per 100 active | 10 · thin base (low)3 |
| Airworthiness directives | 0 |
| Directives, last 5 years | 0 |
| Rate confidence | low |
- Events per 1,000 active, last 10 years: per 1,000 active aircraft · base 40 active.
- Personal-flying events per 1,000 active: per 1,000 active aircraft · base 40 active.
- Transfers per 100 active: per 100 active aircraft · base 40 active.
Peer scores6
| Peer class | Fixed wing single-engine, piston, 1 engine, 1-2 seats |
|---|---|
| Accident record | —1 |
| Severity | —2 |
| Access | 4.5 of 103 |
| Support | 3.1 of 104 |
| Liquidity | 0.9 of 105 |
| Overall (sum of the categories shown) | Partial: 8.5 out of 30 (safety not scored, too few records)6 |
- Accident record: class median 36.69 · 321 models in class.
- Severity: class median 13.04.
- Access: class median 1,000.
- Support: class median 77.5.
- Liquidity: class median 20.
- Each of the five categories places the model within its peer class, from 0 (the worst of the class) to 10 (the best): a position among comparable models, not a grade. The overall score is the sum of the categories shown that are scored, out of 10 for each (50 when all five are); it is given only when at least 4 of the five are scored, and it can be set against another model's only when both are in the same peer class and scored on the same categories. When accident record and severity cannot be scored because the model has too few records, the other three give a partial score out of 30, labelled as such; it is never set against a full score.
Data as of: FAA registry Sep 28 · NTSB Oct 2 · ADs Oct 7 · scores Sep 30