Had a chance to talk with John Rogers from Homedale,ID while at the Kitfox factory last month. He helped with the covering and did the paint on the bi-plane. He said that after initial flights that two of the ailerons were disabled because the roll rate was too fast. I got to fly it with Dan Denney for about 20 minutes. The roll rate was still incredibly fast even if two of the four ailerons were locked out. I can't confirm that and Dan never mentioned it to me. It sure felt like all four were working. They had just installed the 100 hp. Rotax shortly before I got to fly it. I'm sure it had an 80 hp. in it when initially built. Seems like the speeds were in the 140mph plus range at the time but really can't recall other than it was the fastest Kitfox I'd been in up to that time. Great flying and looking machine. The Kitfox Bi-plane is a neat piece of Kitfox history that hopefully someday way down the road will fly again.
Dan dismantled the Bi-plane to use the fuselage for his current STOL winged model 4. He flies it regularly and I last saw it at the 2011 Kitfox Factory fly-in. The bi-plane's wings sat in Dan's hangar for some years until John McBean wisely convinced him to part with them. Dan offered to sell me the Bi-plane way back in 2000 however I didn't have the resources (cash) to acquire it and bring it back to Phoenix.Why don;t we see it today?
The paint scheme was bright lime green with royal blue scallops. In most photos it looks yellow and black but that's because it was hard to find a camera that would capture the true colors. It was spectacular in person.
More photos of it on my page. desertfox 4 photo albums
I love that little one off Kitfox and hope one day to get to fly it again.
Notice my avatar.
Sorry Papa, not trying to hijack your whirlwind thread. If the bi-plane gets more responses I'll move them to a new thread.