Kolb Aircraft Company
American aircraft manufacturer
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Kolb Aircraft Company is an American aircraft manufacturer that produces kitplanes for amateur construction.[1][2][3][4][5][6][7]
| Company type | Private company |
|---|---|
| Industry | Aerospace |
| Founded | 1980 |
| Founder | Homer Kolb |
| Headquarters | , |
Key people | CEO, Charles May |
| Products | Kit aircraft |
| Website | kolbaircraft |
History
Homer Kolb first flew his initial commercial design, the Kolb Flyer, in 1970. The aircraft was ahead of its time and so Kolb waited until the ultralight aircraft boom of 1980 to incorporate his company, The Kolb Aircraft Company. Initially located in Phoenixville, Pennsylvania the company marketed a wide range of kit aircraft and achieved considerable commercial success, delivering over 3000 aircraft.[1][2][7]
In 1999 the company was sold to a group of investors, moved to London, Kentucky and renamed The New Kolb Aircraft Company.[1][3][7] The new company introduced a powered parachute model for a short time, the Kolb Flyer Powered Parachute.[8]
In 2003 New Kolb Aircraft introduced the Canadian-designed Ultravia Pelican Sport 600 into the US market in partnership with Ultravia Aero from Canada and Brazil's Flyer Indústria Aeronáutica. When Ultravia went out of business in 2006 Kolb purchased Ultravia's assets, including the Pelican design. The company then improved and developed the Pelican into the Kolb Flyer Super Sport.[7][9]
In March 2012 the company was sold to Bryan Melborn and renamed Kolb Aircraft Company, LLC.[10]
Aircraft
| Model name | First flight | Number built | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flyer | 1970 | Single seat ultralight aircraft | |
| Ultrastar | 1982 | Single seat ultralight aircraft | |
| Firefly | Single seat ultralight aircraft | ||
| Firestar | Single seat ultralight aircraft | ||
| Mark III | Two seat ultralight aircraft | ||
| Mark III Xtra | Two seat ultralight aircraft | ||
| Slingshot | Two seat ultralight aircraft | ||
| Kolbra | 2000 | Two seat ultralight aircraft | |
| King Kolbra | 2000 | Two seat ultralight aircraft | |
| Flyer Powered Parachute | 2001 | Single seat powered parachute | |
| Kolb Pelican | 2003 | over 700 | Two seat light sport aircraft |
| Kolb Flyer Super Sport | 2006 | Two seat light sport aircraft | |
