If you have had little to no flight instruction, I strongly urge you get flight instruction before attempting your first flight in the FireFly. You need to understand the basic rudimentary physical principles of flight, so that you will be able to analyze what is going on and so that you can react appropriately to the normal unexpected things that happen during any flight. During slow flight, you need to understand, experience, and practice how to recover from stalls and spins. In addition, during landings you must be able to initiate forward slips and side slips to enable you to lose altitude, and to handle cross winds. When all of these skills have been developed to the point that they are almost automatic, you will have little trouble transitioning to the FireFly.

The following observations come from several years experience getting the FireFly and myself ready to fly. Hopefully, these comments will be helpful but I am sure they are not all encompassing. Ground Handling The plans I received did not address landing wheel camber. To get my legs up to speed, I would go out on the main runway in the late afternoon or early evening and taxi. I noticed that in the three wheel stance taxi that slight cross winds would cause the FireFly to dart from side to side. I loaded up the seat with 200 pounds of sand in bags, rolled the plane forward and backwards to settle the gear, and checked the main wheel camber. I bent the axles until the wheels tipped out at the top just a little, but parallel to each other and the fuselage tube. No more running around in cross winds in the three wheel stance. This was followed by faster and faster taxis until I could not keep up with the plane with my feet. I would quit for the day and come back and do the whole process again until I could keep the FireFly straight with the tail up and in gusty cross winds. It is very important that your feet do the correct thing with out having to think about it. If you have to think about what to do with the rudder, the FireFly is way a head of you. The First Flight If you have never flown in the up front position, get some time in the front seat of a sailplane or some other light plane that is a pusher. One needs to experience the lack of horizontal reference frame that the tractor engine cowl provides in a climb and descent. Also, if you have not flown for a while it is good to be checked out by some one else to see if you are ready for a first flight. If you do not feel up to it, don't do it. There is always another day. I bought 2.5 hours in a two place Challenger, with many simulated emergencies. My first flight was late on a no wind day with one observer, my wife. With all the fast taxiing, I had no trouble keeping an eye on the air speed indicator. The take off was made with the stick centered and back against the stop. The throttle was slowly advanced so that P-factor comes on slowly and rudder forces remain sensitive. As the main gear lifts off, the stick was relaxed so the FireFly popped up into ground effect. The throttle continued to be slowly advanced until maximum engine rpm was reached. When the airspeed indicator reached fifty-five mph the climb out was started and 55 mphi is maintained. One must concentrate on level wings and 55 mphi. I climbed in a straight path until I reached 1000 agl, and I reduced the throttle setting to cruise and felt out the FireFly response to the controls. The ailerons were the original fifteen inch chord ailerons, and I was surprised as to how much force was required to deflect them. This was followed by slow flight, and I found the FireFly stalled at 28 mphi. Then to become familiar with the FireFly on final for landing, I practiced some power off 55 mphi descents starting at 1000 agl. This is very important, because the first time you do it one feels like you are standing on your feet as the ground comes rushing up to meet you. Then I made a long final to give me plenty of time to get lined up with the runway. With the field made, the throttle was closed and the stick moved forward to maintain 55 mphi. When I could not stand it any more, I rotated a little too high and nursed it on down to a decent landing. My Standard Take-Off I always take off with the stick centered and full back. This approach has several advantages. In cross winds it keeps the FireFly stuck to the runway until lift-off and it makes it easier to keep the FireFly straight down the runway. It lets you get off soft tall grass fields with out a nose over, and it can get you off the ground as quickly as possible. A nose over experience on a soft tall grass runway and water in tall grass experience brought about always using the stick back against the stop. The throttle is teased forward until the FireFly is bouncing. Throttle teasing reduces the effect of P-factor and helps you to keep up with rudder. Each time the FireFly bounces the throttle is jigged open a little more lengthening the next bounce until the FireFly flies off into ground effect. During the bouncing phase and if the tail comes up on its own when taking off from grass, you are on your way to a nose over. Jig the throttle back to get the tail to come back down or abort and try again. If there is a cross wind, one lowers the up wind wing and adds rudder to keep the FireFly straight with the runway. As the FireFly rises up in ground effect, back stick pressure is released and the throttle is advanced more aggressively. When the indicated airspeed reaches 55 mph and the FireFly continues to accelerate, the stick is slowly pulled back to maintain 55 mphi. If at any time during the climb out the engine rpm droops or you think it is drooping, push the stick forward to maintain or increase indicated air speed. My Standard Landing The FBO asked me to fly an in close and at 700 feet agl pattern. I like this because with the overhead wing, I have a better chance of seeing others in the pattern. I maintain 700 feet agl until I turn final so that if the engine quits, I can always make the field. The FireFly forward and side slips well. The forward slip can be used to increase descent rates easily to 500 fpm so that one can always make the desired landing touch down point. Also if there is a gusty cross wind, I have plenty of time to get lined up from 700 feet agl. The highest gusty cross wind I have experienced is 25 mph but I was close to running out of rudder. I make what I call a high energy approach and low energy landing. I maintain 55+ mphi on final. When the field is made, the throttle is closed and the stick moved forward to 60 mphi. When one reaches the almost point of impact, rotation is made into ground effect. At this stage one has about three seconds to get the FireFly on down close to the ground before it quits flying. After the FireFly is close to the ground keep holding it off. The tail wheel may hit first, but when the FireFly quits flying it is not going to bounce. Due to the fact that one is maintaining 60 mphi during the descent to the runway, all controls are very responsive so that gross control movements are not required. The most vulnerable time is the three seconds of deceleration before the FireFly touches down. One must stay a head of the rudder and keep the FireFly straight upon touch down. Rotating at 50 mphi requires much more skill because the FireFly will mush right on down due to the high drag. Some advocate a high energy landing by keeping some throttle on as the rotation takes place. I have tried this, and all I did was bounce. Instead of making one landing, I had to make two or three. In a gusty cross wind this puts you at a disadvantage. It took me some time master the procedure described above, and I dropped the FireFly the last foot many times, and then one day I didn't and now it is very rare to drop in the last foot. If the above landing procedure is consistently used, it automatically prepares one for the dreaded engine out landing. Remember, if you make a steep high speed approach and the engine quits, you can still make the field and flare properly. The only difference is that at touch down things are a little quieter than normal. Check the air speed indicator and keep the airspeed up. Some Other Thoughts The FireFly is very dragy, so if anything happens that is out of the ordinary, always and immediately push the stick forward a little until you can figure out what is going on. Always watch and believe your air speed indicator on climb outs and this is especially so if you like to fly close to the ground (less than 700 agl). Many have lost their life because the ground speed looked very fast and the air speed was at or below stall speed. Do not make short, low, or slow final approaches as altitude and air speed are your friends. Give your self time to get the FireFly lined up. In cross winds I set up a side slip, and once lined up, my brain, hands, and feet take care of the cross wind, and I can concentrate on the descent, air speed and touch down. When I made short final approaches, I discovered I am not a good multi tasker, and I was too busy still trying to get lined up over the runway as I was about to touch down. Do not believe those who say that ultra light vehicles are easier to fly, they are different. The FireFly will do all the things that a GA plane will do but at slower airspeeds. But because of low mass of inertia, control reaction times to adverse conditions must be much quicker or the FireFly will get a head of you. I do not believe crow hopping is beneficial in adapting to a FireFly. The wing angle of attack is too low in the three point stance, and so the FireFly will have a tendency to pop or rare up. For those who are not expecting this, it can be quite discomforting. If you insist on crow hopping, do it on a no wind day using a long runway. I believe it is much safer to use the take-off method described above but by using just enough throttle to fly the FireFly off into ground effect and on down the runway. Teasing it off gives you time to get the stick forward as it slowly pops up. By easing the throttle and stick back one can practice landing while in ground effect. Once a person is comfortable while flying in ground effect, the throttle can be advanced and climb out initiated. Be careful so you and others can fly another day.

