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Thread: STI Kitfox Deadstick

  1. #11
    Skipatrol's Avatar
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    Default Re: STI Kitfox Deadstick

    While in training 5 years ago my CFI killed the motor, twice, on short final. Kitfox is a great glider with no engine. I adjusted stops on carbs after this incident. Motor is the 912uls. Video
    https://youtu.be/BKmL57jKHfQ
    George
    Granite Bay, CA.
    Kitfox Light Squared
    912ULS Tri Gear

    My YouTube Channel

  2. #12
    Super Moderator desertdave's Avatar
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    Default Re: STI Kitfox Deadstick

    Quote Originally Posted by Skipatrol View Post
    While in training 5 years ago my CFI killed the motor, twice, on short final. Kitfox is a great glider with no engine. I adjusted stops on carbs after this incident. Motor is the 912uls. Video
    https://youtu.be/BKmL57jKHfQ
    Not criticizing but your CFI left 1500 feet of usable runway behind him. Good lesson on glide, poor lesson on flight path management.
    Dave
    KitFox 6 Taildragger
    912 ULS
    Whirlwind 70” Prop
    Garmin G3x
    All around nice guy

  3. #13
    Skipatrol's Avatar
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    Default Re: STI Kitfox Deadstick

    Quote Originally Posted by desertdave View Post
    Not criticizing but your CFI left 1500 feet of usable runway behind him. Good lesson on glide, poor lesson on flight path management.
    That was the first time my CFI had flown My Kitfox. I think the glide ratio caught him off guard.
    George
    Granite Bay, CA.
    Kitfox Light Squared
    912ULS Tri Gear

    My YouTube Channel

  4. #14
    Senior Member av8rps's Avatar
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    Default Re: STI Kitfox Deadstick

    Back in the mid to late 80's when I was flying the Avid Flyer prototype, Dean Wilson suggested I practice true dead stick landings (he knew that original Scorpion snowmobile motor linked to his homemade gearbox from a ford mustang would fail sooner or later). I had so much fun doing it that I logged it. In that first airplane I did 3.8 hours of gliding and landing practice power off (airport manager asked me to stop once he realized what I was doing...prop being stopped gave it away I guess. LOL).

    I learned a lot from doing that and have since done many intentional dead stick landings in a wide variety of Avids, Kitfoxes, Highlanders, etc, etc.. The most important thing I can share from those experiences is that generally speaking, the glide speed is 60+ mph, and when you get near the ground give it a bit more speed to know you will be able to arrest the sink rate, and so you can flare. "An extra 10 for Mom" is what I call that.

    Some say that sounds fast, but these are high drag STOL wings and the drag creeps up on you fast. And it is way different than what you are used to, when the engine is running. You can't just bump the throttle up a bit as needed. Rather, you carry a little extra airspeed that you can always bleed off once you know the sink rate and flare are under control.

    I have always been amazed how the 60 mph plus glide speed number works pretty much the same on all the various iterations and evolutions of the original aircraft. But it does. And it is real easy to remember.

    Fly safe.

    Paul S
    Central Wisconsin

  5. #15
    Senior Member efwd's Avatar
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    Default Re: STI Kitfox Deadstick

    Paul, Thanks for the entertaining read. Especially the Airport Manager part. I have been wanting to do this for some time. Dustin once told the story about his Smart Glide experience but he didn't shut down the engine so he was left with some question still. That and Steve Henry flying deadstick off the mountain has caused me to think of the value of the experience. Fortunately for me, I have large, open, dry lake beds to use as my
    my spot to land. Very near where the Space Shuttles lands at Edwards AFB. I could float forever without concern. Still, it goes against the "brain". Your airport manager attests to that. Nobody out on the lake bed though. Ive gone to idle while on downwind and I haven't made it sometimes. Ive learned from those experiences, winds change things more than I imagined. What if the engine was off? I won't be doing anything like that at the airport. Have fun, fly safe and thank you for the post.
    Eddie Forward
    Flying
    SS7, 912iS, Garmin G3X

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