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View Poll Results: Did you license your Kitfox, designed for 1550#, at 1320#?

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  • Yes

    8 40.00%
  • No

    12 60.00%
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Thread: 1320 vs 1550

  1. #11
    Senior Member Dave S's Avatar
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    Default Re: 1320 vs 1550

    Quote Originally Posted by PapuaPilot View Post
    I went with 1550 and plan to keep doing a 3rd class medical. Now we have the Basic Med option. If I want to let my FAA medical expire I can still use my plane at 1550.

    It has been a few years since our S7 got its AW; however, I followed the identical logic Phil did; although the basic med thing was only a gleam in anyone's eye at the time - still doing the Class III at present.

    I do find the 1550 GW a very useful feature.
    Dave S
    Kitfox 7 Trigear (Flying since 2009)
    912ULS Warp Drive

    St Paul, MN

  2. #12

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    Default Re: 1320 vs 1550

    lots of people fly at or a "little over" gross. If you know you can safely load more your only worry would be IF you get ramp checked. You would vastly increase your resale eligibility because anyone SP or above could fly it . I have a friend that is in the same predicament but he is a SP currently and legally could not even fly the airplane he is building without more training. At some point you may not be able to keep your medical so having an LSA would come in handy. I know you have a thorp so that may be an issue later.

  3. #13
    Senior Member TJay's Avatar
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    Default Re: 1320 vs 1550

    I don't under stand why you cannot register it at 1500lbs and if your only lsa rated just don't fly it above 1300lbs? Does this not work?
    TJay Larsen

    M1 Custom

    Jabiru 2200 85hp

  4. #14
    Senior Member aviator79's Avatar
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    Default Re: 1320 vs 1550

    Quote Originally Posted by TJay View Post
    I don't under stand why you cannot register it at 1500lbs and if your only lsa rated just don't fly it above 1300lbs? Does this not work?
    That definitely doesn't work. An LSA must be 1320 lbs gross weight or less continuously since original certification, and if it isn't an LSA, a sport pilot can't fly it.

    Only about 1% of active pilots are sport pilots, so I'm skeptical about vastly better resale values at the lower gross weight.. I would also expect that Basic Med will mean fewer new Sport pilots.
    --Brian
    Flying - S7SS

  5. #15
    N981MS's Avatar
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    Default Re: 1320 vs 1550

    Quote Originally Posted by TJay View Post
    I don't under stand why you cannot register it at 1500lbs and if your only lsa rated just don't fly it above 1300lbs? Does this not work?
    Logically it works. Especially with a Kitfox since it could be originally registered LSA legal or not. Unfortunately, legally it does not work.

    Unfortunately once an AC is registered above 1320 the LSA show is over. You could change to a new GW below 1320 but the FAA says it cannot be flown as an LSA. That is FAA logic.
    Last edited by N981MS; 03-13-2018 at 06:53 AM.
    Maxwell Duke

    Kitfox S6 IO-240 Built it (Flying since 2003)
    Maule M7-235C Sold it (liked it though)
    RV-10 IO-540 Bought it
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  6. #16
    Senior Member Flybyjim's Avatar
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    Default Re: 1320 vs 1550

    Hello,

    You posted,That definitely doesn't work. An LSA must be 1320 lbs gross weight or less continuously since original certification, and if it isn't an LSA, a sport pilot can't fly it.

    Only about 1% of active pilots are sport pilots, so I'm skeptical about vastly better resale values at the lower gross weight.. I would also expect that Basic Med will mean fewer new Sport pilots.


    I am curious where you got this statistic of only 1% being sport pilots, where can I find that?

    There seems to be some confusion on LSA planes/pilots. Any aircraft that meets the Regulations can be a light sport aircraft including certified aircraft such as but not limited to Champs, Cubs and so on. Many E/AB planes meet the regulations but are not classified/registered as an "LSA"

    I personally know 11 pilots that are flying as sport pilots, some started that way, others have elected to not get their medical renewed as the sport rules fit their type flying and do not want/need a plane over 1320.

  7. #17
    Senior Member aviator79's Avatar
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    Default Re: 1320 vs 1550

    Quote Originally Posted by Flybyjim View Post
    I am curious where you got this statistic of only 1% being sport pilots, where can I find that?
    https://www.faa.gov/data_research/av...en_statistics/

    In 2017, 6097/609,306 active pilots are sport pilots (darn near exactly 1%). The definition of "active" is a little weak, but unfortunately, it's pretty hard to make a definition that is actually measurable.
    --Brian
    Flying - S7SS

  8. #18

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    Default Re: 1320 vs 1550

    Yep, 1%...

    Link to the FAA Excel Spreadsheet...

    https://www.faa.gov/data_research/av...men-stats.xlsx

    Clark

  9. #19
    Senior Member PapuaPilot's Avatar
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    Default Re: 1320 vs 1550

    Quote Originally Posted by Flybyjim View Post
    I personally know 11 pilots that are flying as sport pilots, some started that way, others have elected to not get their medical renewed as the sport rules fit their type flying and do not want/need a plane over 1320.
    But some of these pilots still have a private pilot or higher rating. They will show up on the FAA statistics with those ratings not the Sport Pilot.
    Phil Nelson
    A&P-IA, Maintenance Instructor
    KF 5 Outback, Cont. IO-240
    Flying since 2016

  10. #20
    Senior Member aviator79's Avatar
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    Default Re: 1320 vs 1550

    To be fair, the data aren't a direct reflection of desirability of an LSA. There's no way to tell how many pilots with more than sport certificates are flying under sport pilot rules to avoid a medical. Still, with basic med now an option for those pilots, I find it difficult to believe that the gross weight choice has that big of an effect on resale value, especially in the current market for used Kitfoxes. Maybe I'm wrong. The definitive answer would be to look at median historical sale prices, but who has time for that?
    --Brian
    Flying - S7SS

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