B&F FK 14

B&F FK 14 Polaris
Type:	Microlight
Design country:	Germany
Manufacturer:	FK-Lightplanes Sp. Z oo, Poland
First flight:	May 1999
Production time:	From 2001 onwards
Number of pieces:	> 160 (as of March 2015)

The B&F FK 14 Polaris is an ultralight aircraft from the German design and development office B&F Technik Vertriebs GmbH. The licenses to build and sell the FK14 were completely handed over in 2010 by the developer Peter Funk to the newly founded FK Lightplanes Poland by Roland Hallam.

history

The FK 14 A was initially carried out in collaboration between the father Otto Funk and his son Peter. With the FK 14 B Polaris, the construction and further development of the ultralight moved to Poland, where Peter Funk initially founded a joint venture with Roland Hallam and Silander Ray.

The joint venture of FK Pro Tech Sp. Z oo resulted from the acquisition of "CSLT works (Central Aviation-Technical School) manufacturing ultra light aircraft for aeroclubs", whereby Funk Peter 52.0%, Hallam Henry Roland 24.0% and Silander Ray held 24.0% of the shares. In later years the FK-LIGHTPLANES SP. Z OO SP.K. founded, whose shares were to be held exclusively by Roland Hallam together with his partner Angela Janse van Rensburg. The FK Pro Tech Sp. Z oo transferred the license rights to build the FK 14 to FK-LIGHT PLANES SP. Z OO SP.K. The same applied to the license rights of the other FK ultralights in the FK series (FK 9 and FK 12). In the course of the development of the sw51 Mustang by the Austrian company Scalewings FlightGroup GmbH from Strasswalchen, the company from Poland became increasingly bogged down in the task of building the ultralight of the FK series and the approval development of the sw51 Mustang, so that the partnership was then initially broken off with Scalewings FlightGroup GmbH and ultimately led to the loss of all license rights to the FK series in mid-2017.

On the website of FK Lightplanes you can currently read: We would like to inform you that the manufacture and sale of the FK aircraft types FK9, FK14 Polaris and FK12 Comet since July 1st, 2017 has been exclusively under the responsibility of the prototype supervisor Bücker & Funk GmbH Speyer, Germany. The previous license manufacturer FK-Lightplanes Sp. Z oo Sp. K., Krosno, Poland changed its name to Fusion Aeronautics sp. z oo changed. Fusion Aeronautics wants to fulfill existing orders and develops and manufactures its own products in parallel.

With the increasing fragmentation of the FK-Lightplanes Sp. Z oo Sp. K. , the deliveries of the FK 14 slowed down more and more from 2014 until finally the construction of the FK 14 came to an almost complete standstill in 2017. With the takeover or withdrawal of the license rights to the FK 14 by Bücker & Funk GmbH in Speyer, it can be assumed that there will be a new edition of the popular FK 14. However, in the course of the discussions on charging, the question remains whether there will be a significant change in the current structure.

construction

The FK 14 is a two-seater, cantilevered low- wing aircraft with a rigid landing gear. It is built with both a nose wheel and a tail wheel undercarriage. The fuselage is made from a mixed construction of carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP) and metal.

The wings of version A have a CFRP spar and are covered with sheet metal. The tail units are made of aluminum . It also has Fowler flaps , which can increase the wing area by up to 20%, and winglets . For better protection of the occupants, the FK 14 has a tubular steel safety frame around the cockpit. From the B2 this was replaced by a monocoque cockpit.

From the FK 14 B Polaris version , the surfaces as well as the vertical stabilizer were also made of CFRP / GFRP. The elevator is still made of aluminum . Elevators as well as the Fowler flaps are covered.

Versions

FK 14 A

The FK 14 A is the first series version of the Polaris . Unlike the later versions, it was only built with a nose landing gear. The two fuel tanks (25 liters each) were behind the cabin.

2003 production was FK 14 A benefit of FK 14 B set.

FK 14 B

The FK 14 B is a development of FK 14 A . The hull was slightly lengthened and the curb weight reduced. By relocating the enlarged tanks into the wings, the luggage space in the fuselage could also be enlarged. In addition, the wing shape was revised and the cooling air inlet moved further under the fuselage. The trim has also been improved. Unlike the FK 14 A , you can choose between a nose wheel or tail wheel undercarriage.

FK 14 B2

The FK 14 B2 is a revised version of the FK 14 B . The curb weight was reduced again. Other changes include a monocoque cockpit and improved aerodynamics.

