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rjsolsvig(at)comcast.net
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 Posted: Sun Mar 04, 2007 6:50 am Post subject: Clear bubble doors |
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Hi all. I'm the proud owner of a series 5 I0-240 powered kitfox.It was the original factory "Outback" demo bird. I'm very pleased with it, and think that putting the clear bubble doors on it would be the way to go. Any forum members who have these, how do you like them, do they seal well, and are they a big deal to put on?
Also,while I'm dreaming on a cold winter day, anyone have any feedback concerning amphib floats on a 5 series kitfox, i.e. performance, type, mounting issues, prop needed, etc. Great site. Thanks!
Russ Solsvig
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darinh
Joined: 20 Apr 2006
Posts: 327
Location: Utah
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| Posted: Sun Mar 04, 2007 9:10 am Post subject: Re: Clear bubble doors |
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Russ,
Get them, you will love them! I had them on my Model III and they sealed fine. I am now building a Series 7 and they were the first option I put on it. I don't know about the series 5 but on the 7, the seal is not a problem at all. The door frames with the doors mounted are very rigid and will seal great. As for installation, I used rivnuts through the outboard side of the frame and then mounted the doors with finish washers and stainless steel countersunk screws. I prefer this methods because then you don't have a bunch of exposed bolts on the interior of the door frame. I also used 1/2" wide x 1/16" thick neoprene foam tape between the door and the aluminum frame to keep it from scratching or creaking. I am very pleased with the installation and it looks awesome! If you have never been in a kitfox with the bubble doors, get ready for an amazing view. I flew my model III with the doors off a couple of times but realized that you get the same visibility with the doors on but without the wind noise. I would not own a Fox without the bubble doors! I have attached a couple of pics of my installation for you.
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kitfoxmike
Joined: 05 Dec 2006
Posts: 373
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| Posted: Sun Mar 04, 2007 9:24 am Post subject: Re: Clear bubble doors |
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I have the model 4, it has the bubble doors and I absolutely love them. I take pics through them, what's really kool is being able to see straight down, many times I come in for a landing and the sun is right down the runway, well with the bubble doors I can took right at the wheels and the runway and land just fine, no looking into the sun.
As far as flying in the winter time, I think since the begining of the year I've missed only about 7 days of flying, meaning I fly just about every day. Are you staying grounded because of overcast or the temps? I fly down to 20 degrees without any problem. I've flown in snow, rain, and low clouds, yep I ask for special vfr at times as well, if I couldn't get in my daily flight, I would go crazy, well not really, but I like to think so.
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jdmcbean(at)cableone.net
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| Posted: Sun Mar 04, 2007 9:56 am Post subject: Clear bubble doors |
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Russ,
You'll love them.. and they seal just fine. Give us a shout we offer them in Clear, Light Smoke and Green Tint.. We are also looking at floats currently.
John McBean
www.KitfoxAircraft.com
208.337.5111
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fox5flyer(at)idealwifi.ne
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| Posted: Mon Mar 05, 2007 5:06 am Post subject: Clear bubble doors |
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Russ, 7 years ago when I built my 5 I installed the LP bubble doors. Since then I've never looked back. Actually, I spent the bucks and also installed the LP one-piece windshield with the bubble doors. There are advantages that include resistance to scratching. The acrylic is much easier to maintain that butyrate or polycarbonate, commonly provided for the Kitfoxes. If taken care of it should be good for 20 years or more. The doors provide a greenhouse atmosphere in the airplane and allow one to look straight down at the ground which also enhances safety as the visual parameters are increased. Lots of other reasons that make them a good investment.
They're also easy to install and seal very well. To attach I used the double sided sticky foam tape that's about 1/32" thick. As a backup I used #6 panhead machine screws about every 12" anchored with nutserts. Still holding up fine and still look like new.
The only downside I can think of is that they're heavier than the polycarbonate units. Mainly because they're thicker.
I have no idea what they cost these days, but I suspect considerably more than 7 years ago.
Good luck,
Deke
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