I acquired the Kolbra in November of 2013 from one of the original owners who is a good friend of mine. It had not been flying much and a few minor details needed attention. I had previously owned a Kolb Firestar and thus was already familiar with the quality & flight characteristics of Kolbs so this was a good fit for me. Though I currently own & fly a Zenith 750 I built, I was looking for another project to work on and fly. The reason I am selling the Kolbra is I've had my fun working on it, I own 2 planes, and one needs to go. My heart is in my Zenith since I built it myself, so the Kolbra is available. I like to keep a project going and have a plane to fly as well.
At the time I purchased it the Kolbra flew with a heavy right wing, radio was INOP, right landing gear leg was slightly bent, had no upholstery, and needed a little TLC. I flew the plane home to Houston TX from Laurel MS on the day I bought it and began work.
All of the above issues have been corrected along with a list of other minor items. The Kolbra flies beautifully and is a hands off flyer in calm air. It cruises at over 90 mph and stalls clean at 44 mph, with flaps around 42. Gross weight is rated at 1100 lbs and empty weight is just under 600. It will get off the ground at around 300 ft and can land about the same. Climb rate is 900 - 1100 fpm solo. At this time I have never had a passenger up with me so I don't know what the dual numbers would be, but I do know the performance will be substantially less than the above.
Here are a few more photos of the Kolbra:
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| Very nice Polytone paint job. All steel parts painted with 2 part epoxy. No rust on plane. |
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| Rotax 912UL with 170 total hrs & climbing. TBO is 2000 hrs. |
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| 13.5 gal AL fuel tank with sump drain. |
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| At 6'1" & 225 lbs I have no problem with access. Don't think it would work for 6'4" or taller folks. |
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| I installed 1" Tempur-Foam seats in Digital Camo. |
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| Tailwheel strut bracing I added which is needed on all Kolbs. |
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| Well laid out instrument panel. Nose cone is removable for access to avionics. |
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| I installed these new 1/8" SS tail wires with turnbuckles. |
This Kolbra will make someone an excellent exploring machine. Along with all the positives, it also has a few negatives that still need attention in my opinion. Here is a list of them:
1) Becker radio still has some static in it. I'm working on that. It's not so bad you cannot communicate but it isn't what it should be.
2) Fuel tank access could use some modification. Currently I use a 2' long, 1 1/2" dia. section of hose to access the tank which I keep in the plane. An external gas cap could be run to the tank fairly easily.
3) Kuntzleman Strobes are INOP. I don't fly at night or in the fog anyway. Could be as simple as a burned out bulb.
4) The Becker radio has an internal intercom system & I have not been able to get it to work correctly. A seperate dedicated intercom system would solve the problem. I fly solo 99% of the time so it does not bother me.
5) Plane is overdue for an annual condition inspection. I will include that with purchase.
6) The Garmin GPS III installed in the Kolbra is far from ideal. I would suggest installing either a Garmin 196/296/496 style or a GPS of your choice. This one is hard to read and limited in capabilities.
In summary, This is a very nice Kolbra for sale at a reasonable & fair price. The engine/prop/& exhaust alone if purchased today would cost over $21K. Someone who knows the quality of Kolbs and the value of this plane & engine combination will be the one who eventually buys it. Please, no low-ball offers. Thanks for considering and looking.
Jimmy Young
