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I have been a Kitfox fan (even though I have never actually seen one in person) since the mid 90's. By then I had been flying RC for 20 years and so wanted to build a Kitfox. Then I got my license in '96 and all the cool crowd was flying RV4's at my airport. So I got my tailwheel endorsement in a J3 and finished one of the first RV8's in 1999. But now.... Back to thinking sell the RV and get a Kitfox. But, wow, you guys don't seem to want to sell them!
Keith
why would you sell the rv8. I have an rv7 and I wouldn't sell that. I also have the Kitfox 4, I don't want to sell that either. :D
Got bored with it actually. I only ever really wanted to just fly around with the doors open on a nice summer evening. Don't travel so don't need to go 200 mph. Yank and bank was fun though. Not sure what direction I will end up doing.
It is hard to find late model kitfoxes for sale, so why not build yourself a Kitfox? If you already have built an RV8 you certainly have the skills to do a Kitfox in jig time.
Definitely checked that option, can't justify the cost of all new. besides, i'm old and lazy now.
Shoot, if we were closer in proximity, we could trade airplanes once in a while and have the best of both worlds! Bruce N199CL
Hello Keith.
What about a swap?
:)
I have a really nice KF 5
Show me yours and I'll show you mine......
Happy new year!
Reid
I can understand getting bored with a go fast airplane. If you don't have a need for high speed travel the Kitfox is a lot more fun to fly, as you can go places the go fast plane can't, and you can enjoy the scenery more, as you can fly low and slow much safer.
Besides being so much fun to fly, the Kitfox truly is one of the most practical aircraft to own as it has to be one of the most versatile aircraft ever designed. It is a decent back country bush plane, a great ski plane, a fantastic float plane, and a very reasonable cross country cruiser. And fuel burn will probably be half of most other aircraft. So there isn't much not to like.
With your building skills, if it were me I would build a new Super Sport. If you can use a reasonable priced used engine, used radios and instruments, prop, etc, you could end up with a really valuable late model Kitfox that is done just the way you want one. And you will have less money in it than what you could buy one for.
You're right, not too many of us are willing to give up our Kitfoxes. And that situation seems to be getting worse, not better lately. But the good thing is that the factory still sells kits :)
Wish I could take back the "big Fan I think?" quote. I only phrased it that way because I have never actually seen a KitFox in person, even though I bought the promotional VHS from the factory and dreamed about building one in my dining room back in the early 90's! Thanks for the support about being able to build a "7, and Im sure I could, but I think I really like the IV's. Just plain and simple and fun.
I can appreciate your attraction to the Model 4. There is something extra cool about them too.
Looks like their are 5 kitfox IV's currently on barnstormers. One has a 912 and is under 20k. I've been watching the prices and reading the forum as much as I can until I get my license finished and the funds saved up for one. I can only speculate, but maybe more will be on the market once the medical is removed from the private pilot ticket. I am just speculating here, but maybe some of the kitfox flyers will be moving up to 4 seaters once it goes into effect?
I don't mean to rain on your parade, but I doubt the medical exemption will have much, if any effect on Kitfox values. Remember, Avid and Kitfox both had trouble keeping up with demand early on, which was long before Sport Pilot had even been heard of. There was no regulatory advantage for owning one with the exception of it being an amateur built experimental. So I doubt the 3rd class medical exemption will be any different (and actually, there still are advatages of an LSA over the 3rd class medical exemption).
The Kitfox and Avid enjoyed their early success because they were inexpensive to operate, extremely versatile, and gobs of fun to fly in and out of most anywhere you could think to go. I know because in the early 80's I was one of those guys attracted to the design for those specific reasons. I had a pilot license and a current medical, but not a lot of money, much like a whole bunch of other guys. So knowing that history I expect as the older less expensive models get bought up their value will actually continue to climb as we are sooner or later going to run out of them to buy. Especially the 912 powered ones. And I personally think that is already happening.
So if you really want one, you might want to see if there is any way to speed up the process. By comparison 5 years ago there were gobs of Kitfoxes to buy. Today there isn't 1/5th the amount of Kitfoxes available to purchase. I think the secret of how great these airplanes really are is finally, fully out. In the earlier years the design was ignored by a lot of the GA crowd because of the 2 stroke engines. But now with reliable 4 stroke engines they have a bigger following than ever. Of course the enthusiastic testimonials from owners on this forum probably helps others to know about these great little planes. (We just might be the best sales force an aircraft manufacturer could wish for :)
In addition to my Kitfox I have a really cool 4 seat aircraft. But if I could only have one plane, it would be my Kitfox. The 4 seater is hugely expensive by comparison, and even if you have the money to afford it, that extra money per hour takes a lot of the fun away. Now if you need 4 seats and like to travel a lot, the 4 seater may be a better choice. But I like to fly for fun mostly, so if it weren't for the fact that my 4 seater was a Lake amphibian, and rather unique, I would just rent a 4 seat Cessna or Piper when I needed 4 seats for traveling (you won't find Lake Amphibs to rent...). A better way to explain is simply this, I can go out all afternoon in my Kitfox amphib for about 40 bucks in car gas. If I were in a Cessna amphib it would be around $240. And besides a significant increase in operating / maintenance costs, I'd need another 100 grand to buy the Cessna. So hopefully that explains better why I enjoy my Kitfox so much, and why I think others do too. I don't think there is another airplane out there that offers so much fun per dollar. That's why they will continue to grow in popularity, in my humble opinion.
Oh, and if the price of avgas continues to rise, the Kitfox will become even more popular.
I sure as .... wont be replacing mine regardless of the Medical. I need to find someplace to acquire a healthy dose of ambition though, so I can get this thing done in less than 3 years. :rolleyes:
I absolutely agree that the medical issue will not make guys enjoying their Kitfox to give it up to get a spam can. I would guess that most flying a Kitfox are doing that because thats the kind of flying they like to do, not because fear of the Medical.
Wow! Pretty good analysis on the kitfox and how the medical might change things. I've been following the ads through email since I got my PPC sport pilot in 2010. Ever since I've been following it I have only seen a couple advertised at a time. 20-30K for a 912 powered and 12-20K for a 582 powered. Seems anything powered by an auto or other engine is all over the place on price. I flew behind a 582 for the two PPCs I've owned and while I like them, I will be getting a 912 powered fox when I finish saving up. Have about 10k put away so it will be awhile. I should have just saved for a fox from the beginning as that is what I really wanted from the start.
Wes
You'll find the right Kitfox if you are persistent.
And don't be afraid to buy one that needs a little work. I have a very nicely built and very well equipped 912 powered Model 4 in my garage that I bought as a rainy day project for only 14k. All it needs is a fuselage recover and new covering on one wingtip followed by some paint (it was involved in a groundloop, owner fixed everything with new parts, but due to divorce sold it before finishing the fabric work).
There are deals out there if you are willing to apply some sweat equity. Plus, I find fixing one up to be the fun part, as you can make it the plane you really want in the process. Not sure about having the required skill level to do that? Join your local EAA chapter, there will be people there that will guide you, maybe even help you do it. And that too can be fun.
"If the mind can conceive it, you can achieve it" :)