I'm an OFFICIAL KITFOX OWNER!

[t j]

Bubble doors and preformed windshield are Acrylic. Very fragile and easy to crack when installing. heavy, and expensive. On the other hand, they don't scratch nearly as easy as lexan. With the current windshield to use as a pattern, fabricating and installing a new lexan one is a one day job.

The photos look like it is ready, or nearly ready to fly. I would check the main wheel alignment before flying. http://www.teamkitfox.com/Forums/sho...ment#post17382

[WWhunter]

Thanks tj! Mike, the seller provided me with a pice of lexan for a new windshield. He had attempted to use a heavier piece than the factory one in hopes it would be better. Unfortunately the heavier piece started cracking in the curved area. I will use the piece he provided in my first attempt. Buying this project really doesn't leave much funds available for upgrades at the moment. I am just hoping to get it flying and then eventually upgrade it.

I actually bought this for my son and it will be up to him wether or not he wants to acquire it or if I will just keep it myself. I hate to pour money into it that will not be recouped.

Thanks for the link on alignment!!

[kitfoxnick]

My opinion (it's worth what you pay for it) for the type of flying I do,keeping up with Super Cubs.
1. vg's. I like Pacific Northwest Aero set 3.75" aft of leading edge
2. New ethanol resistant tanks from Kitfox. The tanks of this vintage have problems.
3. Grove gear
4. 26" Airstreaks I run mine at about 3psi
5. A new prop.
6. Gap seal the tail feathers
7. New tail wheel. Matco has a nice tailwheel that is a Carlisle lawn mower deck tire that works well.

Keep it light everything I mentioned adds weight. My model 4 is heavier than I like at 680lbs. The closer to 600lbs the more fun.

[WWhunter]

Nick,
Thanks! I have been warned about the fuel tanks and caled the factory before buying the plane so I know it is going to cost me a $1,000 for that little upgrade. Sucks since the tanks in it have never been used other than test run.

VG's, that is one item I will install right away since they are cheap and easy to do. Thanks for the reminder since I really had forgotten about them.

The Grove gear will definitely have to wait. Avidflyer reccommended modifying the seat truss for the bungie gear and I will do that until I can get the Grove gear.

26" Airstreaks..unfortunately I sold mine and bought a set of the 29's. To be honest I wish I would have stayed with the 26's since they are really the perfect size for these planes. I have the 29's on my S7 RANS. I do have a set of like new, 26" GY tundra tires. They are heavier and stiffer but since they are paid for I will use them. For now I will keep the Nanco tires and wheels on the plane.

New prop...., it has the GSC but I do have a two-blade Warp Drive Taper tip I removed from the RANS that I can put on the KF. I think it is 70" and will double check. Is yours the 2 or 3 blade? I can't remember.

Gap seal...easy peasy!!

Tailwheel....I have the old Matco I removed from the RANS but it is a little one. Looks like a plastic shopping cart wheel. I will look into the one you suggest.

Hey, can I just come borrow all these parts off your? Hope to meet up again and pose a bunch of questions if you don't mind.

[Paul Z]

Talk to John McBean I believe he will say the Vortex Generators are not worth the Time, or the Money. He told me he plans on removing them from his plane. He had put them on because a customer insisted they helped.

[kitfoxnick]

Paul I don't want to get in a big debate about vg's. I bought my vg's thru Kitfox and they are the Pacific Northwest aero. After reading the instructions I called and talked to the owner at Pacific Northwest Aero and we came to realization that he had not accounted for the flaperon in the chord of the wing. Setting the vg's at 3.75 back from the leading edge, using a framing square, I found to be the sweat spot. To me it is the biggest improvement I've made to my plane. I didn't see a huge drop in stall speed, maybe a knot or two. At slow speeds the plane does not get mushy at all. It has full crisp controls all the way to the stall, and once stalled you can hold the stick full back, and all she does is lightly buck in a 500' per min decent until you let the stick slightly forward. Spinning the plane is hard to do with the vgs. Now you have to stall the plane and aggressively kick the rudder all the way across to get it to spin. It took four good try's before I actually got her to spin. Before just stall it uncoordinated and she would spin.

[WWhunter]

PaulZ, Hmm, that surprises me. I am with Nick on the benefits of VG's. I have had them on two different planes and they sure made a difference on those planes. The Champ I had was nearly stall proof with them installed. My instructor, who was actually instructing my son for his PPL, had to do something similar to a hammerhead to get it to break. As Nick stated, you could hold the stick in your lap and as long as you kept your feet busy on the rudder it would just mush along. Sort of fun actually.

I put them on my S7 RANS and it definitely helped with low speed controlability. That plane wanted to 'drop like a rock' when approaching stall speed. Before the VG's it was very hard to 3-point without dropping it onto the runway. After I installed the VG's the feel on the stick was much more solid and controlable. I also put shelving paper in the elevator gap and that improved the feel even more.

I have read where VG's are a waste of money for certain wing designs, mainly the Cessna wing. I think they do work well on most STOL type planes and I will more than likely be putting them on this KF.

They are a cheap mod. I bought the STOLSPEED brand and if I remember correctly the cost was roughly $100. Cheap for what they do. Or go cheaper yet and get the AirWave brand for a whopping $50!

[Paul Z]

I would consider trying the VGs and Gap seals, but I can't because I have a SLSA.

I have been considering having my plane rectified as a ELSA, but there are a lot of downsides, and on the flip side there are a lot of upsides. Either way with the SLSA Repairman Certificate I can do my own repairs.

[kitfoxnick]

On an experimental anyone can do their own repairs. Just can't sign the annual. You need the repairmen certificate or an A&P.

[Danzer1]

On an experimental anyone can do their own repairs. Just can't sign the annual. You need the repairmen certificate or an A&P.

Yes - true on EAB, but not to be confused with ELSA or SLSA. On those there are two types of repairmans cerificates - inspection and maintenance.

If you only have an ELSA or SLSA inspection repairmans certificate - you can only sign off on your own annual. You can only do "maintenance" that is outlined in the owners manual as authorized by the aircraft manufacturer.

If you hold a ELSA or SLSA maintenance repairmans certificate, you can do all of your own maintenance/repair.

If you hold neither, then you need an A&P.

This FAA document explains the requirements for both: http://www.faa.gov/documentlibrary/m...c%2065-32a.pdf

Modifications however are a completely different animal on both ELSA and SLSA.