First, Build a Shed

[Maverick]

I bought them from the factory however, on my first KF I remember that I made my own from a heavy (0.0050 thick) plastic sheet. Buying from the factory you get a pretty nice fit but they're a little pricey. You could make your own with some 0.0016 or 0.0020 aluminum sheet if you have it lying around.

[Cherrybark]

Nice to learn I didn't just miss these. That thread has some nice ideas and "do it yourself" suggestions. I'll ignore these for now and hope they come to mind when the temps start to drop in the Fall.

[Cherrybark]

You wouldn't believe the number of consecutive rainy, overcast days we've had here in East Texas. It's just been amazing. Finally, on Memorial, day we got a break with light winds and an overcast layer around 3-4,000. Not the clear skies of my dreams but suitable for a first flight. Took my time going over the flight plan, taping a 3 x 5 reminder of flight speeds, rolling the plane out of the hanger and doing a pre-flight. Normal startup and the 912iS oil temp rose much quicker with full cowlings in place. I won't drag the story out, there were minor problems and the flight never left the ground. Summary:

Brakes too weak to hold plane during run-up. Tried taxing to see if brakes could turn the plane. Right brake was a maybe - left brake was definitely not engaging. Back home, I wondered if the tops of the brake pedals were touching the firewall since they were fully extended. More likely, I still have a bit of air in the brake lines. Happily, there are no puddles of brake fluid on the hanger floor so this isn't going to be too tough of a problem.

Managed to taxi straight ahead to a helipad that is convenient for runups and has enough clear area to try some taxi turns. Could kick the tail around with prop wash against the rudder but gentle taxi turns weren't working. An friend was watching the big event. He noticed both tailwheel springs had separated from their chains and were hanging loose. I had not been sure how tight to make the tailwheel spring connection and left them fairly loose. That would work with a spring design that captures the chain. Our "open ended" springs need enough tension to stay secure. As I taxied back to the hanger, my friend walked along with the tail and provided steering.

Finally, on the way back to the hanger, the Lane A light started blinking. Tried recycling but the steady blink returned. Didn't have a sim card in place to capture the logged data and was too frazzled to remember how to find the display page that would show the warning message.

Spent an hour reconnecting the tailwheel springs with some tension. Decided the brakes and engine warning light were more than I wanted to deal with so gave up for the day. This morning we have pre-dawn drizzle and rainy days in the forecast for the week. Probably not a good first flight day in the near future but I have time to correct the brake and engine problem.

This is the first time I'd run the engine with cowlings and turtle deck in place. The turtle deck makes a constant rattling noise that, I assume, is coming from the gap were the turtle deck joins the windshield. I assume positive cockpit pressure in flight will stop the rattle but how do you dampen things on the ground?

[PapuaPilot]

Congrats on your first flight Carl. It's been fun watching your build.

[jrevens]

Oh wow! A big congratulations Carl! Yep, it's real easy to come in too fast. It sounds like you made a good choice in parking it there for now.

I carry 15 psi in my 22" Desser's.

[alexM]

Way to go on the first flight!

I suspect you will find 20 psi is way too high. I ran 12 psi on my Citabria and would expect 11-12 to be ideal for the Kitfox. I keep a bicycle pump and a tire pressure gauge that has a max reading of 20psi so I can get granular about the number.