EN

Upgrade Wikipedia

Colomban MC-30 Luciole

Connected to:

Michel Colomban Firefly Colomban Cri-cri

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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]

Design and development

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]

Operational history
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]

Variants
Colomban MC-30 Luciole
Standard model powered by a Briggs & Stratton four-stroke engine.[4]
Luxembourg Special Aerotechnics MC30E Firefly
Electric aircraft development of the basic design, first flown on 1 August 2011. Powered by 26 hp (19 kW) electric
motor running from a 4.7-kWh Kokam battery. The aircraft weighs 113 kg (249 lb) empty and has a 55 minute
endurance on a charge. The aircraft has achieved a top speed of 220 km/h (137 mph).[10]

Specifications (MC-30)
Data from Light Aviation[3]

General characteristics
Crew: 1
Wingspan: 6.9 m (22 ft 8 in)
Wing area: 4.6 m2 (50 sq ft)
Aspect ratio: 10.35
Empty weight: 97 kg (214 lb)
Max takeoff weight: 200 kg (441 lb)
Powerplant: 1 × Briggs & Stratton V-Twin four-stroke piston engine, 19 kW (25 hp) Direct Drive
Propellers: 2-bladed Arplast EcoProp ground-adjustable 1.16 m diameter.

Performance
Maximum speed: 200 km/h (120 mph, 110 kn)
Cruise speed: 170 km/h (110 mph, 92 kn)
Range: 800 km (500 mi, 430 nmi)
Wing loading: 43.5 kg/m2 (9.0 lb/sq ft)

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Colomban MC-30 Luciole.

 1. ^ Afflard, Jean-Claude (2007). "Du Cri-Cri à la Luciole". Les Cahiers du RSA (in French) (257): 46–47. Retrieved 23 July
2016.
2. ^ Experimental Aircraft Association (2011). "Cri Cri". Archived from the original on 7 November 2011. Retrieved 7 September
2011.
3. ^ a b c d e LAA "Light Aviation" magazine May 2011
4. ^ a b c Bayerl, Robby; Martin Berkemeier; et al: World Directory of Leisure Aviation 2011-12, page 110. WDLA UK, Lancaster
UK, 2011. ISSN 1368-485X
5. ^ Tacke, Willi; Marino Boric; et al: World Directory of Light Aviation 2015-16, page 116. Flying Pages Europe SARL, 2015.
ISSN 1368-485X
6. ^ Arplace Helice closed in 2015
7. ^ GINFO Search Results
8. ^ Flugzeug MC-30 Luciole, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, retrieved 2016-08-07
9. ^ Light Aircraft Association Technical Leaflets Sep 2010
10. ^ Reynolds, Ric (August 2011). "Electric MC30E Firefly Flies With New Motor". Experimental Aircraft Association. Archived
from the original on 17 December 2011. Retrieved 6 September 2011.

Colomban aircraft
V

MC-10 Cri-Cri
MC-12 Cri-Cri
Fixed wing aircraft MC-15 Cri-cri
MC-30 Luciole
MC-100 Ban-Bi

Categories
Categories:

2000s French ultralight aircraft

Homebuilt aircraft
Electric aircraft

This page is based on a Wikipedia article written by contributors (read/edit).

Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
Enjoying Wikiwand?
Give good old Wikipedia a great new look:
Upgrade Wikipedia

Home
About Us
Press
Site Map
Terms Of Service
Privacy Policy

Colomban MC-30 Luciole

Introduction
Design and development
Operational history
Variants
Specifications (MC-30)
References
Listen to this article