Vista Vents

[jeffbock]

When building my SS I didn't put in NACA scoops for cabin ventilation.
Seems the Vista vent is popular but not sure where to mount or how to drill the holes without fear of starting a crack.
Eagerly awaiting opinions.
Have over 60 hours on my SS I finished the end of April and having a blast.
jeffbock - N.Idaho

[n85ae]

I have Naca ducts on mine (worthless), and Snap Vents. If I did it again I would
only install the Snap Vents. They can go anywhere from hurricane in the cabin
to closed.

The only other mod I might make is to tint the overhead, since Kitfox is another
word for "Greenhouse".

A crack free install method, but messy, is to use a dremel with sanding drums.
Which is very safe for avoiding cracks. Just mark a circle, and use cutter
wheels and sanding drums and work your way to the line.

Jeff

[N981MS]

My NACAs from Van's work. I guess I got lucky on the location. Put them through the lower cowl about 3-4 inches down from the cowl seam and about 4-5 inches from the leading edge of the door.

Maxwell

[akarmy]

I have two of the vista vents on each door. As seen in this picture.

http://www.teamkitfox.com/Forums/picture.php?albumid=100&pictureid=1304

Just drill a hole and expand with the sanding drum as referenced above. You also could use a uni-bit as they cut plexi safely as well to get started.

[t j]

A hole saw was easy and cut with no cracking. I used a hole saw the propper size in my "Lexan" doors and Just a little sanding to smooth the hole edges and vista vents slipped right in.

Attached is a photo where I installed them Just above the center cross tubes near the front of the door. In this location I can not feel the breeze when I open them. When I put my hand up there I can feel the breeze blowing across the cabin in front of me. I think if I did it again I would install them about mid way between the front and back of the door so I could "Feel the breeze".

[Esser]

Most NACA vents aren't real NACA dimensions so buyers beware.

[Dave S]

Do a search on "Thoughts on Cabin Ventilation"...That should turn up a thread statred by Dorsal a couplr years ago. Several folks contributed their thoughts on options.....post # 8 in that thread shows the home made cabin vents I fabricated for our kitfox....found that a good high pressure point was on both sides of the boot cowl just head of the front edge of the door...these provide all the fresh air I would want plus seal off completely when closed.

Sincerely,
Dave S
KF 7 Trigear

[kmach]

This is where I put my vista vents. They work well:)

I used a hole saw , and a unibit for the mounting holes.

The mounting holes need to be bigger than the actual hardware used. I believe I used two drill bit sizes bigger than the mounting bolts. This allows for expansion and contraction and eliminates spider cracking at the mounting holes . All holes need to be smoothed , sharp edges rounded by sanding.

[HighWing]

Most NACA vents aren't real NACA dimensions so buyers beware.

This is very likely true. I made my own and the only thing I specifically recall about the design is that the curved edge needs to be a sharp edge with no radius.

I made my original ones because the factory vents at the time could not be shut off in cold weather. Most guys stuffed a sponge in them when they didn't want the vent open and it looked a little primitive. I wanted a door for shutting them so the inside dimension of the housing is about a half inch overall larger than the vent door. They worked well moving a large volume of air, but as mentioned elsewhere opening and closing them in flight can be an acrobatic challenge. One thing I did on the first airplane as an addition was make a catch that would hold the pilot side door open about three inches in flight. I used it occasionally.

Then a thought just occurred to me. Most Model IVs have a cover that closes the triangular shape below the horizontal stabilizer only. This time, similar to the 5, 6, and 7 models the fuselage is closed top and bottom around the stabilizer. With no exhaust path it might be that the air may have no place to go once it enters through the NACA ducts except the various leaks. I wonder if that is one reason for the disappointing results. I will have to pay more attention to this detail and see if I can tell any difference between the two.

[n85ae]

Looks like Lowell and I built in the same Factory ... Here's mine. They do work, but I much prefer the Snap Vents, they are easier to reach, and they provide
as much air as I need.