bbs428 Build

[ken nougaret]

A better mouse trap you say. How about no mousetrap. I trailered for about 5 yrs and 5 miles each direction at 45-50 mph. I trailered backwards and level wings. I just pushed the elevators up till they touched the leading edge of the flaperons. I put a couple layers of thick clear tape where the contact is made on the flaperons. The forward movement into the wind keeps the elevators pushed against the flaperons. I never had any issue.

[bbs428]

Weather has improved here in the Ozarks. A Low of 60's this morning, high in the low 80's.
Logged 7 hrs. on the engine taxiing around the property. A few during the excessive heat a few weeks back. All temps and pressures are good. No leaks. Updated the G3x software and it checked good.
Still trailering the plane to Houston, Mo. in September. It will be a busy and exciting month!
Will be flying soon!


32884 32885 32886

[Kitfox Pilot]

Looking forward to the first flight!

[bbs428]

https://youtu.be/YNZTaYkvWeA


https://youtu.be/sqe-H3P3j2o

Four flights today. Surprised she flew so nice as I eyeballed the flaperon placement and the lift struts, lol. Thought for sure I’d have a low wing or the stick would be off to one side or something like that!

There were a few adjustments needed. We had to re-pitch the prop to get 5.8k rpm and the AFR gauge hit in the 15’s briefly at WOT. So I’ll have to re-jet the main’s.

I’ll post in the engine section about that cause I’ll need some guidance as I never had this style of carb before.
I’m on my phone away from my home base, so it’s a challenge to post anything! 😁

My bud Chase (Sky Pirate) did a great job as test pilot, made it look easy! It’s his B-day today! I’ll be buying him some beers and a steak dinner!

I’ll be getting my tailwheel endorsement and BFR in the weeks to come. The plan is to get through the task based testing so my CFI and I can use the plane.

[Geek]

Finally the day has come!!! Congratulations Brett!!! Lots of solid work on your part paid off. Such a pretty plane and looks much better flying!

Gary

[DesertFox4]

Congratulations Brett! Happy to hear first flights went so well. You built a good looking and flying Kitfox. Wait until you fly it solo.
Good to see Chase back in a Kitfox.😀

32927

[Redline]

Congratulations Brett! I get butterflies watching those videos because our build will be in the air soon. Can't imagine what that must feel like! Nice work - your plane looks amazing.

[jiott]

Very nice! Fun days ahead.

[Delta Whisky]

Congrats Brett, and a mighty nice looking plane too.

[alexM]

Nice! Very rewarding!

[rv9ralph]

Congratulations Brett... now the fun begins.

[bbs428]

Thanks guys.
It’s been a humbling experience.
The Forum has been great.

The fun definitely HAS begun! 😁

[efwd]

Very Very Cool. Congrats!

[bbs428]

It's been an interesting two months. Enjoying the fall flying.

I would like to bring you all up to date as I've been working on keeping my pile of parts straight down the center of the runway. ;)
Phase one has been completed!
An issue that reoccurs is cooling. Runs on the warm side when it's hot and cool when its colder. 50 - 85 degrees seems to be the sweet spot. I have a few ideas.

I changed to the 6x6 tire as I have been mostly on paved runways. there're much more forgiving. The plan is to change the tires back to the 22x8.5 when I move the plane to a different airport with a grass strip when I finish off the rest of my training this Spring. Finding The right CFI has been challenging and I think we have the right one now. Most of the good ones are booked solid for months in advance.
Finding permanent hanger space around here - or anywhere for that matter, is next to impossible but temporary space can and has been found.
With the holidays quickly approaching, family time is taking the priority now.

Plane is running great. No issues to report.
I'll compile some of the performance numbers and post them soon.

Best advise ever - Keep your eyes on the prize!

33155 33160 33156 33157 33158

[Eric Page]

Great motivation, Brett. Congrats; it's a beauty!

[Kitfox Pilot]

[QUOTE
An issue that reoccurs is cooling. Runs on the warm side when it's hot and cool when its colder. 50 - 85 degrees seems to be the sweet spot. I have a few ideas.

