Colomban Luciole

Nick Allen · Post by **Nick Allen** » Wed Feb 13, 2008 2:51 pm

The Luciole blog has some new photos and videos: http://luciolemc30.blogspot.com/, including a sequence of photos showing the 10-minute solo derig.

mike walling · Post by **mike walling** » Thu Jun 26, 2008 10:04 pm

I have been looking at this aircraft again and noted that it is possible to type the URL into Google Translate to get an automatic translation french>english. Does anyone have an update on this aeroplane as following its revelation in last years 'Popular Flying' sub 115kg category I seem to remember that an article would be forthcoming?
http://luciolemc30.blogspot.com/

Trevor Lyons · Post by **Trevor Lyons** » Sat Sep 06, 2008 2:05 pm

Is there any recent news on this little beauty? I seem to remember that the Popular Flying article begged, "don't bug the designer until he says it's ready!"; but it would be nice to learn of any progress.

Brian Hope · Post by **Brian Hope** » Sat Sep 06, 2008 2:18 pm

I am hopeful that we will feature a major article on the Luciole before the end of the year. Cannot promise, but wheels within wheels are turning and it is looking favourable.
Luciole was not featured in the sub 115kg articles as it will not be a sub 115 category aircraft, the wing area is far too small. On the subject of sub 115, an update of the winning designs for the PFA competition is planned shortly, and a review of the aircraft emerging into this exciting category is in the planning stage.

hbemz · Post by **hbemz** » Sat Sep 06, 2008 4:42 pm

Hi all,

there is another site, of course in French, with information about the Luciole which is much more up to date:

http://luciolemc30.forumpro.fr

The people posting there seem to be quite near to the designer and the engine guy. Unfortunately they closed of the technical part of the forum to those not building a Luciole.

Concerning the time frame it seems, that by the end of this year at least a part of the plans will be available. Cf: http://luciolemc30.forumpro.fr/rassembl ... s-t179.htm. 4th message at the bottom.

Toni

Colin Dix · Post by **Colin Dix** » Sun Nov 02, 2008 11:30 am

Does anyone know pilot weight and height limitations for this machine please?

Trevor Lyons · Post by **Trevor Lyons** » Sun Nov 02, 2008 12:37 pm

The article in "Light Aviation" Nov 2008 declares "The Luciole is stressed for a 90kg pilot, and ... the dimensions of the cockpit have been made 2cm wider and 8cm taller than the CriCri".

This extra 8cm (3") height presumably affects the torso distance from scalp to bum, and the length of one's legs is a separate issue. Next question: how short do you need to be to fit into a CriCri?

(Memo to self: must lose 5kg!)

Colin Dix · Post by **Colin Dix** » Sun Nov 02, 2008 1:34 pm

Hopefully some trade off with weight and balance and MAX fuell will be possible for the heavy pilot, but I guess at 6 litres an hour that may not be possible. Note to self to loose a lot of weight!

Trevor Lyons wrote:The article in "Light Aviation" Nov 2008 declares "The Luciole is stressed for a 90kg pilot, and ... the dimensions of the cockpit have been made 2cm wider and 8cm taller than the CriCri".

This extra 8cm (3") height presumably affects the torso distance from scalp to bum, and the length of one's legs is a separate issue. Next question: how short do you need to be to fit into a CriCri?

(Memo to self: must lose 5kg!)

David Hall · Post by **David Hall** » Fri Jan 23, 2009 12:07 pm

Looks like the plans are available now if you haven't seen it yet.

Updated costs (we pay more postage and some tax) 390€ + 46€ postage + 19 € tax = 455€

Rod1 · Post by **Rod1** » Fri Jan 23, 2009 12:22 pm

A comment on the RV10 thread suggests the 20gph monster is the future of GA. I have to say I think this is more likely to be…

Rod1

steveneale · Post by **steveneale** » Fri Jan 23, 2009 2:08 pm

Yes and the future of road transport is the moped

J.C. · Post by **J.C.** » Fri Jan 23, 2009 4:35 pm

Interesting thing is , in terms of fuel per person over 200 miles there's not much difference. 1.05lts!
Depends what you want to do I suppose but I know which I would rather have for touring.

Bill McCarthy · Post by **Bill McCarthy** » Tue Feb 10, 2009 5:15 pm

Just put me right again with the flight characteristics of a high aspect ratio wing (Luciole). At the stall is it more likely to drop a wing for instance.

Trevor Lyons · Post by **Trevor Lyons** » Sun Sep 11, 2011 4:57 pm

Just put me right again with the flight characteristics of a high aspect ratio wing (Luciole). At the stall is it more likely to drop a wing for instance.

A delayed reply: Francis Donaldson writes in May's magazine(page 42) ," Only by 'cheating' with a quicker deceleration rate (than one knot per second) and a higher nose attitude can we achieve a power-off stall break. When it comes, at 53mph, there's a marked but shallow nose drop simultaneous with either wing lowering slightly, depending critically on whether you've kept the skid-ball accurately centred..."

So there you have it!

Trevor Lyons · Post by **Trevor Lyons** » Sun Sep 11, 2011 5:32 pm

When I first heard of the Luciole, I wrongly presumed it was intended to comply with the new UK Single Seat De-Regulated microlight sub-category. (SSDR aircraft must weigh less than 115 kg without fuel and pilot and the wing loading must not be more than 10 kg/m²). In fact, the Luciole's wing loading is far too high either to be an SSDR nor even to be a microlight, which is why it's going to become an LAA aircraft, assuming it gets approval.

The question then arises: if not an SSDR, why is it built to such a tight weight limit, with a MAUW of only 200kg? The answer seems to be two-fold: first, as Francis Donaldson observed in his May 2011 article, "the secret of achieving high performance on low power is to minimise the size of the aircraft, on the basis that what's not there doesn't weigh anything nor cause drag"; and secondly, as is clear from the photo of Michel Colomban & FD, the Frenchman is tiny and doesn't need anything bigger. The builder of the UK's only Luciole, G-LUCL, is of similar slight build. FD found the cockpit surprisingly roomy, but he (at 6'1" & 88kg) is about as big as you can be and still fit in it.

I had considered building one of these when I retire in a couple of years time, so as to have a dinky little project to keep me active in my dotage; but at 6'3" & 95kg I'm just too big for it. Even though I work out in the gym and try to diet, I'm going to have a job to reach 88kg. What I'd like to see is a grown-up version of the Luciole for those of us who are are a bit bigger than Michel Colomban!

Light Aircraft Association

Colomban Luciole

Colomban Luciole

Luciole MC30 Colomban

MC30 Luciole,

Plans