Kitfox, Rans, Zenith, or Bearhawk

[Tentoes]

Hey guys, new to the forum. I'm in the research phase of finding a kit to build, and I figured I'd give this a shot here. I've got zero experience building, but am looking for something that is amateur builder friendly. If anyone has opinions on positives/negatives to the STOL offerings from these 4 companies, please share!

Thanks!

[patrick.hvac]

You've come to the wrong place if you want someone to give you an objective review or sway you to the other brands mentioned.
It depends entirely on your mission and budget though. Everyone has an opinion but the data doesn't lie.
You will need to clarify some more if you want an answer beyond everyone's opinion.
Of course.. the KF is the clear winner..

[alexM]

Hey guys, new to the forum. I'm in the research phase of finding a kit to build, and I figured I'd give this a shot here. I've got zero experience building, but am looking for something that is amateur builder friendly. If anyone has opinions on positives/negatives to the STOL offerings from these 4 companies, please share!

Thanks!

They're all possible projects for people who have no building experience. There's nothing bad to say about any of them. I find the Bearhawk visually uninspiring and the Zenith outright fugly.
But I spent the summer going to a monthly friendly STOL competition and got to know a Zenith builder. It's got pretty amazing short field performance and he did a great job building it.
I could have gone with any of them. I just liked the kitfox the most.

[GuppyWN]

Those are all different airplanes. You should define your mission first. That would eliminate probably 2 of the 4 you listed.

[Tentoes]

You've come to the wrong place if you want someone to give you an objective review or sway you to the other brands mentioned.
It depends entirely on your mission and budget though. Everyone has an opinion but the data doesn't lie.
You will need to clarify some more if you want an answer beyond everyone's opinion.
Of course.. the KF is the clear winner..
Oh don't get me wrong, I assumed the results to my question would be biased, but I also figured those who had built a Kitfox likely did the research I am currently doing. I'm trying to get some insight on why people chose KF aside from the folding wing.

They're all possible projects for people who have no building experience. There's nothing bad to say about any of them. I find the Bearhawk visually uninspiring and the Zenith outright fugly.
But I spent the summer going to a monthly friendly STOL competition and got to know a Zenith builder. It's got pretty amazing short field performance and he did a great job building it.
I could have gone with any of them. I just liked the kitfox the most.
TBH Zenith is the one company I haven't been super interested in because of the exact reason you said. ;) Bearhawk on the other hand is the one that is my favorite on paper, but the build process would likely be MUCH longer from what I have been researching. Seems to be a much more primitive kit compared to Rans and KF. In reality the contest to me comes down to Rans and KF.

Those are all different airplanes. You should define your mission first. That would eliminate probably 2 of the 4 you listed.
I tried to pick 4 very similar kit airplanes that would fulfill my mission. All companies offer a 2 place, high wing, tailwheel aircraft capable of short field/off field landings.

[efwd]

"I've got zero experience building, but am looking for something that is amateur builder friendly."

This statement should speak loudly in your ears. I agree with the first reply and allowed someone else to say it.
Zero experience building doesn't mean you have zero skills with your hands. I also had zero "airplane building experience" but I was a helicopter mechanic and enjoy wrench bending quite a bit as it turns out. I enjoyed the build nearly every day I went out to the garage. Not saying I didn't experience some anxiety during the build. Like when setting the wing rigging. How likely are you to finish a project such as this? It will likely be years before you finish. A huge aspect of building is the support you have from a community and or the manufacturer as well as the manual used to guide the process. Im confident in saying that Kitfox is meeting those objectives as well as or even better than most kit manufacturers. Look around here at the Forum and you will see that there are always people here to assist with your questions. You may not even have to put any tools down while waiting for replies. The factory will get back to you on those items that the forum members don't reply. I didn't need to call the factory much. The build manual is likely second to none. You can look it over on the Kitfox website. If you were to fly a Kitfox we all believe you would have your answer. Good Luck. Welcome to the Forum.

[Meyer]

If it narrows to Rans and KF, another question to ask is how much factory/reseller support would you need/want/expect. I have a friend building a Rans S20 he bought through a distributor. After a short time, no support from that distributor. He bought a 912iS to put in and there are only a couple flying with that arrangement. He is trying to piece together alot of the firewall forward stuff on his own. Another factor.

[alexM]

Those are all different airplanes. You should define your mission first. That would eliminate probably 2 of the 4 you listed.

All of those planes are basically two butts and bags with good short field performance. Only one doesn't have the third wheel on the correct end.

[Tentoes]

All of those planes are basically two butts and bags with good short field performance. Only one doesn't have the third wheel on the correct end.
So I noticed in your sig that you have a citabria. Just curious how similar these airplanes would be to something like a citabria.

[alexM]

So I noticed in your sig that you have a citabria. Just curious how similar these airplanes would be to something like a citabria.

In the context of my statement (two butts, bags and good short field performance), very similar. I love my Citabria, except for not being able to swing my own wrenches on it and the other restrictions that come with certified aircraft.

I like the tandem configuration just fine. Being a CFI I started putting my passengers up front if they had the aptitude to push the starter button and dial the COM radio (oh, and push "ident" when prompted). If I do my part correctly, my Kitfox will have a higher useful load than my Citabria and have a shorter ground roll for landing and takeoff.

For that reason I'll be selling the Citabria as my build progresses because they serve the same purpose, and I only have one hangar.

[WWhunter]

I have owned/own both RANS and Kitfox. Similar in performance with the KF slightly faster but the RANS has the slight edge on STOL (I said Slight). The one I still have fits my mission better and that's what it basically comes down to.

A tandem vs. side by side seating might be all that seperates your final decision. Tandem has more personal space for each passenger but then if the spouse likes to ride, they generally like sitting next to their significant other.

[littlecricket]

The Rans S21 is intriguing... I’d like to fly one to compare...

[WWhunter]

You're not too far from Hayes, Kansas....take a ride over there and go for a flight. I test fly the S-21 with the 912. Nice plane and flies very similar to my RANS S7. I would have loved to fly it with the 340 Titan!!! In the end, most of these planes are very similar. The S-21 is metal if that is a consideration. No worries about leaving it outside in the weather for extended periods of time.

[N14ND]

My signature says it all. I started 25 years ago and although the company changed hands there’s forum support, builder suppory and experience from those that have been there, done that, broke this and fixed that. Everything is a compromise. My advise is to jump in, the waters fine.