So -- after a lot of careful and time consuming consideration (paralysis by analysis) I have put my deposit down on a Kitfox SS7. I'm still not entirely sure the SS7 is right or if an STI would be better, but seeing as the lead time is getting longer and longer, I didn't want to procrastinate any longer. I live in Ontario Canada, which is generally low elevation, but it is filled with lakes -- eventually I'd like to put the kitfox on floats in summer and skis in the winter. However I'd like to do more than just local flying -- I'd like to travel with the plane in its various configurations. This led me to the SS7 with its versatility.

I do however -- still have some questions about some of the options offered for the kit. I was hoping I could get some advice on the positives and/or negatives on some of the options. Obviously the options cost more, so that may be a negative in some view -- but I was hoping for info not so much on the cost, but on how these options may affect the plane during construction, and during flight.

Specifically I was wondering about:

Tinted windshield and tinted bubble doors? -- is the tint a detriment during night flight operations or any other down side?
Composite leading edge?
4130 Chromoly Streamline wing struts (and the streamlined horizontal tail struts) -- how are these better/worse than streamlining with pvc?
Vortex Generators? -- I know what these do in general, but but are there any cons?

I also have some questions about tools, but I'll save that for another post.

Thanks again -- I've been lurking here and posting very infrequently, but I hope to be able to contribute in a positive way at some point.

Dave.