Whats your idea of first takeoff?

[avidflyer]

Another thing to keep in mind is the shape of the Kitfox cowl and the way it angles in can make you want to come in crossed up which can be rough on the gear and even give you a good start on a groundloop. Especially on a paved strip. Also, if you are used to flying a single seat or tandum, you might have a tendency to want to look through the center of the prop, but with the side by side seating, then you are flying crossed up because you uncounciously want to look through the prop like you are used to. I even put a small piece of tape on the bottom of the windshield to help me see where I should be looking. Taxing in a straight line and looking way ahead shows where the tape should be. There is a real good small book titled How to fly a Kitfox, it can be a big help. Try to get one of these books if you can. Take care, Jim Chuk

[cap01]

i suppose that round cowl thing about not lining up straight can be a problem for some people but for us shorter people that cant see the cowl its not an issue
cp
kitfox IV 1050
yelm, wa

[rwaltman]

That was a problem for me - I learned to fly in gliders. When I started taking lessons in common SEL trainers (Cessna 150/2, Tomahawk, Cherokee) I could not (at the beginning) align the plane properly on take offs and landings.
Was trying to keep my nose, the airplane's nose and the runway centerline aligned. That only works OK when you are sitting on the plane's middle.

I am planning also to put narrow strips of masking tape on my kitfox windshield (center, left and right) to give better visual clues of the proper alignment.

Roberto.

[SkyPirate]

The easiest way to line up on center line from the pilot seat is to mentally put your right shoulder and hip on the line ,..look all the way down the runway at an imaginary line 2 foot to the left of the center line ,..don't look right in front of you ,..you will be wagging the tail to keep her straight,..which could end up in a ground loop,..when landing do the same ..look all the way down the runway at that imaginary line that is 2 foot left of the runway line ..if you need an aid ..ask first if you can do this ..put a cone 2 foot to the left of the line at each end of the runway your using.
Sometimes trying to hard to land center of the runway can be asking for trouble ..the plane doesn't care if you land center or not,.. there are no center lines on most grass strips ,..you pick a spot you intend on touching down and aim her towards a point at the end of the runway,..ie "the cone"
Get the basics down first ..then work on making it look pretty

Chase

[Slyfox]

OK, I'll admit it. I don't land center line all the time. Sometimes, when I'm bored, I'll do a landing and land on the left edge of the runway, than I'll flat turn it and touch down again on the right side of the runway, and... than I'll flat turn it again and land it on the center line, I know smart a..

[SkyPirate]

lol Show off :P try this Steve,..touch down on one main wheel ..keep it on the line as long as you can,..then pop her off the ground and land on the other main I use to do that all the time ,..of course I always got comments from the bystanders ,..yer gonna wreck that thar plane some day ~!! etc,.etc..
I was just living life that's all

Chase

[Slyfox]

Ok you asked for it. Try this one, land right down the middle, than lift the right wheel and than, while doing the wheelie, move the plane over and run the left wheel on the center line, than move it back over and put it back on two wheels right center down the runway, you know left wheel on the left of the center and right wheel to the right of center perfect, than raise the left wheel and do the same thing on the same touch and go. The right side is a real doosey because your sitting on the left and you don't see the right wheel.

[SkyPirate]

<grinnin> done that I can see when I'm done with this current project and I go back onto getting a model 4 ,..we will have to meet up and do some flying together maybe some fancy ground work competition ..with a case of Rotax oil as the query ha ha

I've only done this a couple times in a kitfox ,..land with speed,..useing the brakes to slow once on the ground and keeping the tail up with power ,..taxi all the way to the hangar with tail up ,.( this is on a tail dragger) then set her down with tail pointed towards hangar ready to park her for the night and do it without bouncing her tail when you set it down

Chase