Kolb Aircraft Company is an American aircraft manufacturer that produces kitplanes for amateur construction.Cliche, Andre: Ultralight Aircraft Shopper's Guide 8th Edition, page E-20, 21. Cybair Limited Publishing, 2001. Downey, Julia: 1999 Kit Aircraft Directory, Kitplanes, Volume 15, Number 12, December 1998, page 53. Primedia Publications. ISSN 0891-1851Downey, Julia: 2001 Kit Aircraft Directory, Kitplanes, Volume 17, Number 12, December 2000, page 58. KitPlanes Acquisition Company. ISSN 0891-1851Downey, Julia: 2002 Kit Aircraft Directory, Kitplanes, Volume 18, Number 12, December 2001, page 50. KitPlanes Acquisition Company. ISSN 0891-1851Newby-Gonzalez, Tori: Kit Aircraft Directory 2004, Kitplanes, Volume 20, Number 12, December 2003, page 70. Aviation Publishing Group. ISSN 0891-1851
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.
In 1999 the company was sold to a group of investors, moved to London, Kentucky and renamed The New Kolb Aircraft Company. The new company introduced a powered parachute model for a short time, the Kolb Flyer Powered Parachute.Bertrand, Noel; Rene Coulon; et al: World Directory of Leisure Aviation 2003-04, page 83. Pagefast Ltd, Lancaster UK, 2003. ISSN 1368-485X
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.Tacke, Willi; Marino Boric; et al: World Directory of Light Aviation 2015-16, page 84. Flying Pages Europe SARL, 2015.
In March 2012 the company was sold to Bryan Melborn and renamed Kolb Aircraft Company, LLC.
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 2003over 700 Two seat light sport aircraft Kolb Flyer Super Sport 2006 Two seat light sport aircraft
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