Skipatrol
06-10-2018, 10:42 PM
Hi TeamKitfox! Now I know why everyone loves their Kitfox! I just passed my checkride yesterday in Delta Whiskey, who I bought from builder Dan in Phoenix. During my checkride, crosswinds on RWY150 were 21012g16kts. No stress there! Delta Whiskey has a 100hp 912 Rotax, so it is a rocket. Now that I have my license I want to share some of my experiences with others considering getting their light sport license, buying their first airplane and learning to fly a Kitfox:
1. You can pretty much learn everything you need to know to build, maintain, repair and fly a Kitfox in these forums. The forum is filled with pilot/builders who know these airplanes inside out. A wealth of knowledge.
2. Not all CFI's know how to fly a Kitfox. The first time I flew Delta Whisky with my CFI, I was landing at 70mph. Then I read a bunch of posts here on the forum and now I can land at 34mph. When you start training in a Kitfox, have a binder of forum posts that tell you about Kitfox takeoffs, landings, handing characteristics, flaperon use, stalls, etc, etc. You and the CFI can use this information as a training guideline.
3. The Kitfox is very docile to fly. Power on and off stalls are easy, no scary stuff happens. It floats when you put in flaperon. I think it makes an excellent first airplane because it is easy to fly, safe because it can land at very low speeds, climb like a rocket to get out of tight spots, while using 3-4 gallons per hour.
4. Hanger space is a huge issue here in the greater Sacramento California area. Before you buy, you better figure out where you are going to keep it. I got lucky and found a half hanger that is perfect for a folding wing Kitfox. The easy 10 minute setup time is great https://youtu.be/DXBf57jZniU
5. Switching from the Evector to the Kitfox halfway through flight training meant a lot more CFI hours to transition and learn how to fly the Kitfox. If you can, do all your training in your own airplane and save some money.
6. Make your own POH. Mine is combination of Kitfox POH pages and my own custom pages, the information from various sources. It includes operating specifications and various other reference materials (Especially good for a newby pilot). You can fold pages in half and keep in protective sleeves. https://photos.app.goo.gl/9NziiMdhEhUVzj4e9
7. You will have some stressful moments while learning. Mine was my windy checkride and when my CFI accidently killed the engine twice on approach, a true "Dead Stick Landing" https://youtu.be/BKmL57jKHfQ
1. You can pretty much learn everything you need to know to build, maintain, repair and fly a Kitfox in these forums. The forum is filled with pilot/builders who know these airplanes inside out. A wealth of knowledge.
2. Not all CFI's know how to fly a Kitfox. The first time I flew Delta Whisky with my CFI, I was landing at 70mph. Then I read a bunch of posts here on the forum and now I can land at 34mph. When you start training in a Kitfox, have a binder of forum posts that tell you about Kitfox takeoffs, landings, handing characteristics, flaperon use, stalls, etc, etc. You and the CFI can use this information as a training guideline.
3. The Kitfox is very docile to fly. Power on and off stalls are easy, no scary stuff happens. It floats when you put in flaperon. I think it makes an excellent first airplane because it is easy to fly, safe because it can land at very low speeds, climb like a rocket to get out of tight spots, while using 3-4 gallons per hour.
4. Hanger space is a huge issue here in the greater Sacramento California area. Before you buy, you better figure out where you are going to keep it. I got lucky and found a half hanger that is perfect for a folding wing Kitfox. The easy 10 minute setup time is great https://youtu.be/DXBf57jZniU
5. Switching from the Evector to the Kitfox halfway through flight training meant a lot more CFI hours to transition and learn how to fly the Kitfox. If you can, do all your training in your own airplane and save some money.
6. Make your own POH. Mine is combination of Kitfox POH pages and my own custom pages, the information from various sources. It includes operating specifications and various other reference materials (Especially good for a newby pilot). You can fold pages in half and keep in protective sleeves. https://photos.app.goo.gl/9NziiMdhEhUVzj4e9
7. You will have some stressful moments while learning. Mine was my windy checkride and when my CFI accidently killed the engine twice on approach, a true "Dead Stick Landing" https://youtu.be/BKmL57jKHfQ