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jose.a.lugo(at)us.army.mi
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 Posted: Mon Dec 03, 2007 3:13 pm Post subject: New to the community |
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Hello;
I'm thinking of buying a kitfox.
does anyone have suggestions on what to look for in a pre-buy inspection?
Owner says- Rotax 503 pull start with a B drive; with aprox 100hrs since overhaul, 300 ttaf, invo in-flight adj prop / nav, strobe and inst lights; 9gal header tank and a 6gal wing tank N numbered and certified as experimental all the help would be appreciated.
thank you
v/r
J Lugo
CW4 Jose A. Lugo
Aviation Safety Officer
HQ, 2nd BN, 210th AVN
FT. Rucker, AL 36362
558-4122 DSN
(334) 255-4122 Office
(334) 347-8424 Home
(334) 475-1402 Mobile
.... Once you’ve tasted flight, you’ll always walk
the Earth with your eyes turned skyward.....
Leonardo Da Vinci
| | - The Matronics Kitfox-List Email Forum - | | | Use the List Feature Navigator to browse the many List utilities available such as the Email Subscriptions page, Archive Search & Download, 7-Day Browse, Chat, FAQ, Photoshare, and much more:
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Donroutledge(at)aol.com
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| Posted: Mon Dec 03, 2007 4:22 pm Post subject: New to the community |
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Invest in a good A&P. You will never regret it. Keep the sharp end in front. Good luck Don, Subie/MKlV
In a message dated 12/3/2007 5:14:53 P.M. Central Standard Time, jose.a.lugo(at)us.army.mil writes:
| Quote: |
Hello;
I'm thinking of buying a kitfox.
does anyone have suggestions on what to look for in a pre-buy inspection?
Owner says- Rotax 503 pull start with a B drive; with aprox 100hrs since overhaul, 300 ttaf, invo in-flight adj prop / nav, strobe and inst lights; 9gal header tank and a 6gal wing tank N numbered and certified as experimental all the help would be appreciated.
thank you
v/r
J Lugo
CW4 Jose A. Lugo
Aviation Safety Officer
HQ, 2nd BN, 210th AVN
FT. Rucker, AL 36362
558-4122 DSN
(334) 255-4122 Office
(334) 347-8424 Home
(334) 475-1402 Mobile
.... Once you’ve tasted flight, you’ll always walk
the Earth with your eyes turned skyward.....
Leonardo Da Vinci |
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| | - The Matronics Kitfox-List Email Forum - | | | Use the List Feature Navigator to browse the many List utilities available such as the Email Subscriptions page, Archive Search & Download, 7-Day Browse, Chat, FAQ, Photoshare, and much more:
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kitfoxpilot(at)msn.com
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| Posted: Mon Dec 03, 2007 5:13 pm Post subject: New to the community |
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Welcome, now for the rotax 503, that is a very under powered engine for the Kitfox, that engine would make it an Ultralite. If you can, rotax 912 is the best bet! Also is the Kitfox a Model I,II,III or (IV 1050 or 1200). My guess it is a II or III. I will happy to help you in your selection of a Kitfox, call me anytime on my cell (301) 520-3171.
Ray Gignac
Model IV, 912 uls
N2BH
| Quote: | From: Donroutledge(at)aol.com
Date: Mon, 3 Dec 2007 19:21:24 -0500
Subject: Re: New to the community
To: kitfox-list(at)matronics.com
Invest in a good A&P. You will never regret it. Keep the sharp end in front. Good luck Don, Subie/MKlV
In a message dated 12/3/2007 5:14:53 P.M. Central Standard Time, jose.a.lugo(at)us.army.mil writes:
| Quote: | Hello;
I'm thinking of buying a kitfox.
does anyone have suggestions on what to look for in a pre-buy inspection?
Owner says- Rotax 503 pull start with a B drive; with aprox 100hrs since overhaul, 300 ttaf, invo in-flight adj prop / nav, strobe and inst lights; 9gal header tank and a 6gal wing tank N numbered and certified as experimental all the help would be appreciated.
thank you
v/r
J Lugo
CW4 Jose A. Lugo
Aviation Safety Officer
HQ, 2nd BN, 210th AVN
FT. Rucker, AL 36362
558-4122 DSN
(334) 255-4122 Office
(334) 347-8424 Home
(334) 475-1402 Mobile
[img]cid:X.MA1.1196727682(at)aol.com[/img]
.... Once you’ve tasted flight, you’ll always walk
the Earth with your eyes turned skyward.....