Le Mans

Le Mans is an upgrade kit for the FK 14 B2 and was first presented at the AERO 2011 in Friedrichshafen. The kit includes a new, open cockpit cover that separates the two seats and each has its own windshield, new panels for the main landing gear and the tail wheel and wing arches that replace the winglets. A Le Mans can be converted back into an FK 14 B2 at any time . Since the aerodynamics are slightly impaired by the upgrade kit, appropriately equipped aircraft receive a supplementary type certificate .

The name is based on the sports racing car LMP1 series . These usually also have an open cockpit and two seats next to each other.

FK 14 B2 Short Wing

Based on the FK 14 B2 , attempts were made in 2012 to use turbulators (vortex generators) to achieve a better flow around the surfaces. The result was that the stall speed was significantly reduced, which enabled the manufacturer to shorten the wings by a total of around 60 cm and achieve a higher wing loading. This improves flight behavior while maintaining slow flight characteristics, especially in turbulent air masses. Further advantages are the higher agility and the reduced weight. To avoid the risk of sudden stalling, the vortex generators were only positioned in the area of the ailerons. The pilot can thus be informed of the stall at an early stage while the ultralight aircraft is fully controllable.

The FK 14 B2 Short Wing has been built since 2015. The final traffic permit was granted in 2016. For earlier versions of the FK 14, a retrofit kit for the vortex generators is available today.

Technical specifications

Parameter	FK 14 B2	FK 14 B2 SW
span	9.10 m	8.50 m
length	5.59 m
Height (nose wheel version)	2.14 m
Empty weight including rescue device	293 kg (with nose landing gear)	290 kg (with nose landing gear)
Max. Takeoff mass	472.5 kg (UL) / 600 kg (LSA)	472.5 kg (UL)
engine	a Rotax 912 UL / ULS / iS	a Rotax 912 ULS / iS
power	59 kW (80 PS) / 75 kW (100 PS, ULS / iS)	75 kW (100 PS)
speed limit	270 km / h
proven top speed	290 km / h	305 km / h
Cruising speed at 75% power	235 km / h
Minimum speed (Vs)	64 km / h
Climb rate at 145 km / h	approx. 5.5 m / s (1100 ft / min)	approx. 6 m / s (1200 ft / min)
proven g limits at 540 kg take-off weight	+ 6.4 / -3.8 g
Tank capacity	90 l
Take-off course over a 15 m obstacle	185 m

Web links

Commons : B&F FK14 - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

^ Aviation Photos & History. May 25, 2008, accessed December 7, 2014 .
↑ Pole Position - FK 14 B Polaris. (PDF; 990 kB) (No longer available online.) Aerokurier, archived from the original on July 10, 2015 ; Retrieved December 7, 2014 .
↑ ^a ^b Optimized flagship. (PDF; 300 kB) (No longer available online.) Fliegermagazin, archived from the original on December 16, 2014 ; Retrieved December 7, 2014 .
↑ Better than the production version. (PDF; 900 kB) (No longer available online.) Aerokurier, archived from the original on March 27, 2016 ; Retrieved December 7, 2014 .
↑ Evolution instead of revolution. (PDF; 880 kB) (No longer available online.) Flügel - Das Magazin, archived from the original on March 4, 2016 ; Retrieved December 7, 2014 .
↑ ^a ^b Batman’s Beauty - UL Pilot Report: FK 14 Le Mans by B&F Technik. (PDF) Fliegermagazin, accessed on December 7, 2014 .
↑ FK14 Polaris model. (No longer available online.) Fk-lightplanes.com, archived from the original on June 25, 2014 ; accessed on May 2, 2014 .

[1] Aviation Photos & History. May 25, 2008, accessed December 7, 2014 .

[2] Pole Position - FK 14 B Polaris. (PDF; 990 kB) (No longer available online.) Aerokurier, archived from the original on July 10, 2015 ; Retrieved December 7, 2014 .

[fk-lightplanes1-3] Optimized flagship. (PDF; 300 kB) (No longer available online.) Fliegermagazin, archived from the original on December 16, 2014 ; Retrieved December 7, 2014 .

[4] Better than the production version. (PDF; 900 kB) (No longer available online.) Aerokurier, archived from the original on March 27, 2016 ; Retrieved December 7, 2014 .

[5] Evolution instead of revolution. (PDF; 880 kB) (No longer available online.) Flügel - Das Magazin, archived from the original on March 4, 2016 ; Retrieved December 7, 2014 .

[fliegermagzin1-6] Batman’s Beauty - UL Pilot Report: FK 14 Le Mans by B&F Technik. (PDF) Fliegermagazin, accessed on December 7, 2014 .

[7] FK14 Polaris model. (No longer available online.) Fk-lightplanes.com, archived from the original on June 25, 2014 ; accessed on May 2, 2014 .