Up Date - August 3, 2003 - Flaperons After 90+ hours on the FireFly, I investigated flaperon usage. With the FireFly at 2,000 feet agl I put on one notch of flaperon, closed the throttle, and moved the stick until the ias was 50 mph. One has to move the stick back quite a bit past its normal cruise position. I simulated a landing flare, and there was no problem although not much back stick remained. I returned the FireFly to 2,000 feet to repeat the process for two notches of flaperon. With the engine at an idle and the ias at 50 mph, the stick was back against the stop. One could not flare the FireFly from this condition. If you advance the throttle to recover, the FireFly may tumble because the high thrust line will push the nose down further. To recover one must reduce flaperon angle and then advance the throttle. With the flaperon handle on the right and if one uses their right hand on the stick, it is cumbersome to switch hands on the stick and to reach the flaperon handle. My FireFly is one of the early ones. Originally, I built it with 15 inch chord ailerons/flaperons. To improve roll response, I reduced the aileron/flaperon chord to nine inches. The current Kolb design calls for 11 inch chord aileron/flaperon. If I ran out of back stick at two notches of flaperon, it would seem that 11 and 15 inch chord flaperons would be even more sensitive. So a word of caution, before attempting to use FireFly flaperons during landing approaches please check them out at altitude in simulated approaches.

Up Date - August 29, 2004 - Flaperons I have modified the flaperon activation lever so that it can be easily reached while wearing a five point belt. Earlier the de dent system was modified to allow a continuous range of flap setting. I have investigated using a little flaperon to enable the FireFly to leave the ground in the three point stance with out "popping up" and to make stall ground effect three point landings without the tail wheel touching the ground first. What I have found is that the FireFly will lift off and land in the three point stance with four to five degrees of flaperon with out any noticeable loss of aileron effectiveness or ability to rotate, and with a slight decrease in airspeed.

Up Date - February 3, 2004 - Legs, Feet, and Rudder Pedals - Yaw Phase Lag Just a thought that may be helpful. I have noticed that if I do not get to fly all that much, my legs and feet are the first to go. My response to yaw deviation becomes much too slow (yaw phase lag). At first this was not much of a problem because I flew only on zero to low wind days. But as I became more used to the FireFly, I wanted to fly any time of the day. I had to learn to accommodate cross wind take-off and landings. Fortunately, the runway was 100 feet wide, so I could be a little slow on the rudder and still keep it on or over the runway. After one particularly wild takeoff and in frustration, I danced on the rudder pedals by alternating each foot. A remarkable thing happened. I handled a gusty cross wind with no problems. So for months, I danced on the pedals before take-off and starting final. I had few problems with yaw phase lag. All take-off and landings were moved to a 25 foot wide taxiway. Slowly I got away from dancing on the rudder pedals because it did not seem to be required. But then one day after I had not flown for a month, I started to an EAA Chapter meeting. The take off was in a gusty cross wind and I was all over the runway. Since that time, I continue to do my little dance.