Leonardo Da Vinci
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| | - The Matronics Kitfox-List Email Forum - | | | Use the List Feature Navigator to browse the many List utilities available such as the Email Subscriptions page, Archive Search & Download, 7-Day Browse, Chat, FAQ, Photoshare, and much more:
http://www.matronics.com/Navigator?Kitfox-List |
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Float Flyr
Joined: 19 Jul 2006
Posts: 2704
Location: Campbellton, Newfoundland
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| Posted: Mon Dec 03, 2007 5:22 pm Post subject: New to the community |
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What model ‘Fox? How tall are you? Are you well over 200lb.? Do you like the idea of going low and slow.  Are you planning on flying floats? Do you like the idea of flying conventional gear? Will you be hangaring inside, outside or folding the wings an putting it in your garage?
The answers to these and a few more questions will help us to get to know you. Then we will be able to give you a thoroughly biased opinion as to why a Kitfox will be the only plane for you.
Noel
From: owner-kitfox-list-server(at)matronics.com [mailto:owner-kitfox-list-server(at)matronics.com] On Behalf Of Donroutledge(at)aol.com
Sent: Monday, December 03, 2007 8:51 PM
To: kitfox-list(at)matronics.com
Subject: Re: New to the community
Invest in a good A&P. You will never regret it. Keep the sharp end in front. Good luck Don, Subie/MKlV
In a message dated 12/3/2007 5:14:53 P.M. Central Standard Time, jose.a.lugo(at)us.army.mil writes:
| Quote: |
Hello;
I'm thinking of buying a kitfox.
does anyone have suggestions on what to look for in a pre-buy inspection?
Owner says- Rotax 503 pull start with a B drive; with aprox 100hrs since overhaul, 300 ttaf, invo in-flight adj prop / nav, strobe and inst lights; 9gal header tank and a 6gal wing tank N numbered and certified as experimental all the help would be appreciated.
thank you
v/r
J Lugo
CW4 Jose A. Lugo
Aviation Safety Officer
HQ, 2nd BN, 210th AVN
FT. Rucker, AL 36362
558-4122 DSN
(334) 255-4122 Office
(334) 347-8424 Home
(334) 475-1402 Mobile
[img]cid:image001.png(at)01C835F6.7A6ADDB0[/img]
.... Once you’ve tasted flight, you’ll always walk
the Earth with your eyes turned skyward.....
Leonardo Da Vinci |
| | - The Matronics Kitfox-List Email Forum - | | | Use the List Feature Navigator to browse the many List utilities available such as the Email Subscriptions page, Archive Search & Download, 7-Day Browse, Chat, FAQ, Photoshare, and much more:
http://www.matronics.com/Navigator?Kitfox-List |
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Noel Loveys
Kitfox III-A
Aerocet 1100 Floats |
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Sbennett3(at)aol.com
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| Posted: Mon Dec 03, 2007 5:45 pm Post subject: New to the community |
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I think two things are VERY important here. What Lowell said about conventional gear, Do you have any tailwheel experience ? And power. Will you be flying two people ? A 503 will get you up and out, but if you're big and density altitude is high, you better have a long runway. I think that just like altitude, Power is your friend. I learned conventional gear in my kitfox and almost quit a couple times. I'm a very determined individual and I am TRULY just now after 40 hrs finding the love... They say Real pilots fly taildraggers... Learning a kitfox will make you "REAL" Steve Bennett kitfox 4 912ul
hottest products and top money wasters of 2007.
| | - The Matronics Kitfox-List Email Forum - | | | Use the List Feature Navigator to browse the many List utilities available such as the Email Subscriptions page, Archive Search & Download, 7-Day Browse, Chat, FAQ, Photoshare, and much more:
http://www.matronics.com/Navigator?Kitfox-List |
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dave
Joined: 22 Sep 2006
Posts: 1382
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| Posted: Mon Dec 03, 2007 6:32 pm Post subject: Re: New to the community |
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Jose,
Don't let anyone deter you from a good 2 stroke engine. The 503 is a very dependable engine. The weight and model of your Kitfox will help determine your performance, not just engine alone. Some of the early Kitfox 1 and 2s might not be as suitable for a 912 as a Model IV would be bette suited for it.
