Kitfox Series 7 Super Sport - Show Me Fox

[Jason Murphy]

Received replacement drag anti drag bracket

Locate and installed drag anti drag tube between ribs 7 and 9.

Using flaperon checked to ensure alignment of trailing edge of wing ribs and flaperon hinge slots. Located and bonded rib no 9.

Straighten false ribs, Located and placed top false ribs for bays 3, 4, 5, (Skip 6), 7, 8, and 9. Need to final bond with hysol and flox.

[Jason Murphy]

Prepped spars and bonded false ribs with Hysol.

Filled air bubbles in SuperFil with remaining hysol.

[Jason Murphy]

Ordered plain aluminum hubcaps

Wet sand with 1000, 1500, 2000 grit

Polish with Flitz.

[alexM]

Dang.
850_8378-1.psd N59840.jpg 30 X 20.jpg
Where were you when I was polishing this thing?

[Jason Murphy]

Dang.
850_8378-1.psd N59840.jpg 30 X 20.jpg
Where were you when I was polishing this thing?

Alex, it would have been a privilege to polish that up.

[Jason Murphy]

Completed rigging square, sweep, dihedral, and washout.

2 full 12+ hour days and lots of pacing later the wings are correctly set.

Special Thank You to Alex M. for creating an amazing set of jigs to accomplish the task.

[Jason Murphy]

Prepped jury struts per manual. Attempted to fit jury strut n the right wing. Attempts were unsuccessful.

Started at the location recommended by the manual. Working with the rear strut first the lower bracket is moved up and down the lift strut. The aft portion of the jury strut is oriented vertically both inboard / outboard and fore and aft. The forward upward location is checked until oriented directly to the center of the forward spar tube and in alignment with the rear tube of the jury strut. This is made easy by the prefabricated upper bracket. The lower bracket is then fitted.

The lower forward bracket is where I started having trouble. When I attempted to fasten the lower forward portion of the jury strut to the lift strut. It would pull the whole assembly out of alignment. After several hours of frustration I gave up and emailed Kitfox for assistance. I feel that the forward lower clamp may not be up to specification, I await a reply to see if there is a better technique or additional solutions.

Enjoying my new found space I contacted the future owner and ask if I would be able to rent the space. He was open to the idea but his asking price was far beyond my budget. I plan to return the project back home after the jury struts have been fitted.

I do believe I omitted in a previous post that I have secured a propeller for the airplane. It has been previously owned, has about 800 hours of use. A purchase price was agreed upon by the seller and I. It will likely be shipped in a few weeks by the owner when he returns home.

Returned home to organize my workshop. Per information from kitfox I will not need the wing jig in the future for the build and there is no longer a reason to have them bonded to the floor. The jig was broke loose from the floor and stored away for use later if needed. Cleaned work area in preparation to bring fuselage and wings back home which will likely occur after the jury struts have been fitted.

Purchased sanding block from the local auto parts store to assist with polishing. I would like to revisit polishing my main gear seeking a more refined shine.

May attempt to clean the inside of the wing tanks tomorrow during down time at work.

[DesertFox4]

You are moving at a brisk pace Jason. Nice spacious shop too. Enjoying your build process. Thanks for sharing.

[Jason Murphy]

You are moving at a brisk pace Jason. Nice spacious shop too. Enjoying your build process. Thanks for sharing.

Oh I wish I was building in that area this whole time. I am back in my basement, I was only able to use that space for a brief time.

I actually had to move the right wing in then the fuselage then the left wing. Working on spar doublers where the wings attach to the fuselage right now.

Progress has been slowed a bit because I am preparing for my Instrument Checkride which will be on the 24th. Next goal after that will be CFI


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[Jason Murphy]

Work has been put on the back burner to focus on my instrument rating. I was unable to take my check ride due to thunderstorms which lasted for 2 days when the check ride was scheduled.

Several entries have been consolidated.

Worked on polishing the main landing gear. There are cosmetic distortions from when I had hand sanded to remove the swirls which were to help paint bond to the metal. Using a sanding block to eliminate finger grooves. Initial work was very promising. It will require several hours of hand sanding to gently remove the blemishes. Plan to work up to 2000 grit and apply polish.

Sanded the floorboard of the baggage compartment to provide a relief area for the autopilot mounting bracket and baggage sack. The floor boards should lie flat. I may order matching suede material to cover the floorboards which would match the upholstery.

Contacted kitfox regarding upholstery options. Need to decide on a thickness for the seat.

Over the past few weeks I have fit 7 of the 8 sets of spar attachment brackets. I am using the last inside bracket to provide the appropriate contour when stoning the fuselage to fit the internal diameter of the wing.

Drilled the “drill later” holes in the lift strut attachment bracket on the left wing.
Prep surfaces for bonding. I will delay bonding until I have a full day to bond the brackets. This way I do not get in a hurry and I am able to get the job done without rushing.