Colomban MC-30 Luciole

MC-30 Luciole
MC-30 Luciole amateur built in England in 2012
Role	Homebuilt recreational aircraft
Designer	Michel Colomban
First flight	9 March 2007
Status	Plans available (2015)

The Colomban MC-30 Luciole (English: Firefly) is an ultra-lightweight plans-built single-seat low-wing tail-dragger monoplane, designed by the French aeronautical engineer, Michel Colomban, creator of the tiny single-seat Colomban Cri-cri twin-engined aircraft and the MC-100 Ban-Bi two-seat aircraft.

The aircraft is supplied as plans for amateur construction.

The Luciole is extremely light, weighing 97 kg (214 lb) empty. It has mixed construction of wood, plywood, metal, foam and glass reinforced plastic. The cantilevered wings have foam ribs with a 1mm plywood skin, sheathed in a thin layer of resin-bonded glass tissue. The Luciole is fitted with a V-Twin Briggs & Stratton four-stroke petrol engine directly driving a 2-bladed Arplast EcoProp 1.16 m (3.8 ft) diameter ground-adjustable propeller. The aircraft is very economical, consuming only 4.5 litres/hour at 150 km/h (93 mph).

Although about seven Lucioles have been built in France, only one has been completed in the UK (and half a dozen are under construction), at least one is flying in Germany. The UK aircraft was built under the auspices of the LAA, and to date has logged some 100 hours, flying under a test permit. The Luciole is awaiting full approval from the LAA. LAA approval is required as the Luciole's wing loading of 43.5 kg/m² is too high to benefit from new UK SSDR microlight sub-category. SSDRs (Single Seat De-Regulated) aircraft must weigh less than 115 kg (254 lb) without fuel and pilot, and the wing loading must not be more than 10 kg/m²

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