Tangerine

[DesertFox4]

Some photos
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[Hawkertech]

I may steal tha color eventually. Lol
What fabric did you use?

[PaulSS]

Brilliant minds and all that with the panel ;)

(Eurofox, not Kitfox, so a smaller bit of real estate to work with).

Now I just need to get the radio to talk to the EFIS so it can be test flown :rolleyes:

[desertdave]

The pictures don't do this justice. This plane is beyond amazing.

[DesertFox4]

What fabric did you use?

PolyFiber all the way.

[DesertFox4]

Thanks Desert Dave.😀

I had a nice write up to go with the pictures. Lost it in the process some how. Wanted to get a few photos posted anyway. I have some incredibly talented people to thank for helping from start to finish on Tangerine. I will do a rewrite and try to do justice to their contributions. Love the Kitfox community.❤️
Her full name is Tangerine Dream.

[109JB]

PolyFiber all the way.

Aerothane or Polytone?

[SomeDay7]

Steve, Looks fantastic. Can't wait to start on mine.... Curious on the weight. Looks like a lot of weight saving going on.

[Dave S]

Well????

We haven't had a "Kitfox of the Month" posted since 2/2017

Well????

[DesertFox4]

Paint is Air-Tech custom mixed (orange) color. Stripes are a dark gray to match interior. Polytone white was shot over the silver PolySpray U.V. coats then finish colors applied.

Thank you Someday7. Empty weight is 763 lbs. Tried to pay close attention to every gram of weight during construction. Carbon fiber cowls, Kitfox Aircraft carbon wing tips, carbon sandwich baggage compartment floors, lightweight Grove gear, magnesium Grove wheels, rudder pedal adjustment handles deleted, brakes pilot side only along with Puka rudder pedals pilot side only.

[Hawkertech]

Ordered mine with dual brakes and pedals, In case a pax needed them, but my DW has knee problems and needs to stretch her legs out, so I am reconsidering the dual rudder/brakes.

[jmodguy]

Very nice Steve! I like the colors. Something different👍🏻 Well done‼️

[bbs428]

Beautifully executed DF4. Your planes weight (or lack of it) is impressive! :D

[DesertFox4]

Thanks Jeff and Brett. Jeff, the color was kind of a happy accident. I saw a very similar color on one of Bill Prokes molds for a carbon piece he was working on one day in his shop. He provided Air-Tech with samples and they got it so close it was scary. Bill painted all the fuselage, wing struts, jury struts, landing gear, flapperon weights, rudder, horizontal struts and cowlings for me. Also, he did all the layout of the paint scheme that Phil Laker and myself had envisioned a year or two earlier. Nice to have artists not only with vision but the skills to execute the design. I couldn’t be happier as I’m no painter. I couldn’t imagine doing this project without these two gentlemen. It was so life enriching to spend so much quality time working with Phil and Bill.
When all of Bill’s attention and time unexpectedly was pulled in another direction for a good while, my Kitfox family members came to my rescue to finish painting wings, flapperons, spinner, wing tips, elevator, horizontal stabilizer, fairings, gas caps, and assorted bits and pieces. They’ve been so supportive of this build as were Phil Laker and Bill Prokes, from the very beginning to the finish line. Of course I’m talking about John and Debra McBean of Kitfox Aircraft. John offered to make his paint booth available when there wasn’t a customers project occupying it to finish my paintwork.
John was down to Arizona last March on a very fast paced trip delivering some lucky builders kit, picking up some parts at Phil Laker’s shop, visiting all too briefly with friends and had room in his trailer for my wings and things. John hauled them north and stored them for me until June when the paint booth would become available for an amount of time to knock out my remaining parts. It may have been timing or fate that everything worked out but really it was the McBeans that saw to it that it worked out. Now just having the booth available would have been incredible on it’s own but to have Judd Parker’s time and talents in the booth was a real score. Brandon, Rod, Michael, Brently, Stan and of course John all pitched in to assist with the completion of Tangerine’s beautiful paint scheme. Thanks to all the Kitfox Aircraft team for all your kindnesses. It was a real pleasure spending nearly a month this summer watching this amazing bunch of dedicated people work. They even helped load my parts into the Budget rental truck and properly secure all components for safe transport back to Arizona when time came to leave for home.
A big thanks to Debra for putting up with me that long. She is one amazing person. I got to really watch what her days are like. Incredible energy, focus and dedication and not a minute from sun up until way after sundown that was not efficiently utilized. Oh, and her phone, it never stops ringing! I so enjoyed spending this time with my Idaho friends and so appreciate their support. I was also able to meet several Kitfox Aircraft customers and help test fly a brand new Kitfox and fly with Paul Leadabrand.

There are more people to thank in the journey from kit to flying Kitfox like Murle Williams letting me cover my fuselage in his shop wayback when I started this journey. All the great folks that stopped by the shop during construction and some who pitched in and helped even for a few minutes or just encouraged me with words of support. Thanks all.

[Av8r3400]

Looking good, Steve! Will we see her at OSH this year??

