The same questions keep coming up on the forum so it might be helpful to post your builders tips. Tell us about any homemade jigs or tools. And if you have the courage, tell us about your errors and how you corrected them.Potential construction pitfalls.

While building the Kitfox, I noted a few areas that can lead to problems later in construction, and a few areas that could have been a lot easier with just a little clarity.

I’m sure others have some great tips, so jump in here and share them with those about to embark on the journey.

There are so many things to cover it is not possible to put them all in a single post. Instead, I’ll add to it every few days or so. I hope you'll do the same.


Installing elevator bushings--- Reaming the elevator bushing sockets is tough. You can get the reamer in position but there is no room for a chuck handle. You’ll need a small wrench to turn it. That is a bit awkward. Try using a 1/4 inch drive ratchet with a square drive socket on the reamer. A short extension with a U-joint will give you room to turn the reamer and it will avoid turning the reamer in reverse. (Turning a reamer backwards will quickly dull it.) Some of my bushings were oversize and would not fit in the reamed holes. Put a sacrificial nut and bolt through the bushing and chuck it in a drill press. Hold a file against the bushing as it spins to reduce the size. To press the bushings in the stab sockets use a C clamp. Do not beat on the bushings with a mallet.

To drill out the 3/16 inch (0,187”) holes in the elevator and many of the fuselage tabs get a 24 inch long drill bit at Home Depot found in the electrical section. You can reach into spots not possible with a regular drill bit and motor. You can even flex the bit to drill around slight bends. The long drill bit is about $5 and invaluable for those hard to reach spots.


General tips on Hysol – Cheap veterinarian syringes make good applicators for Hysol. They can be purchased at most farm and ranch supply stores for about 50 cents each. They come in several sizes. The best ones for gluing are the type that use press on needles. The screw-on needle type nozzle is too wide to get in tight spots. To allow the thick Hysol to flow through the nozzle better, drill the tip to a larger opening. I buy 10 or so at a time and drill all the tips at once. Load the syringe using Popsicle sticks. To make nice looking fillets use a plastic soda straw dipped in denatured alcohol to smooth out the adhesive. Note on Hysol: Keep the lid closed as much as possible. The white colored part will granulate if exposed to air for extended periods.


Bonding preparation – Do not skip this step or your bonds may fail. Scrub all areas to be bonded with a Scotchbrite pad and clean with denatured alcohol. Especially clean and scrub powder coated items.


Flox or Micro balloons? What's the difference? -- Both thicken up the Hysol so it doesn't run or sag during application. Flox does not appreciably reduce the strength. Micro balloons add air and do reduce the strength. So use flox for strength where the glue might sag or run. Use micro balloons to make "Bondo."



Coming soon.... those $%^&* rudder torque tubes and how to deal with them.


John Pitkin
Greenville, TX