Warbird Information Exchange

I just met a guy who is buying a Kitfox, and wants me to help him fly it. I have never flown one. Anybody got any experience and/or advice?

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Bill Greenwood
Spitfire N308WK

Bill, What Mk# is it and what engine? They are very docile airplanes with good performance with the 912 Rotax. The two stroke 583 Rotax also gives good performance but the two stroke engine operates a little different than a four stroke. The MkIV and earlier models are a tight fit for two big guys. The V is a little better. Has very Cub like handling and performance. I fly a friend's that has the Rotec 7 cyl radial on it and it sounds and looks way cool. Don

I have flown and maintained a KitFox with the 582LC engine.
The two-stroke engine is "different" but the handling is very good.
It jumps off the ground and landing has very little roll out.
It has good control characteristics, the full length flaperons are extermely responsive.

You will enjoy it.

Sully

My dad built, owns & flys a series 5 Outback. He has a Continental IO-240 and the Speedster kit on it. He also put large (tundra looking) tires and a nice big tailwheel. I have flown it many times. It is nicely balanced on all axis, and has a super gentle stall with no ill affects (never spun it, but would take extra effort to get it to spin). The airplane does not bleed speed easily though, and we have found very little stall speed difference between down flaperon settings 1 and 2, so usually just use 1. Be prepared for a considerable nose down pitch associated with deploying flaperons. The rudder is big and effective.

Keep in mind there are many different models, ie; 1 thru 7, with alot of engine options, and they are homebuilt, so handling can certainly vary from machine to machine.

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Life's a Pitts

Bill,

That's like asking one of the guys if they've ever ridden a moped or worse...

"...a moped or worse"

Ah, but remember this design was a stepping stone for Dan Denney who then went on to give us the phenomenal Thunder Mustang!

Paul, I've also flown ultralights and even a powered parachute. Guess that's kinda like riding a skateboard. . Don

I gave Dan Denney his first warbird flight in my SNJ and I got to fly the Avid MKI. I think he got the better deal. Don

I have lots of time in a IV with 912. Wonderful easy flying plane. Stalls are non-existent....simple pitching motions 50-75 feet lost each cycle, walk it down with rudder and flaperons remain effective well below airspeed reads.
What not to do? Do NOT try to full stall land (if tailwheel version) with full flap deployment....you will run out of back stick and end up nailing the mains...firmly! This depends on the builder as there was nothing stated on how to install stops or what travels recomended for flap operation. The airplane has such remarkable performance, there is little need for flaps anyhow.
Descent is easily controlled in a manner foreign to most who snub such light aircraft...they usually have fixed pitch and are geared engines...the type C gearbox with 2.2 ratio is a dramatic airbrake.....pull the power, point it down, drop the left wing, put the entire right rudder in and you can slip past 50ft obstacle with limited speed gain while dropping 500 ft of altitude in seconds. I have only flown them with droop tips and have not found the crosswind conponent yet!
Good luck.

No doubt.

The Kitfox was OK for bombing around the local area. As a mechanic I found some of the "homebuilt" aspects not to my liking. Most of which were corrected. I have flown a couple of two-strokes and never felt completely comfortable.

When my wife saw me fly a Mini-Max with a 36hp engine she realized how desperate I was to get into the air.

Sully

Go ahead and fly it Bill. Just like the J3 Cub it is one of the safest airplanes in the world. It can just barely kill you. Don

As the others have said, it is a very easy plane to fly and you should have no problems with it. I will send you a PM with someone to talk to abou it.

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Matt Gunsch, A&P, IA, Warbird maint and restorations
Jack, You have Debauched my sloth !!!!!!
We tried voting with the Ballot box, When do we start voting from the Ammo box, and am I allowed only one vote ?
Check out the Ercoupe Discussion Group on facebook

In the game of metaphors, the Kitfox is only a moped because you have to use your feet to operate it properly! While, the T-33 is a 50cc scooter (beep beep) in the world of F-22's.

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Life's a Pitts

Ive got a few hours in Kitfox No. 3.

My buddy and I had a blast in the thing.

Anything over a 35 mph headwind and we could get the thing to fly backwards. It was a two-stroke, so to mix the fuel we would pour in the gas and oil, then we would both grab a wing and shake the snot out of the plane. It was a little cramped with the doors closed, but great to fly on a warm day when you could have both doors open for a little more elbow room.

Two things I didn't like however were that it only had brakes on one side and it utilized a pull cord to start. The biggest problem with the pull cord was, though it was in the cockpit, you couldn't get enough of a stroke to get the engine started unless you were standing outside.

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Curtis Block

I've seen too many airplanes destroyed by the term "Static Restoration."

Thanks guys for all the info. In the back of my mind there is something from years ago that gives me caution about the plane, but I can't for the life of me remember what it is. When they firsts came out they made a splash, haven't heard much lately.

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Bill Greenwood
Spitfire N308WK