Should I widen my body ????? Kitfox-4-1200

[rogerh12]

Howdy again all;
With all the input on bubble doors being a good idea for big guys, it came up that a wide body kit is available for the model 4 for just $250. I do have a couple of extra bucks and some extra time this winter in my garage AND my fuse is not too far along…. Should a 250 lbs guy add the wide body kit to his model 4 instead of just bubble doors? I am only about 5"9", so I am a bit wide in most parts, so I was thinking it might be a good choice for me.... but is it?
I understand it will add weight, and perhaps some drag? Also, I will have to burn off my powder coat, something I really love about the fuse... , but I do have some extra time this winter …..
What do you think,,,????
Roger

[DanB]

I am very happy with the decision to include the Wide Body Mod. Give Murle Williams a call and he will fix you up. http://www.azshowersolutions.com/WideBody.html

[rogerh12]

Dan;

Thanks for the notation. Since the option exist to widen the body or add bubble doors, I guess my question is more like; Does the wide body kit add much more room then the bubble doors, or about the same?
Roger

[DanB]

Hard to call w/out them side by side. Probably close to the same but others may have a better answer.

[hansedj]

I would say the wide body mod, our bubble doors only gave us 3 inches at the shoulders the wide body mod said 5 inches at shoulders and hips

[Av8r3400]

Why not both?

[rogerh12]

Why not both? Good question.

I do have used doors now, so creating bubble doors from my other new door frame can be done later, when I need something to do. If I do the wide body change, I have to do it now, as am nearing the covering stage for the fuse, Plus, I need to have someone weld them in for me as my welding sucks (I am more of a sheet metal man), and of course that's an extra cost item (not to mention hassle item of moving the airframe back to the welders shop).

Still looking for more advise though,,, keep it coming guys

[DesertFox4]

I've been flying my 4 with the wide body mod. for 8 years plus now. My 4 has lots of mods but the two I would not want to do without are the wide body and the large baggage compartment. The wide body mod. is utilized every time you fly so I would rate that number one. It really can't get you more room at the hips as the fuselage structure is unchanged there. It gives you more room where you really need it which is at the shoulders. This is the widest part of the body so it really benefits the comfort factor.
As stated earlier in this thread, bubble doors inhibit the full opening of the doors as they contact the underside of the wing sooner leaving less room to enter/exit the cockpit. Not a huge compromise but still needs consideration for those less nimble.
The hardest part of the wide body mod. other than welding ( I'm not qualified), is the reshaping of the stock door frames to fit the new angles of the door opening. The frames will need a whole new "profile" to fit the new opening. Bending, twisting and many trial fittings will get you there but patience is a must. Well worth the effort. Dan B. , Murle Williams and myself just went through this process on Dan's 4. Turned out very nice and Dan will love it when he gets airborne shortly.

Another side benefit of the wide body kit is an neater and easier fabric cover job on the fuselage sides. The new profile eliminates several tapes on each side. Kind of cleans up the outside appearance at the cockpit area.

We have seen no indications of increased drag during air ops. Strange as it may sound , it may have made the aircraft slightly faster but no way I can quantify that last statement. I just know there appears to be no penalty in cruise for the added cockpit comfort with no adverse characteristics in handling.

I believe John and Deb have this available at the factory if you decide to incorporate this modification. I just did a quick look at Kitfox Aircraft LLC's on-line parts catalog for the wide body "kit" but did not see it listed. I may have just missed it in my fast search.

[LSaupe]

I know this is an older thread, but plan on adding this to my Model III and was curios as two what other mods might be required (if any) to support the fabric.

For those of you who completed the mod, did you add any structure to support the fabric below the sill and behind it, or just cover as is?

Any experiences or pics would be of great benefit.

Larry S.

[avidflyer]

I'm in the process of rebuilding an Avid MK IV. I'm doing a wide body mod in the fuselage as well. It requires 7' of tubing on each side of the plane. It makes the plane 3" wider then originally. I don't think I will ever re do another Avid or Kitfox without doing this mod, as I'm sure it will be a help whenever I'm flying with someone else in the plane. Desert Fox mentions that his speed may have increased, I'm not surprised, the Aeronca Chief and Champ are very similar airplanes. They use the same wing, tail feathers, ect. Champ is tandem seating and Chief is side by side. You would say, Champ is narrower, and a bit longer, it should go through the air faster. Not true! The Chief is a faster flying aircraft when put up against an identically powered Champ. Anyway, here are a couple of pics of my wide body mod. Jim Chuk