A thermostat by thermo bob,
https://watt-man.com/thermo-bob-read-more/
,is the best option for a rotax IMO. That takes care of the too cool side. The hot side you need air. If your radiator opening is 9 inches like the book says I think the number to use now is 11 inches.
This cures most heat problems.
Glad you are free to fly the world now! Come on over to southern Illinois when you need to see the sights.

[bbs428]

A few updates on my Kitfox and flying

Had my ALT1 (external 40-amp alt) circuit breaker pop during the taxi to the active runway. By the time I was back at the hanger the starter breaker popped as well.
Turned out the thin retaining nut for the starter switch had loosened and fell onto the switch contacts. Secured the retaining nut and dabbed a bit of clear sealant on the threads. Checked 4.0 on deck.
Normal operation is ALT1 ON. 14.2v @ cruise rpm (5.5k) Taxi is about 13.9v (2k) Flying on the backup - ALT2 (Rotax internal) gives me about 13.6v @ cruise rpm (5.5k) Taxi about 13.3v (2k)
After this I did another inspection of all the fasteners and everything else with a very bright flashlight and vacuumed out the plane again!

While syncing the carbs the other day I noticed more pronounced periods of roughness at idle. My engine is an older 1993 912ul with a zipper big bore kit, rated at 110hp.
I have suspected for a while that my CDI unit-2 Lane B (closest to the engine) was failing and upon inspection found it to be physically deformed (swollen and cracked). I had a new CDI unit purchased from a fellow on Barnstormer. It was easy to install, and the plane ran noticeably better than before. I plan on buying another so both units are the same.

https://www.barnstormers.com/classif...ob3Htivq52BNHA (https://www.barnstormers.com/classified-1604831-Rotax-CDI-Boxes-4-and-6-pin.html?fbclid=IwAR1CARrPoMrXvXPujD5FbAPEqfcHtxfI ZSuyUXRIZWLBjob3Htivq52BNHA)

All flying speeds and stalls are normal SS7 numbers as posted on the Kitfox website. Thats at 1409 lbs. Approx. 3/4 fuel and two 230lb guys.
I plan on installing vg's at a later date.
The larger SS7 elevator has no tendency to lose its effectiveness. No gap seals installed at this time. Don't think I need them.
The G3x has been rock solid - no issues. My DIY wiring harness was a great learning experience and saved big $$.
I have not played around with the autopilot yet. I'll post when that gets accomplished.
Love the Beringer wheels (all 3) and the brakes. Saved a lot of weight from the Grove setup.
Another big weight saver is the NR two blade propeller, just under 10 lbs. After a visit with the Dynavibe, it's as smooth as other 3 blade setups.
The Scott 3200 tailwheel I got off Barnstormers was a real find. Very stout and predictable. I found all the rebuild parts on AC Spruce.
The Earthx 680c battery Is light but expensive. Not much reserve. Should have bought a bigger one, but this fit in the nice custom Kitfox battery box. I have run it down a few times on the ground by accident and have had to jump it back into existence. Coupled with the Sky-Tec starter, it really starts great!
The 6x6 falcon tires have been great. I greased the bead of the tires and run them on the tubeless Beringer wheels with no issues. More weight savings!
The 22x8.50 Desser tundra tires, while great on sod/dirt are a real pita on the pavement for this low time t/w pilot. Very grabby. The 6x6's are much nicer to learn with on a hard surface.
B & C specialty products (alt and v reg.) were easy to install, and they are great to work with. Top notch!
I enlarged my NACA opening length for the radiator/oil cooler by an inch and a half as per Kitfox's recommendations. Next summer we shall see if it helped!
I'm thinking of adding louvers to the oil cooler sometime in the future.

I hung all my old Rc airplanes up in the shop so I could enjoy them. Usually, I fly them till the inevitable radio glitch and/or dumb-finger crash destroys them! Lol.

Enjoy your holidays and keep your gross weight down to within spec's!


33188 33189 33190 33191 33192

[Eric Page]

The 22x8.50 Desser tundra tires, while great on sod/dirt are a real pita on the pavement for this low time t/w pilot. Very grabby. The 6x6's are much nicer to learn with on a hard surface.
Thanks for posting this little tid-bit. I had been on the fence about whether to start my plane on the 6.00x6's that came with it, or on a set of 8.50x6's. Given that I have very little tailwheel experience either, and my home airport is paved, it sounds like 6.00x6 is the way to go.

