Baggage

[z987k]

I'm looking for some pictures of the S5/6/7 baggage area. I've been reading everything I can about this series and what I can't find is pictures of the baggage, especially showing what can be put back there. Can you fit a small 12 inch tire folding bike or 2? What about a weeks worth of camping gear and food? How about a field dressed deer sized animal?
Can you remove the passenger seat for extra room, or is it a bench style seat?

[Av8r_Sed]

There's a great pic on the Kitfox website that might answer you question:

http://http://www.kitfoxaircraft.com/images/new-to-kitfox-slideshow/baggage-area-4KA.jpg (http://www.kitfoxaircraft.com/images/new-to-kitfox-slideshow/baggage-area-4KA.jpg)

[z987k]

Wow, not sure how I missed that. Exactly what I was looking for.
Do you happen to have the dimensions of that area with the turtle deck closed? Is it easy to modify it to use most of the empennage as additional cargo room for light things like sleeping bags?

[ken nougaret]

My wife made the baggage and put a zipper in the back. I made a light weight fiberglass compartment that fits perfectly behind.

[Dave S]

Zack,

We built a custom baggage bay, as others have, which provides more space for bulk in the bay. We extended the baggage floor down to the bottom of the fuselage with a tunnel over the elevator control - (I believe the current S7 has a two piece elevator control tube which can allow a lower floor for the baggage bay). We also made a bump out to the rear on the right side of the fuselage in the bay which provides room for light stuff.....that's where our sleeping bags get stuffed.

As an aside, a person wants to have measurements to calculate W & B with an extended bay as it is relatively easy to get it too far back with suprisingly little weight way back in the fuselage. I divided the baggage area into 3 arms for this purpose; and find the sleeping bags in the back, with heavier hardware to the front, works out very well within limits. We routinely pack our entire camping gear in the back, food and water, up to 150 # and still within W & B limits.

The limit for packing dead deer and bicycles in the baggage area might be the access - taking off the turtle deck would would provide the most access and I don't know if that is enough - through the cockpit definitly less. A good way to figure this out is to try to find someone with a kitfox that you can travel to and see what the setup is.

I am sure Alaska folks don't park a fabric plane with a dead deer in it in bear country....:eek:

[z987k]

Zack,

We built a custom baggage bay, as others have, which provides more space for bulk in the bay. We extended the baggage floor down to the bottom of the fuselage with a tunnel over the elevator control - (I believe the current S7 has a two piece elevator control tube which can allow a lower floor for the baggage bay). We also made a bump out to the rear on the right side of the fuselage in the bay which provides room for light stuff.....that's where our sleeping bags get stuffed.

As an aside, a person wants to have measurements to calculate W & B with an extended bay as it is relatively easy to get it too far back with suprisingly little weight way back in the fuselage. I divided the baggage area into 3 arms for this purpose; and find the sleeping bags in the back, with heavier hardware to the front, works out very well within limits. We routinely pack our entire camping gear in the back, food and water, up to 150 # and still within W & B limits.

The limit for packing dead deer and bicycles in the baggage area might be the access - taking off the turtle deck would would provide the most access and I don't know if that is enough - through the cockpit definitly less. A good way to figure this out is to try to find someone with a kitfox that you can travel to and see what the setup is.

I am sure Alaska folks don't park a fabric plane with a dead deer in it in bear country....:eek:

Ya, I've been looking for someone with a post model 4 kitfox up here to take a look at. I've seen a couple avid's running around and took a look at them, but I could quickly see they didn't have the room I need. It might be worth a trip down south to do so. Does the turtle deck open easily, like a door, or are we talking 30 screws?

[ken nougaret]

The turtle deck opens easily. I do it every flight since i trailer to and from the airport. It uses 1/4 turn camlocs; 11 i think.

[Ramos]

Given the small size of the deer in Alaska..... Just kidding, we have friends that come down to Oregon to hunt 'full-size' deer. :D

On a practical note, quartering or even halving the carcass would make quite a difference in how they load and stow. Legal to do so here, have no idea how your reg's read in Alaska.

[jiott]

I have bagged some large deer that dressed out over 200#, so even if halved or quartered that would be too much for a Kitfox baggage area. The baggage area in a SS7 is rated for 150#, but I have never been able to get even close to that when carrying full fuel and a passenger. Even with low fuel and no passenger, I doubt the weight and balance would allow 150# in the baggage area. If I were to haul out a deer carcass I would try to tie it into the passenger seat area (that might look strange to a passer-by).