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Steve Kellander (DesertFox4)
2003 Kitfox Classic Model 4 - Tri-gear, widebody, Polytone Orange/Yellow paint
Rotax 912ULS, Ivo in-flight adj. prop.
As of Jan '09: 635 hours since new.

My Kitfox story began in 2002 when Phil Laker and I headed up from Phoenix to Caldwell, ID in Stan Fosters Dodge truck with a rack made just for hauling a Kitfox fuselage. Phil and I had been up a month or so earlier when John McBean sat down with me and worked out a deal for a Model 4 fuselage only kit. John had it powder coated white for me.
The previous summer Phil and I had made a trip to California, near San Francisco, to pick up a partially built model 4 kit Phil had purchased. Phil offered to sell me the wings (built about as far along as the factory quick build option) from that kit for my project. That saved a fair amount of time on the wings. That same summer I had helped Murle Williams build his new shop and he was good enough to offer me a bay in the shop to build my Kitfox . That was great because Murle has every tool, jig and template known to man to build Kitfox aircraft. Murle is an A&P and an EAA Tech Counselor. I was in the Mecca of Kitfox construction .
I started construction Feb. of 2002. 1600 hours later my first flight was October 4th 2003. My log book shows 7.1 hours flying on the 4th of October 2003. I do remember a lot of turns over the top of DeerValley Airport that day. The weather was great of course and the Kitfox flew great as evidenced by the 7.1 hours the first day.
CopperState was coming up so I had to "work" hard to get the 40 hours flown off in time to be legal to fly to the airshow with 19 other Kitfox. That was probably a world record for number of Kitfox (twenty) in one flight. By evening of 10/10/03 I had flown off the 40 hours required and taken it through it's aerobatic flight tests. Spins, rolls, loops and stalls were recorded in the log book.

Mods are as follows:
1. Wide body
2. Large baggage compartment
3. Hidden shot gun case in tail accessible from the baggage compartment (great for guns, fishing rods, wing folding rods, etc.)
4. Smoke system
5. Internal mounted ELT antenna , two comm antennas in the vertical stabilizer
6. All Speedster tail mods. but long wings for better take offs and better high altitude cruise
7. Clear wing tips
8. Custom upholstery with inflatable lumbar in the pilots back cushion
9. LED nav lights with tail light mounted inside the skid bar
10. Ivo in-flight adj. prop
11. Smooth cowling
12. Extra set of rudder cable pullies in the tail so rudder cables come out of fuselage closer to the tail like newer models (looks much cleaner)
13. Razorback - cromoly tubing welded from just behind turtledeck to the leading edge of the vertical stabilizer
14. In flight camera system (up to 4 cameras) with a 4" color tv screen in right side panel
15. Underseat tool boxes
16. Gas cap fairings
17. PVC Strut fairings
18. Glove box, lighted with LED's inside
19 Whelen wing tip and one belly strobe (Whelen emergency vehicle strobe kit from Ebay) same quality 1/2 the cost with 7 different flash patterns and two power level settings
20. Wing tip landing lights inside both clear wingtips plus a taxi light on bottom of cowling
21. LED backlit fuel site tubes (even makes daytime reading easier)
22. Lighting strip for instrument panel
23. One of a kind lower profile instrument panel surround (plastic), also has avionics tilted toward pilot for better viewing
24. Seaplane drain grommets entire aircraft just incase
25. One piece firewall with extension under pilot for extra protection with recess for engine oil sump tank so it sits low enough to use the smooth cowling
26. Back up electric fuel pump
27. Trough the hub prop controller
28. Gas operated door struts located to rear of doors
29. Tinted all lexan turtle deck
30. Cleveland wheels/brakes
31. Dual rudder/brake pedals
32. Custom rudder pedals
33. Center console
34. Large elevator with electric trim tab

Avionics:
MicroAir transceiver & transponder
Garmin Pilot 3 GPS
Intercom
GRT EIS engine monitoring system
Electric turn & bank

Flight stats:
Cruise 115 mph at 5.3 ,gals. per hour
Cruise 120 mph at 5.7, gals per hour
Cruise 125 mph at 6.1, gals per hour
Take off roll average 150 to 200'
Top speed level flight solo with full fuel no baggage 132 mph, 7.1 gals per hour
Stall no flaps 45mph, with 1/2 flaps 42 mph
Shortest landing (so far) 135'. Blacktop strip 1/2 flaps low approach with power no obstacles
Average climb rate 90 degree day 1200 to 1300 fpm.
Service ceiling not found yet. Highest flight 12,500' so far.
Empty weight 661 lbs
Does very nice loops, ok rolls and spin recovery is quick in about 3/4 of a turn
Very effective rudder and elevator
Light control pressures

The aircraft has exceeded all expectations.

I was fortunate to have some of the best Kitfox experts available to help with the build, modifications, and special parts. A specail thanks to Phil Laker, Murle Williams, John McBean, Michael Holm, Michael Gibbs, and Stan Foster for their help and support and thanks to wife Nancy and son Jake for all the time spent away from home.

Col. Steven J. Kellander
Desert Fox Squadron
Phoenix, AZ

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