Well happy to be a new member to the kitfox family. I recently purchased a KF7. and having lurked here numerous times. I thought I would share my initial thoughts. Much of the research i needed came from this site, so i thought my experience may be helpful to others.

I was looking for best performing plane that would fly behind what i feel is a great engine the 912uls. I bought my plane without ever having flown a kitfox primarily based on what i have researched. The side by side seating, fuel capacity, baggage capacity, cruise and really one of the best features the convertible landing gear.

For starters I am totally pleased with my purchase. The last few years i have been buying and trying various aircraft, none that really hit the spot. I am glad to say i have found my home for a while. what a great flying aircraft, with great capacity and utility. The impressions that struck me initially are the component quality, the sturdiness of the design and the level of fit and finish. I thought the seven was going to feel bigger with two people. in my mind i was thinking too big, i wanted the perfect size plane for that engine. I think the KF7 is perfect for me, it was exactly what i wanted. I had a friend help me fly it back to my home base. initially I would say the controls were touchy. what i would say now is that it is responsive. You do not use a lot of stick motion to control the aircraft (compared to a Cessna 172 that i learned on) I would say you would use half. Obviously something to get used to but you would never want to go back. The other flight Characteristic that takes some getting used to is controlling the float which means you need to slow it down and maintain that speed, if you get a little fast at any time you will float a great deal. So approaching at a slow speed is best for me pending the winds I would be 65 or less, as i get more comfortable i will aim for 55 or less pending the winds. I have 14 total hours currently so i am sure my thoughts on this will change. So far I am using full flaps with occasion slips which are fun and have been a good tool to loose the extra elevation as i learn to set up my patterns. I recently received transition training from B. Blake from Stick and Rudder who was excellent and I would say one of the best instructors I have had. The great thing about Stick-Rudder Training is they truly know the Kitfox aircraft. I am just scratching the surface when it comes to this planes capability especially when it comes to its ability to combat wind. I thought i was going to have to cancel my first day of training because my home airport was gusting 15-20+ I have a narrow foothill runway plenty long but not very wide which gets a pretty good case of the burbles. We did plenty of crosswind training that day (keep in mind I am currently configured with a nose gear) but regardless this thing can handle the wind... Now time for me to elevate my skill

Remember my pilot friend who helped me ferry the aircraft home... he sold his plane a few weeks later and bought a kitfox. Apparently one flight and your done for!!

Yes a few hours of transition training are in order if you have never flown such a fine aircraft. This training will give you confidence and will open your eyes to its potential.

Second thoughts, When i was training years ago there was no sport pilot or much information on training options. I called the first FBO I could find and loaded up into the cessna 172 they had on the ramp. In hind sight, get your pilot license in a tailwheel, you will never regret it. and you will definatley be a better pilot for it. this is next on my list, but from my view seek out a tail option from the get go. And the kitfox would be a perfect option to learn in and you wouldn't go wrong starting with Stick-Rudder.

I have completely blurted out my thoughts on the matter. To all who are lurking like i did, here you go, I hope you find it useful.

Cheers and Good Luck!!