Plane-on-a-Post – POP Goes Your Young Pilot Candidates

By David Newill

It is a great day at your Young Eagles flying event – lots of teenagers – several planes – and good weather, but there is clearly a restlessness among some of the parents and even a few of the waiting teens! What are they going to do while plane after plane takes one or two teens or a teen and his adult up for 30 minute rides? Having a POP might help the waiting crowd and capture a few “not so sure” younger pre-pilots.

What is POP? It is a Plane-On-a-Post trainer. An ultralight type airframe, sans engine, balanced on a simple, steel pipe frame allowing the young pilot of this craft to “fly” as they pivot about in all axis when the breezes encounter control surfaces. Quickly, teens take to “Windjamming”, turning the airframe from one heading to another, pitching up and down, rolling left and right. A POP is very easy to build and, as it is not an “airplane”, could be owned by one or more EAA chapters or flying clubs. Since it is always “grounded”, it is a perfect club or school project; a build-and-notfly trainer, allowing for mistakes and corrections during construction and assembly, as well as learning some of the arts of airframes. It could provide the needed activity for the yet-to fly students at your youth event. So onto our story of our POP.

When the American GEM [Ground Effect Machine] Youth Flight Training System project started in December 2017, we discovered we needed a pre-flight step before putting teens into an actual aviating machine – solo! – as has been done in Europe and Russia for over 20 years. Simultaneously we discovered that, while the local airport was positive to our ground tow line and short tether system to propel the GEM machine, and a “nearby” high school wanted the program as well, the simple act of getting teens to-from school and airport was incredibly challenging! We needed a solution to overcome the economics of transport and bureaucracy of schools and it had to be portable.

Hence, Plane-on-a-Post or POP was invented. This non-flyer is easily transportable and offers initial stick-and-rudder experiences at an incredibly low cost! It is something that nearly any EAA Chapter, or group of small Chapters, flying clubs or schools, could quickly assemble and use at their various events and programs.

From study of the European systems, the American GEM team had a good working definition of what was needed: current production, established company, cage enclosed pilot frame, robust, ultralight glider. The Kolb Aircraft Company, LLC’s Firefly looked promising! In addition to our baseline GEM requirements list, it has a simple folding wing configuration – meaning we could quickly “hangar” in an enclosed trailer or shipping container, no flying wires to rig, was USA built and well supported! Even better, for the POP, the design has a main structural element – a 2" steel tube – at the top of the fuselage cage –from the wing mount structure back to where the engine would go on a powered Firefly.

We were blessed to discover an older Kolb Firefly for sale that was within our budget and driving range so off we went to acquire it. Being big boys with a new (to us) toy, we soon had the little bird’s skeleton re-assembled and began a few needed repairs. Bending aluminum tubes, drilling out rivets, and building to Kolb plans convinced us that this is a project nearly any High School AeroSTEM class could attempt. And our choice of Kolb was a good one as we got excellent parts support from their Kentucky factory.

EAA Chapter # 67, Noblesville, IN took our American GEM team under their wings and taught us how to cover – sharing a wonderful spray booth and equipment as we worked a Stewart Systems and water-based paint finish onto our bird. [EAA Chapters are great helpers!] Water based covering is pretty easy (latex house paint!) and has no fumes to worry about. You can even do it with foam rollers! This is a real advantage for a school program with no spray booth.

Now for the POP! We did several experiments with ball-pivot mounts, height of mount, width, bases, etc. The current configuration is made from 1" black steel threaded pipe supporting a 1-7/8" trailer ball on top, fitted into a 2" ball receiver – inverted mount – on the main structure tube of the Firefly. The fixed position – indoor use – bases are 4' long, 2"X 10"s with pipe flange fittings. For our school based outdoor location, we are fortunate to have a permanent pole base position (former basketball post mount).

Wheels on the POP machine do not have to be flight type – in fact we move from 10" to 8" tires for some events to get a bit more left –right – roll allowance. There is a bit of a compromise as to wheel size and ease of getting students in and out of the plane – the larger wheels do limit pitch and roll, but make it easier to get teens seated as the larger tires touch the ground earlier in the mounting maneuver.

