Seat installation

[desertdave]

One problem with the long tab is that the bonding agent may let loose due to flexing of the seat pan.

That is why I bent the long straps to conform to the curve on the top and bottom of the seat pan. Structurally they don't even need to be bonded to anything. Physics/engineering wise they just act as backing plates for the screws. Bonding them is just a bonus and it eases the install.

[Maverick]

Obviously there are several possible solutions to this problem, a serious design/manufacturer flaw that Skystar ignored but that Murle Williams did something about; something that John and Debra have addressed in the later models, thank goodness. I am of the KISS method but, what ever solution you land on and you're building a 5, do something about the problem before you head for the wild blue yonder.

In 2003 Murle Williams convinced me to put in the underseat compartments he designed. On my first cross country trip, near Gallop New Mexico I got into turbulence. When I landed in St.John's for fuel was when I first noticed the front lip of the seat pan was behind and below the cross member. The zip ties were useless. Had I not had the compartments I would likely be a statistic in FAA hall of fame of the not so fortunate. Thanks Murle, again.

And whatever solution you come up with for the front lip problem, seriously consider the blocks of wood beneath the compartments. I used 2x2 pieces with notches cut where the tubing is and held in place beneath the compartments by zips. Safety straps are too prone to stretching. If you have the compartments, you could get by with straps but, I like keeping it simple. As Desertfox4 would say to me when we were building our first Kitfoxes, find the most likely failure point and attack it with your ingenuity. No one wants to read about you in a NTSB report.
Blue skies and calm winds,
Fred

[jiott]

I have the Model 7SS with built-in under-seat boxes, but just to make sure I also installed, with Hysol, the blocks Maverick was talking about; very easy thing to do.
By the way, that plastic header tank is long gone, replaced with aluminum.
076.jpg077.jpg078.jpg

[RV6flyer]

I have the Model 7SS with built-in under-seat boxes, but just to make sure I also installed, with Hysol, the blocks Maverick was talking about; very easy thing to do.
By the way, that plastic header tank is long gone, replaced with aluminum.
076.jpg077.jpg078.jpg

Did you have problems with the plastic tank? I saw that some people had leaking issues with the weld job on the aluminum tank.

[jrevens]

When I got my kit Kitfox was still using the zip ties and there were no tabs welded to the structure to secure the seat. Just like others, I wasn't really impressed with that system. I made brackets also, out of stainless steel, SS pop rivets and steel 10-32 "Tric-Nuts". I bonded these to the tube structure and created a secure clamping action with 2 rivets each, followed by installing the Tric-Nuts. I also bonded AN960 washers to the fiberglass at the 8 mounting locations. It wasn't too long after that when Kitfox started welding on tabs.