[alexM]

The trick with the Desser 8.50s is finding the right pressure. One of the first things I did on my Citabria was go from 7.00x6 to the 8.50s. My IA set the initial pressure and I had a really hard time making a smooth landing. I started working the pressure down and found that 12psi was the sweet spot (for that plane, that set up). I could feel it if they were at 10 and I was careful to never pump them above 12.

[jiott]

I started my SS7 taildragger with the standard 6x6 tires and kept them on for about 6 months. I was a brand new pilot with a new tailwheel endorsement, but had trained in a tailwheel Kitfox at Stick & Rudder with 8.50x6 tires, so I suppose that helped a lot. After 6 months I installed the Desser 8.50x6 and didn't really notice any difference in landings on pavement, but your experience may differ. One thing I do firmly believe is that it is important to carefully set your main gear toe-in/toe-out to neutral, and also make sure the tailwheel geometry (caster) is proper.

[jiott]

I run my Desser 8.50's at 15 lbs but usually let them get down to 10-12 before I add more air. Don't notice any difference in ease of landings in that pressure range, but the lower pressures are somewhat softer on a hard landing. I'm sure 10 lbs would be fine except that I don't want to continually have to check tire pressures. I am very afraid that much below 10 lbs greatly increases the chances for shearing off the tube valve stem on hard surface landings. For this reason I start higher and make sure they never get below 10 lbs.

[PapuaPilot]

Interesting, I don't notice any difference between the 600x6 and the Desser 850x6 tires on pavement. Like others have said, I run my Dessers at 12-15 psi and make sure they don't go below 10 psi. The plane gets much harder to push by hand when they get down around 10 psi.

For any of you wanting to monitor tire slippage all you need to do is paint a reference stripe across the tire rim and tire. This will instantly show slippage. I have these stripes and check them every preflight.

[jiott]

Phil, that reference stripe is a good idea, because with hubcaps on it is impossible to check tire slippage without removing the caps.

[jrevens]

Interesting, I don't notice any difference between the 600x6 and the Desser 850x6 tires on pavement. Like others have said, I run my Dessers at 12-15 psi and make sure they don't go below 10 psi. The plane gets much harder to push by hand when they get down around 10 psi.

For any of you wanting to monitor tire slippage all you need to do is paint a reference stripe across the tire rim and tire. This will instantly show slippage. I have these stripes and check them every preflight.


Ditto, to all of this.

[PapuaPilot]

Phil, that reference stripe is a good idea, because with hubcaps on it is impossible to check tire slippage without removing the caps.

We do that with all of the planes where I work (Mission Aviation Fellowship). The type of flying we do at MAF often demands heavy braking and tires will slowly spin on the hubs.

Funny story. An airworthiness inspector, in a country that will remain unnamed, noticed our (MAF) planes didn't have slip marks on the nose wheels. After our guys attempted to explain the purpose of the stripes the inspector still didn't get it. The easiest solution ended up to just paint slip marks on the nose wheels. That satisfied the inspector. :rolleyes:

[PapuaPilot]

You can see the slip mark on the tire on the 9:00 position.

33194

[bbs428]

Appreciate all the responses!

As for the tires, my own experience in the Kitfox, being my 1st tailwheel ac, is that during the learning curve in respect to rudder inputs, during take offs and landings, being an inexperienced student and one who over corrected on pavement, I found the smaller 6x6's to be more forgiving. I did get used to the plane and the proper rudder inputs pretty quick so I'm sure I'll be fine with the bigger 8.50x22 when they go back on. The bigger tire definitely provides a safer ride on softer surfaces and look a lot better!
I agree that 15psi is good and 10-12psi is the minimum for the Desser. I run 20-22psi in the 6x6's.

As to the witness marks I can see it's a good practice with the innertube tires.

[bbs428]

Finished my tail wheel training and flight review last week. It's been a journey! Springtime in Missouri means the weather is a bit fickle, so we are now waiting on a good weather window to get it to its new hanger over in Houston, Mo.

