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View Full Version : Nov '08 KOTM - Bruce Hoisington



RandyL
11-01-2008, 03:22 PM
144

Bruce Hoisington (Cowboy (http://www.teamkitfox.com/Forums/member.php?u=249)) - Bend, OR
Series 7
Rotax 912 ULS, Ivo Medium in-flight adjustable

On September 20, 2002 I hauled my kit home in a crate on my flatbed trailer. I didn't actually start building until in November. After 3 years and 2 months I test flew my plane on January 5, 2006. That was a rewarding day and one I will never forget. I had never done anything like this before. This was my first build. To be flying a plane that I built in my shop at home was a great feeling on accomplishment and a thrill. I owe a lot of thanks to John and Deb McBean for all there support and help in the final stages of completion.

I wanted to build the plane as a traildragger originally, but I had no tail time and no Kitfox time. So, I decided I would fly it for awhile and get to know the plane real well, then get some tailwheel time and switch it to conventional gear. In June 2007 I got my tailwheel endorsement and bought everything I needed to make the conversion. In March of 2008 I switched it to conventional gear, built new bubble doors and put some 6x8.50 tires on. The conversion was not to difficult and took the better part of one day.

This summer I flew my Kitfox back to Airventure Oshkosh. Round trip of almost 3700 miles. Now that, is an experience! I now have 480 hours on my plane in 2 years and 9 months. I guess you can see, I love flying my Kitfox!

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DesertFox4
11-01-2008, 03:43 PM
Bruce, congrats. on a spectacular Kitfox. It's amazing the quality of the builds we are seeing. Beautiful workmanship on this Kitfox and if looks great in both configurations. Very nice Bruce. :)

RandyL
11-01-2008, 03:54 PM
Bruce's plane is a perfect case study for the Kitfox's ability to switch landing gear configurations too.

I have a bunch of pics of Bruce's plane that I'm referring to as I build mine as an example of "how to do it right".

Bryan
11-01-2008, 06:54 PM
Bruce very nice build. I have a few questions for you. First I would like to know what the empty weight is and get your opinion of the tailwheel vs. trigear. What kind of speed difference between the two gear setups as you had pants with the trigear and went with the larger tire on the conventional.
What type of paint did you use, and again very nice job. I will agree with the others that it seems like we just keep seeing better and better examples of great Kitfoxes.

DanB
11-01-2008, 08:40 PM
Bruce,
I saw your plane at the factory fly-in this year and it is a bute! Nice story regarding the ability to change up the gear. I'm in the same spot as you were with no tailwheel time...I will have a nose dragger when I finish, but I plan to switch up at some point just for a change.

Cowboy
11-01-2008, 09:29 PM
Bruce very nice build. I have a few questions for you. First I would like to know what the empty weight is and get your opinion of the tailwheel vs. trigear. What kind of speed difference between the two gear setups as you had pants with the trigear and went with the larger tire on the conventional.
What type of paint did you use, and again very nice job. I will agree with the others that it seems like we just keep seeing better and better examples of great Kitfoxes.

Bryon, thanks for the nice compliments. My empty weight is 848# as a tailwheel. Was 838# in the tricycle gear. As far as speed difference, I did not see any noticeable change in my speeds. I would have thought that the bigger tires and no wheel pants would have made a difference. Maybe that nose wheel out front had enough drag that it made up for the difference in the bigger tires on the mains. It is a docile tailwheel and I am loving it. Would not change back to nose gear. The paint is Poly Fiber Aerothane. Hope that answered your questions?

Thanks again,
Bruce

Cowboy
11-01-2008, 09:45 PM
Bruce's plane is a perfect case study for the Kitfox's ability to switch landing gear configurations too.

I have a bunch of pics of Bruce's plane that I'm referring to as I build mine as an example of "how to do it right".


Randy, thanks for the November KOTM and I appreciate the very nice comments on the plane.

Thanks
Bruce

Pilot4Life
04-08-2009, 12:28 PM
Bruce,
Great Airplane. I am new to the Kitfox world and am interested in purchasing and building after returning from Iraq. I have absolutely zero fixed wing time, for now! I love the Kitfox for many reasons, but the owner/builder aspect and the thrill of just playing around in the sky are a couple of them. You've got a great airplane. Your pride in workmanship shows in every detail. Look forward to getting to know more of the Kitfox Family as the reality of building my own grows closer.

Great Job,
Chris Holaday (CW2, US Army)

DesertFox4
04-09-2009, 08:19 PM
Chris,

On behalf of TeamKitfox Forums , welcome.
Glad you are considering a Kitfox for your civilian flying. We're happy and honored to have you as part of our Kitfox Family. A great big THANK YOU to you and all your fellow soldiers doing the hard work over there so we can enjoy the liberties that you guarantee. Please come home safe and let us know what we can do to help. If you've never flown a Kitfox let us know and we will get you a flight in one.
Just be warned. One flight and you will be hooked. The Kitfox has many fewer moving parts than the Blackhawk you currently fly and has a slightly lower operating cost per hour.;) Thanks again Chris and please keep in touch.

Paul Z
05-28-2009, 09:28 AM
Beautiful Plane!
I am thinking of building a series 7, because I want a Tri-Gear, mainly because my daughter wants to learn to fly. I have 30+ hours of tail wheel time in a J3 & a C120, but it would be better for my daughter to learn in a Tri Gear. That is the reason I am thinking of getting a Series 7 so it can be convertable. Once my daughter learns to fly I can convert it back to a Tail Dragger.
One question about your plane, what is the Cruise speed, Climb Rate, etc. ?