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Thread: Purchasing Used Kitfox

  1. #1

    Join Date
    Feb 2019
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    Chandler, AZ
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    Default Purchasing Used Kitfox

    I am in the process of completing my PPL and looking to purchase an aircraft to build on my training and have fun with. Given cost constraints and desired performance, the Kitfox seems to be a good choice for what I need. Unfortunately with living in southern California, real estate is a highly sought after commodity and trying to find a place to build the aircraft myself would be extremely expensive. I was considering purchasing a used Kitfox to avoid this issue, but I am not sure how reliable doing something like that is. Are there specific things that I need to do to ensure that I get a reliable build or is it one of those things that I'll just have to accept the risk on? Are your everyday A&P mechanics fairly knowledgeable in the Kitfox system to give a good pre-purchase inspection or do you have to find a specialty mechanic?

    I would appreciate any thoughts/suggestions on this.

  2. #2
    Senior Member PapuaPilot's Avatar
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    Nov 2013
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    Nampa, Idaho
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    1,225

    Default Re: Purchasing Used Kitfox

    You definitely want to have an unbiased third party look at the plane. It's worth paying them for their time and expertise, especially if they keep you from a bad deal or tell you it is a great plane. Ideally you want somebody that is knowledgeable about Kitfox airplanes, especially someone who is a KF builder and has been doing their own maintenance. An A&P or builder of other type experimental aircraft can also be a good source if you can't get the former.
    Phil Nelson
    A&P-IA, Maintenance Instructor
    KF 5 Outback, Cont. IO-240
    Flying since 2016

  3. #3

    Join Date
    Dec 2014
    Location
    Las Vegas, NV
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    118

    Default Re: Purchasing Used Kitfox

    I know a mechanic in S. CA who is very experienced in building and maintaining KF Aircraft. I think he would be willing to conduct a prepurchase inspection for you if desired. I agree with the earlier comments that a prepurchase inspection by an independent third party mechanic who has experience with KF is a necessity. If you are interested send me a PM and I can send you his contact info.
    Michael Meyers
    KF IV
    Las Vegas, NV

  4. #4

    Join Date
    Feb 2019
    Location
    Chandler, AZ
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    52

    Default Re: Purchasing Used Kitfox

    PM sent.

    Thank you you for your input. Are there specific things during that are most likely to be sources of failure that I (and the mechanic) should pay extra attention to during inspection?

  5. #5
    ersatzavian's Avatar
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    Feb 2019
    Location
    Oakland, CA
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    6

    Default Re: Purchasing Used Kitfox

    Piggybacking as I'm a fairly fresh pilot in a similar situation (225 hours, starting tailwheel endorsement, looking for first plane, trying to buy a kitfox instead of building one because a reliable place to build it would cost $800k).

    Rough plan looks like this:
    1. Review all service bulletins and service letters so I'm familiar with anything that needs to be complied with that may not have been.
    2. Build a pre-purchase inspection list.
    3. Get tailwheel endorsement so I can actually participate in a pre-purchase checkout.
    4. (optionally) Get some time in type with Stick and Rudder flight school in Idaho (Kitfox's factory flight school) - probably $2.5k for a weekend of transition training.
    5. Find the plane.
    6. Review the logbooks and do a title search.
    7. Actually go fly the thing and arrange the pre-buy inspection.
    8. Any corrective action from pre-buy.
    9. Close
    10. Fly

    Things get really fuzzy for me around #2 and #7. Kitfox provides an inspection checklist (http://kitfoxaircraft.com/images/PDF..._checklist.pdf), which seems compreshensive enough, but it's not detailed enough for a non-builder to use very effectively.

    For example, I get "check rod ends for security, lubrication, tightness" when I would ideally want a list of rod end locations with a diagram, types of lubricant acceptable for use on those locations, what I'm looking for to verify they're adequately lubricated, and a torque spec for the rod end nut.

    To try and mitigate the fuzziness, I'm planning to meet up with a local builder or two (and have some detailed conversations during transition training when I do item #4) to add detail to to my pre-buy checklist. Ultimately, though, I think I need anything I find inspected by a builder or experienced A&P before I close, and I'm not sure how to do that when it's very likely whatever I find won't be nearby.

    Does anyone have experience bringing an A&P or experienced builder along to do the pre-buy inspection on-site? Who did you work with? How did you arrange tools and hangar space to do the inspection? How did you manage the seller, who probably wasn't very interested in anyone disassembling their airplane and probably waved a recent annual inspection report at you?

    Thanks for the help. Really appreciate this resource.

    Tom
    Oakland, CA

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