[Hawkertech]

That is one of my concerns, I am no artist so I will need to find a local painter and paint booth.

[Flybyjim]

Very nice, I like the colors and the lines, well done. Waiting for the flight and handling reviews.

[Delta Whisky]

Gorgeous. From what detail I can see in the photos, it is obvious that this was truly a work of love and I'm guessing closeups will reveal lots of attention to detail. Congrats.

[DesertFox4]

Thanks Larry, Jim and Darrell.😀

Larry, yes the plan is AirVenture 2020 or bust.

[Hawkertech]

I am hoping to make Airventure this year for our first time. But we will be in our RV coming from Oregon from a Lance RV Rally. (no not rv the plane)

[DesertFox4]

Hope to meet and visit with you at Oshkosh Keith.😀

[Hawkertech]

What avionics did you use, hard to see from the picture, maybe MGL? can't tell the rest of the units. just trying to get ideas, was leaning towards Garmin but they are not cheap.

[Slyfox]

love it Steve, nice plane. another name for it, creamsicle. :)

[DesertFox4]

Keith, Tangerine sports an MGL Explorer Lite 8.5” glass iEFIS, MGL 2.25” comm radio, Appereo ADS-B out transponder just below a Garmin Aera 500 GPS with weather and traffic via a GDL-39 mounted on the glare shield. McFarlane vernier throttle, double USB charger for iPAD Air2 with Stratus S2 for redundant weather and traffic and synthetic vision.
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I went with MGL because a 10” screen would not quite fit in my custom panel surround. No one else had a intermediate sized glass panel. The 7” panels looked a little small but in retrospect a 7” would be perfectly useable for me. MGL’s customer service is top notch by the way.

Don’t look past Dynon’s offerings either. I’ve flown hundreds of hours behind their products with no issues.

Very hard to beat Garmin’s quality Keith. I’ve flown the factory Speedster just a very short time with their complete suite of avionics installed and another brand new Kitfox with the same set up and really like it. Having flown Garmin's portable GPS offerings for a couple decades now, I find their newest avionics completely familiar and very easy to navigate.

[DesertFox4]

love it Steve, nice plane. another name for it, creamsicle.

Thanks Steve.😀👍 Appreciate the kind comments from you and everyone. It does remind me of a creamsicle treat which I really like. We do have nose artwork designed. Still not yet sure if I will put it on. I think I’ll fly it first and see if it fits her.

[Hawkertech]

I noticed your panel figured it was custom, wondering where I can pick up a carbon fiber panel. Kitfox doesn't show them in their accessory store. Also thinking about the carbon cowl. I am trying to weigh the different costs of the avionics. We are on fixed incomer, I.E. retired, so need to watch some of the expense. I was thinking steam gauges , but they can be just as expensive. Thinking of starting to pick some up now so I can spread the cost out.

[DesertFox4]

Nothing wrong with steam gauges.

[DesertFox4]

Keith, my panel is not real carbon. It is carbon looking plastic masterfully molded by DesertFox1. Only two exist. One in his Kitfox and one in Tangerine. A flat sheet of real carbon shouldn’t be too hard to locate and make your own panel though.

Carbon cowls do save weight. Kitfox Aircraft was not selling carbon when mine were built. These were a ton of work but very rewarding to learn a little about carbon parts and I had great teachers.

[jrevens]

It's just beautiful Steve! Are those seat belts what Kitfox is selling now, or something else?

[DesertFox4]

Hey John. Thank you Sir.👍

Seat belts were provided back in 2014 with my kit. John McB. saw a photo of them early on in my build and asked where I got them. I said from you. He went and looked in inventory and sure enough some of these had mistakenly been mixed in with their normally sold belts. He said he’d be happy to replace them but I kind of like the military/aerobatic type buckles. They do not fit in with my quest for lightness though. The buckles are heavier than stock issued belts but heck, I like them anyways. One small concession to want and not function.

[efwd]

Awe, Good Lord. I would have chosen them over what I have. Those are what they have in the UH-1Hs I used to crew.

[Av8r3400]

Hope to meet and visit with you at Oshkosh Keith.😀

There may be an event on Thursday afternoon to facilitate this...

[Hawkertech]

I just need to keep watching for when the camping reservations open up.

[Clark in AZ]

Very nice Steve! Looking forward to a flight report and video...

Clark

[DesertFox4]

Thanks Clark. First dry sunny day we’ll see if she’ll fly.

[PaulSS]

Now get on over to the MGL Forum and get going on some screen designing. Just search 'Screen Design' and there's some very helpful videos by an Oz mate to help you get started. Those crosses are playing havoc with my OCD and would take 30 seconds to get rid of :-)

[Hawkertech]

I am thinking about Berringer brakes and wheels, what size Nose wheel does the kitfox take.

[Hawkertech]

And we wont be going the EAA Pets are not allowed. Also not allowed in any of the National monuments or Parks we wanted to see on our route.

[bumsteer]

Hawkertech

Pets (except service animals) aren't allowed on the flightline, but many people have pets in Camp Scholler. There are a few rules but unless things have changed recently, pets are allowed in Scholler.

Rick