Model 4 verse the 7 ss

[HighWing]

Wow, Guy! I just checked in the mirror and you are right - well, at least half right.

[jrevens]

Yeah, that's actually the reason I am not building a IV - couldn't pass the "looks" requirement. Well, that and I just don't fit in that darn little airplane very well with my beautiful long legs.

[av8rps]

I bought a 4 in my mid life so I could save money on skin cream and a gym membership. Having floats on my 4 I'm still having issues with getting mobbed by attractive young women at the beach...

I thought I finally found a nice little spot I could enjoy my plane without being bothered by attractive young women, but if you look close in this picture you will see a bunch of them coming down my driveway. Dang!

(LOL!!!)

[Esser]

Beautiful spot!

[rainbird]

Must be my old failing eyes but I don’t see those invaders coming down your driveway. Great location though. Looks like an advertisement for the guy who has his priorities RIGHT.

[fastfred]

I know this is a different subject but how do you tie the plane down on the water? Is there a dock there? Would you trust it to leave it while you are gone? Is there a place to learn this information?
I hunted with a guide in the arctic and he would leave his 185 just moored off shore with a line around the propeller shaft . It would bob out there for weeks in some of the most extreme wind and weather I have ever been in.

[av8rps]

I know this is a different subject but how do you tie the plane down on the water? Is there a dock there? Would you trust it to leave it while you are gone? Is there a place to learn this information?
I hunted with a guide in the arctic and he would leave his 185 just moored off shore with a line around the propeller shaft . It would bob out there for weeks in some of the most extreme wind and weather I have ever been in.

I am very fortunate to be on a 7,000 acre lake that is perfect for seaplane flying, and to live on a penninsula that is very sheltered from wind to park my seaplane. Being a penninsula I have two docks to use when desired, but normally tie down the Kitfox in the shallow sand beach on the tip of the peninsula (see pic, but note I typically have ropes on wings too). To avoid concerns about bad weather I watch weather and take the Kitfox back to the hangar when it makes me feel better.

But for the record, I kept my straight float Avid Flyer at home all year round from 1987 until 1998...(see pic) tied down on the point in summer and tied down on the ice (on wheel skis) by my back dock in the winter. I flew an average of 250 hours a year by having my plane always at home, but having the option with amphibs to put the Fox in the hangar is really the best of both worlds. Concerns about storm damage, excessive UV damage to the fabric, bird and bug nests, etc are minimized.

I ran EAA's Seaplane Base for the last 14 years, which provided me with a lot of experience mooring seaplanes, as 90% of the seaplanes attending are put out on moorings. I've seen 70+ mph winds rip through that bay, and yet never saw a seaplane get damaged (but some airplanes tied down at airport did). A good mooring setup will work well to protect a seaplane in most any weather conditions. The concept is simple: Use a large concrete block with a stainless cable lead under the water in which you then attach a nylon prop bridle to so that the plane will weathervane into the wind, and when the wind kicks up waves the harder it blows the more it pulls the nose down, which spills all of the lift off the wing because the wing has negative incidence to the relative wind. So the only thing you really have to worry about is if the plane leaks you could sink. But of course there are ways to safe guard against that too. The easiest way is to park in shallow water, like Eaa's Seaplane Base mooring area has.

[fastfred]

Thank you for the info. That explains how and why the Canadian guide moored it in those high winds.
Where can I get the prop bridle?
I too have the perfect lake a couple miles long but very remote hardly any boat traffic most days. I do not have any sandy place to pull it out though so I might build a ramp to drive it up. I have some work to do to get my sea plane rating so I put it back to wheels and I am looking for skis if you hear of any.
I am having trouble getting a CFI that is current in the Kitfox is my next issue.

[av8rps]

Sounds like you have a great plan to have a seaplane at home. But don't be surprised to learn that you may have to modify your plan a bit until you settle in with what works best.

As you know I'm not opposed to mooring. But even without a sand beach, if I had a shoreline that would allow a wood seaplane ramp that would be my preference in keeping my plane at the house. Just make sure you have nice sturdy tiedowns to keep it safely on the ramp. I use 4 ft long screw in steel anchors.

And a really cool thing about owning a folding wing plane is that you can fold the wings back and tie it down snug and it's not going to go anywhere. And if the winds were really, really a concern (as like a hurricane?), as an additional safety measure just fill the floats with water and your little Kitfox will now weigh as much as that small car in your driveway. With the Kitfox folded up, weighted down, and tied down, the car may blow away first

The wheel penetration skis Avid made work well for a Kitfox if you can find a set. There were some recently in forum classifieds. You can also make them a straight ski if you want, if you get really deep snow they will work better that way.

Hopefully you'll find the right instructor soon. Enjoy the training, you'll look back at it for most likely the rest of your life as a highlight. I do.