Mark iii - 18 gal?

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Includes: Firefly, Firestar, Mark III C, Mark III X, Kolbra, Sport 600, Slingshot, Twinstar Mark II, and Ultrastar
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enewmen
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Joined: Fri Oct 16, 2020 2:20 am

Mark iii - 18 gal?

Post by enewmen »

Hi all.
I noticed there is no more 18-gal option for the Mark iii. Discontinued? On the Kolb website, there is also no more Mark iii Xtra. It's now called the Twinstar Mark III 2020 and a few more inches less width than the xtra.
I was looking for a kit that's an inexpensive 4-stroke (< $50k total), STOL, quickbuild ~300 hours, minimal side-by-side, and can fly out of a farm near 400 miles if needed. Maybe Kolb has that kind of plane or am I going down the wrong path?
There are many kits with a long range, but they take a lot longer to build and cost a lot more - mostly because of the engine and avionics.
Any ideas? I may need to rethink everything and build a larger E-AB plane.
I wanted to post here before calling Kolb.
Thanks!
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planecrazzzy
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Re: Mark iii - 18 gal?

Post by planecrazzzy »

My opinion is the "Marks" cost a pretty penny ...
I was surprised at the cost of the FSII
Over 20k when she first took flight . ( 2005 )

Plenty of LSA planes need rebuilding or gone through ...call it a kit
I would consider it a quick build kit.

That's my plan after my plans-built project .
searching for materials or parts is a chore ... like paperwork
(Mystical Madness - Miss Tickle Madness)
.
I do love my little FSII
I plan to keep it .
It's cheap to maintain and fun to fly.
(After, I was SO GLAD that chose the FS over the Mark .)
.
I know that I have the "building bug"...
What ELSE am I gonna do with all of these tools .
Builder / Flyer / Lucky to be here

Gotta Fly...
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Sometimes you just have to take the leap
and build your wings on the way down...
                Gotta Fly...
enewmen
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Posts: 2
Joined: Fri Oct 16, 2020 2:20 am

Re: Mark iii - 18 gal?

Post by enewmen »

Hi. Thanks for the post!
I got the whole Kolb idea because I love flying and I'll buy a farm later. I thought it will be great to fly out of my barn (safely,legally,etc) without needing to drive to an airport and rent a hangar. Lots of pride with a home-built aircraft.
I did think about the FS (tandom)- a lot. My concern is range and TBO. I also thoght about Rans S21, Kitfox, gyroplanes, Vans with large tires, etc, but those cost near 100k. The Quicksilver Sprint is like a kite with a motor, but I read the Kolb flies like a real airplane
With a10 gal tank, I can fly to the next state, but I'll need to refill someplace with mogas.
I think the HIRTH 3202 will run fine if I take care of it, but the TBO is a lot less than a 4-stroke and a Rotax 2-cycle TBO is only about 300 hours.
Is there any TBO concern? Without TBO anxiety, the 2-stokes cost a lot less and lighter.

The FS does cost less than the Mark with about the same passenger/cargo space. I plan to fly solo 99% of the time anyway. I don't think I can find a FS for near 20k, but it should suit me well. Is a 300 hour (1 full summer) quick-build possible?
Any comments on 2-stoke TBOs? Are they a lot faster & cheaper to rebuild than rotax 4-strokes - not much of an issue? Can do it myself?
Thanks again.
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