All these new builds being posted! Maiden flights on long time builds happening. Wow! Exciting times, eh?

I feel like I'm a bit behind the eight ball here as I've yet to start my own thread. lol. I've been lurking around the forum for awhile as some of you know.
So here goes...

I started to build a series 4 speedster but I didn't get far into the build when I found my current build project, a 1998 Outback. Sold the 4 and as they say - onward and upward!

Disclaimer - I can get a bit wordy and chase rabbits down various holes but I don't mean to put on airs or try to be the smartest rear end in the room. I've been told I can come across that way so if I get to carried away describing stuff, just laugh it off. I'll try to be brief and concise but it usually doesn't work. Also, I know absolutely nothing about building kit planes.

A little about me - Retired Navy Chief, Avionics Technician. I live in SW Missouri, close to my friends Mike and Chase - known on the forum as Cubtractor and Skypirate.
I Spent 28 years in San Diego. Previously owned two certified airplanes - a PA-28 Cherokee, and a trauma-hawk. Also have a bunch of time in rented Cessna 172's, Piper Archers and quicksilver ultralights, an MXL-2 and a sprint. I hold a PPL but operate under light sport rules now.

My new to me kit was found in South Carolina. Skypirate knew the guy. It never went on the market. He bought it new and got to page 30 in the build and by April of 98 he quit. Nice guy but good thing he stopped. enough said.
He also had a wrecked series 4 with a so-so 4000 + serial numbered Rotax 912 ul. I bought that as well. It looked good. What could go wrong?
Anyways, he said the motor had quit in the air (fuel starvation). Hobbs had 247 hours engine and airframe. He seemed excited to sell them as I had cash in hand and thru in a low time metal edge warp dive, 3 blade prop and hub assembly to sweeten the deal. we both bit and the deal was done!
Chase and I trucked it back to Missouri in a snowstorm! Total idiots, lol
Saving $$ always seems to involve a lot of sweat equity. Hopefully my cheap labor hard earned dollars will turn this sorry kit into a nice airplane someday...

I've plagiarized so many of your great ideas and solutions to your builds. I'm thankful your all here, in our Kitfox aviation esprit de corps.

I just turned 60 years old and now wonder what the hell I got myself into!

Cheers, Brett

picking up the 5 from south carolina Reduced.jpg

20 years hanging in a barn - what a dirty bird

mud daubber nests were everywhere Reduced.jpg

Appropriated the Mrs. duster for swabbing duty by the old swab...

used a old duster to clean inside of tubes Reduced.jpg

Rinsed the inside of the spars with hot water to dissolve the wasp nests. Getting ready to do a though cleaning, a light scotch bright scrub and a complete Alodine coating on order. Need to do that before we go any further.

cleaning wing spars Reduced.jpg

The spars cleaned up nice. One nick at the end of the front spar by wingtip. No big deal. Had a bunch of staples to countersink back into the wood.

setting up wings in shop Reduced.jpg

Port wing Cleaned up nice Reduced.jpg

Wing rib1 Skystar quick build 1998 Reduced.jpg

Me in Missouri Reduced.jpg