Help needed on crashed model V

[mike h]

Hi everyone. Long time lurker here. Anyways I have been playing with the idea of buying a kitfox for a number of years now. Anyways one came up for sale locally with some damage and I was hoping that the knowledge base here can help me out to know if I should buy it, what to watch for and a general idea of what one should pay.

It is a 1997 Kitfox V from the original owner/builder with about 990 hours before the incident. Here is the news article If you scroll down to the bottom of the article you can see picture of it after the crash. I have both talked with the owner and have seen the carnage in person.

Here is what it looks like currently.


I am very handy when it comes to automobiles, fabrication and paint work. I also have a fairly well equipped shop for the hobbies I've listed.

How big of a project am I biting off and what is a reasonable ballpark figure for the remains?

If you have the ability to weld the tubing, repair fabric as needed,it is probably a good buy at 8K. My reasoning is the current value of the "912" motor is at least 8k. You can get an estimate from a qualified Rotax mechanic for the tear down inspection. I recomend Oregon Aircraft Design.

Good luck with your project.

[kmach]

Until the engine has a tear down inspection , it is really hard to put more than a core value on it.

[cgruby]

I had an accident with my type III while towing. One wing was not secured and hit a road sign at 50 mph. The damage was unimaginable. The cabin top was destroyed. The left wing was severely damaged. I did all the work myself, taking around 10 months and spent around $2,500 total.

If the engine was at idle when the prop strike occurred, a prop flange run-0ut check may be sufficient. I would not be spring loaded to tear down an engine if the flange run-out was ok.

Get yourself a good welder and have at it.

Cheers,

[jtpitkin06]

The aircraft appears to have a wood prop and the crash photos show it reasonably intact. Engine damage is low on my worry list.

[Esser]

The 914 we bought had a prop strike with an airmaster with warp blades. The engine was sent to Rotech before we bought it and torn down and inspected. I can find that paper work and let you know how much that was to give you an idea of how much it would be if you went that route.

I know everyone wants to support the local economy as much as possible but with the Canadian dollar at an 11 year low, you can save quite a bit of money sending your engine to rotech I would imagine.

[kmach]

Well for me, a prop strike equals the rotax prop strike inspection done by a qualified rotax mechanic. That is a starting point. The engine as it sits has many "ifs" in it. Maybe its fine and maybe it requires allot .

For 8k , as long as a person thinks you can do something with the air frame, the engine is somewhat a known maximum$ figure of the very worst case, the price of a new engine.

What is the gross weight on this V ? the earlier ones had a 1400lb gross weight, which might affect engine options if it came to that.

[HighWing]

I have posted a couple of pictures and have been wondering what I might add to the conversation. I feel a bit intimidated because Tim was and remains a friend of mine and having experienced what he has recently gone through, I fear my thoughts might be a bit prejudiced

I will say this and please forgive me if it sounds a bit one sided. Having built two Model IVs, helped in the completion of a V and spent a couple of years almost full time on a Lancair IV, I am convinced that the more you do on any airplane, the more knowledge you will have about that airplane. A friend recently sold his Model IV. As the non builder second owner, his knowledge came about because he ground looped it several times causing significant damage on two occasions. He repaired the damage both times himself which included welding and fabric repairs. He flew behind a Jabaru rather than the Rotax in question. He developed a significant skill level with that engine because of the work he did on baffling and other issues that often come up with a less common engine choice. There was an article that came up online recently about the legality of a second owner maintaining his new to him amateur built airplane. The gist of the article was Legal? - Yes. A good idea? - maybe not so much. The implication was - buy and fly, what do you really know about your airplane.

Mark, Your experience is very similar to mine when I started with my first Kitfox. I have always been a tool guy, but prepped toward the building stage by restoring a 1923 Marmon Four Passenger Coupe to correct original condition. Then I did a cosmetic restoration of a 1957 Thunderbird. You are at least as qualified to repair this airplane as I was to start building my first kit. When you finish, you will have a fundamental knowledge of this airplane second only to the original builder. When I started my Marmon restoration, I hadn't even heard of the manufacturer. Then I discovered the support group and was off on a great adventure.

If your primary focus is to get into the air promptly with your own airplane, this is likely not the best idea. If your focus is to become knowledgeable about your personal airplane in a very fundamental way, this just might be a great idea.

Price - No clue. My second Model IV, I paid ~ $8000 for the second hand kit and about a thousand more than that for a 150 hour Rotax 912 UL. With those numbers in mind, I likely have about $27 or $28 thousand in my airplane considering engine mount, avionics and cover and finish and about 2 years build time.

Just one more opinion.

[mharmon]

First off thank you to everyone who has commented. Second, I want to give everyone here an update on the Kitfox. I went and looked at it again on Wednesday. Looking at it under a different perspective this time, I realized I might never get this finished. Here's a quick little story. I recently built my wife a metal and wood coffee table. It was a copy of a table from Restoration Hardware. The date on the pictures when I started was Aug 20th. Here we are October 31 and I still need to apply the finish to the wood. Based on how long the coffee table has taken, the repair on this Kitfox may never actually get done.

I have concluded that I need to find myself a flying example based on my work schedule and available time to dedicate to this project.

Here is the link to the ad for anyone who is interested in it. I think this would make someone a great project and an excellent flier. While you're in Utah picking it up, make sure you pick up the model V landing gear, link here.

Again, thank you to every who has responded.

Mark

[Av8r3400]

That is a very honest conclusion to come to for yourself and I congratulate you for it. I've know of several people who have dived into projects like this that never get finished.

Knowing your own time and/or skill limitations is sometimes a difficult thing to get a handle on.

[Esser]

You are a wise man Mark.