Very impressed with the Rotax 912ul Zipper engine(110hp)/NR prop combo. Plane ran flawlessly! At one time during a cold morning Vx climb out, we were hitting over 2k feet per minute! But it was like learning how to fly all over again! In my case it worked out to about 14 hrs. at @ 2.5 hrs. per flight to get all my kinks worked out. The CFI had over 38k flight hours and really busted my chops in all aspects of flight and ground handling. Feeling good and confident about the plane and my progress. The fun is starting to ramp up!

The EAA Ch. 1609 and S.O.A.R. helped me keep the plane in Bolivar, Mo (M17) while I got my qualifications done.
It has a nice 2500ft grass strip next to the 4000 x 75ft main runway. Lots of friendly pilots call this place home. They sure were great to me!

33481 33482 33483 33484 33485

[Kitfox Pilot]

I hope you have as much fun as I have had switching to tailwheel flying! Congratulations!

[Geek]

Nice Brett!!!! You're kinda smiling there with that logbook eh? Now the real fun begins!!

Enjoy it shipmate.

Gary

[airlina]

Just in time to start some spring adventures into some neat airstrips. Have fun Brett. Bruce N199CL

[bbs428]

About 50 hrs. on this aircraft and a few squawks have shown up.
One has been solved (fingers crossed) the other is still there, but a fix is on the way.

The first involved the primary alternator voltage regulator c/b popping during climb-out.

I have the B&C LR3D-14 coupled to the B&C L-40 alternator. Checked the installation and wire routing and when that turned up nothing unusual, I sent the regulator in for test & check. It tested fine, but on that call to B&C, I turned up a nugget of info. The tech told me that the regulator c/b popping has been known to happen when the field connector terminal on the alternator was making intermittent contact. The connector is a nylon "T" style with female spade type terminals. I squeezed them a bit smaller, reconnected it and the squawk is gone. After 10 hrs. of flying, I'm declaring it fixed!

33639

The second one is still plaguing me, but a fix is in the works, and it involves the oil thermostat.


Usually on the first flight of the day, on climb-out, the oil temp starts to max out in the red. By about the time you catch it and throttle back it hits about 230deg, then it quickly comes back down to 160-180 and is usually fine after that but then after a complete cooldown it then repeats.
Not the most confidence inspiring thing to happen!

I have the Perm-cool thermostat and it's supposed to activate between 180-190 deg.
33640


I troubleshot the wiring and it all tested good. I had a new oil temp sender, so I replaced the old one just to eliminate one of the puzzle pieces. No joy. The thermostat is in "no man's land" behind the engine. Here in SW Missouri, the bigger problem is excessive heat, not cold so I'm going to bypass the thermostat on my next foray under the bonnet during the next oil change. It's a real pita to remove and replace it atm, I've decided to permanently leave it bypassed. Someday I'll remove it when it's practical to do so.


Other than that, it's been fair winds and following seas!

I was able to overcome my excessive fear of crosswinds and really tackled them head on by getting out there and practice, practice, practice!
If I get to crossed up, get off centerline, or bounce, I go around and try again. Max crosswind component I have been in is 10-15mph gusting to 20. I prefer wheel landings almost all the time unless it's dead calm. You can usually find a time it in between the gusts to get her down safely.

You must respect the wind! (quote from my CFI)

While I prefer 5-10mph winds right down the runway or a quartering crosswind vs. a full 90 deg, you cannot fly in the mid-west and not have some sort of crosswind, especially in the afternoon. So, you just learn to deal with it and conquer the fear. More than a few times the upwind wing has started to lift on rollout and a quick reaction and application of flaperon takes care of it. Being quick and lively on the rudder goes without saying! I do not use any flaps in a crosswind.

33641

I'm going to Oshkosh this year if all in my world aligns properly. If that does happen, I hope to see you all there!

[Kitfox Pilot]

I had the exact same problem with another brand oil thermostat, took it off and have had no other temp problems. Water thermostat is all one needs for quick warm up. The warm water will warm the oil right up I have found.
Glad you are getting it all lined out and some good flying in!