Well originally I wasn't going to create a build thread, mostly because there are already many great ones and I didn't feel like I would have anything new to contribute. However, I recently read about how important it is to have some kind of build log with photos showing all my work - including all the mistakes I make along the way. The other thing I learned is that not everything required for the matrix brain transplant is found in the "hints and tips" section.

Instead I'm finding that many of you experienced builders follow along on current build projects and offer great advice and encouragement. I'm plenty encouraged so far, but will take all the advice I can get. So here goes!

I'll introduce myself in the next post but I wanted to start with the important part, and that is the project I just obtained.
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I saw this project online sometime in late February. It's an old Skystar Kitfox 5 that was never finished or flown. It appealed to me because it came with a bunch of upgrades, and included the 912 ULS FWF kit for a model 7 and a bunch of white Oratex. Upgrades include one piece windshield/skylight, aero struts for wings and tail (along with the originals), fiberglass leading edges, upgraded tail wheel spring and the AWB tailwheel that looks suspiciously identical to the Scott 3200 on my Citabria.

It has also had some defects and some mistakes made. The most glaring defect was the less than flawless powder coating on the fuselage structure, which was apparently common in the Skystar days. And the most glaring mistake made was by the previous owner when he drilled the strut attach fitting and ended up with insufficient edge margins on the internal spar extrusion. The good news is that the kit came with new spars, new internal extrusions and new wing strut attach fittings.

The seller disclosed all the above and it appeared that from 2000 miles away I was still getting a good deal. That only left the issue of transporting the project to my hangar in Tacoma, Washington. I started with the basic cost of flying me and my youngest son to Ohio and renting a 26' Uhaul. From their I sought quotes for a semi truck, DIY shipping container, etc. The Uhaul would have cost about $2600 by itself, not including gas, airfare, hotels and incidentals.

While I was in the process of getting quotes the Corona Craziness took hold, and before long it became obvious that air travel to Ohio was probably not in the cards. Fortunately one opportunity presented itself. At the airport where the project was stored there was a truck driver (a pilot and guy who restored a C150 under the supervision of an IA), who drives west twice per month and is always looking for things to "back haul". Win, win. His quote was about equal to what I was getting from the DIY container places. This left the burden of loading on the previous owner and the truck driver. Thankfully they were willing to do so, and now that the project is here I can say both of them were stand up guys who kept in contact, sent pictures of the load and the plane arrived without a scratch. The trucker sent me a satellite tracking link and he arrived within 15 minutes of his predicted ETA.

The picture above was taken the day the truck showed up. I wheeled my Citabria out of the hangar and tied it down outside so that we weren't wasting the truck driver's time and I had the space to look things over.

More about the unpacking, the builder/pilot and what I've done so far coming up.