With our American GEM assembled (worst case, pivot and pin wings/struts, unfold elevators, insert landing gear legs), we assemble one POP upright and the cross bar with the ball. This inverted “L” is slipped up under the wing at a 45° angle to line of flight and through the open – uncovered - cockpit frame. The opposite side upright is then threaded into the open 90° fitting. With two adults on opposite sides of the cockpit frame, the craft is lifted and moved backwards so that the ball is seated into the airframe mounted fitting and the uprights are tilted to vertical.

If done indoors – and our American GEM regularly goes in and out of school building doors – such as in a gymnasium, we do a pitch, roll and yaw test, moving the little bird in all axis to make sure we are not going to pivot into bleachers or cafeteria tables. As for a breeze, two large portable warehouse 48" “drum” fans, usually available at the school for ventilating gymnasiums or drying floors, are sufficient to make the American GEM POP work well indoors, and three are better! With such fans, a POP could be “flown” in a hanger on inclement days! This makes a POP great for CAP, SSA chapters, Aviation Explorers or similar aero-STEM organized youth groups. Fold the wings and store out of the way of other aircraft – (needs 20'X4' footprint) and bring it out for youth meetings!

Our American GEM can go from trailer to wings-out and on top of POP post in about 15 minutes with two adults working the assembly. We make special efforts to ensure that the pipe fitting joints are secure and that the ball fitting is not going to unexpectedly rotate with a teen in the seat.

Once at the school or student site, if outdoors, the POP is oriented into the expected prevailing breezes – turbulence from trees or buildings is usually easily handled. A pivot mount on the base allows for full 360 o motion.

Our practice is to have the student stand on a scale – Never announce the weight of a teen student! – and using an airframe specific table, appropriate balance weights are added or removed from a threaded rod inserted where the tail wheel normally fits. This puts the CG right on the center of the ball and only inches from center of flight GC as well. It is amazing how little weight (5 – 10 lbs) is needed to offset a typical, fully clothed pilot’s weight.

An adult raises the empennage by lifting on the tail boom, until the landing gear are solidly on the ground. A student can leg-over the center stick and set their rear on the seat, getting into the craft. If the student is especially small – a second back cushion will properly position them for full rudder contact and a natural stick motion. The full four-point glider type harness is latched, and the boom returned to level flight position. Now the student is free to experiment with one control at a time. Elevator is manipulated first to understand pitch and to get the machine to stay level. Next comes Rudder only – although breezes make this happen pretty quickly as the student works to keep the centerline of the craft aimed at the adult instructor standing in front of the American GEM. A bit of Aileron work follows. Once these controls are understood, the adult moves left or right and the student uses all controls to turn the nose toward the “target” adult. Don’t be surprised to hear “Hey Mom, I am Flying! – I can Fly!” That happens pretty quickly.

Now you have to get the current teen out and the next one in! Personnel management skills and cooperative parents come in handy at this point.

The American GEM POP initial flight-experience instruction commands are easily taught to non-pilot adults. This frees up your pilots for Young Eagles or Orientation flights. Even older teens with some practice can run this system – although an adult supervisor is always on hand.

So, for a great EAA Chapter Flying Club or School Aero project; find a good used ultralight that has a sufficient pilot cage, and – if necessary – rebuild it into your own non-flying POP. (With nearly 3,000 Kolbs out there you may find a used one at very low cost.) If possible, do so with the teenagers riveting and covering. With administration permission, take it to a school and set up in the parking lot or gym. Let students experience some stick and rudder as you hand out leaflets for your next Youth Flying or recruiting event. Encourage future flyers! Create pilots, advocates for aviation, aero-mechanics and a future for Aviation - - - - or there will not be one.

American GEM puts:Teens in seat solo

Stick in their handsWind in her hair

Smile on his face

Eyes upward on their future – and not on electrons.

The American GEM POP is NOT a flight simulator – it is a FLIGHT STIMULATOR!

For more information

Cupertino Aviation Clubs Indiana Non-Profit 501c3 cac@cupertinoclubs.org

Kolb Aircraft Co. LLC – www.kolbaircraft.com