The white and blue plane here is a Kitfox Clone with a 503 it takes off failry quick and cruise about 75 mph. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tR16rYZFccU My neighbour is 85 that flys it and he built if from scratch about 15 years ago.
Here is some videos of my 582 Kitfox that weighs just over 550 pounds on Wheels and Skis and over 700 on amphibs. I do cross country flights on floats in 200 to 250 mile legs and shorter ones on wheels. But the versatily if great. http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=kitfoxflyer
versatility is a great choice for a plane and if anyone tells you different get them to look at my videos and try to dispute it. Likewise fora 2 stroke Rotax 503 or 582 both great engines. A 912 UL will give you a better cruise by about 15 mph or so and fuel burn will be in 582 4.5 gal a hour and 912 -well it depend on power setting say average 3.5 to 5 gph
| | - The Matronics Kitfox-List Email Forum - | | | Use the List Feature Navigator to browse the many List utilities available such as the Email Subscriptions page, Archive Search & Download, 7-Day Browse, Chat, FAQ, Photoshare, and much more:
http://www.matronics.com/Navigator?Kitfox-List |
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_________________
Realtime Kitfox movies to separate the internet chatter from the truth
http://www.youtube.com/user/kitfoxflyer
Hundreds of Kitfox Movies
Most viewed Kitfox on youtube
Most popular on youtube
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Guy Buchanan
Joined: 16 Jul 2006
Posts: 1204
Location: Ramona, CA
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| Posted: Mon Dec 03, 2007 9:19 pm Post subject: New to the community |
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At 03:11 PM 12/3/2007, you wrote:
| Quote: | | I'm thinking of buying a kitfox. |
Welcome to the list!
| Quote: | | does anyone have suggestions on what to look for in a pre-buy inspection? |
Whew. That's a really open ended question. I mainly look for the "quality" of the airplane; that tells a lot about how conscientiously it was put together and maintained. As the plane you're looking at has 300 hours, all of the "bugs" should have been worked out. However it's possible the owner simply does a lot of maintenance. Hopefully he's kept records. (If not, watch out. I would expect a full set of logs similar to a certified aircraft, otherwise the price drops precipitously.)
As already mentioned, get some of the local A&Ps and EAA guys to look at it and then give you their opinions out of ear shot of the owner.
| Quote: | | Owner says- Rotax 503 pull start with a B drive; with aprox 100hrs since overhaul, 300 ttaf, invo in-flight adj prop / nav, strobe and inst lights; 9gal header tank and a 6gal wing tank N numbered and certified as experimental all the help would be appreciated. |
No idea whether this works or not, as it depends on the weight of the aircraft. I would guess the max empty weight for a 503 would be 575#; max gross 1050. (Make sure you find out.) 15 gallons will give you three hour range, or two with some reserve. If you plan on a lot of cross country you may want more. (Max is about 27-30 gallons.) The 582 wants a tear down and inspect at 150 hours; is the 503 similar? Is the pull start practical? Can it be done in the air while flying? (I've never seen a Kitfox with a pull start.)
Guy Buchanan
San Diego, CA
K-IV 1200 / 582-C / Warp / 100% done, thanks mostly to Bob Ducar. [quote][b]
| | - The Matronics Kitfox-List Email Forum - | | | Use the List Feature Navigator to browse the many List utilities available such as the Email Subscriptions page, Archive Search & Download, 7-Day Browse, Chat, FAQ, Photoshare, and much more:
http://www.matronics.com/Navigator?Kitfox-List |
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_________________
Guy Buchanan
Deceased K-IV 1200
A glider pilot too. |
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Tom Jones
Joined: 12 Mar 2006
Posts: 752
Location: Ellensburg, WA
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| Posted: Tue Dec 04, 2007 8:33 am Post subject: Re: New to the community |
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[quote="jose.a.lugo(at)us.army.mi"]Hello;
I'm thinking of buying a kitfox.
does anyone have suggestions on what to look for in a pre-buy inspection?
Owner says- Rotax 503 pull start with a B drive; with aprox 100hrs since overhaul, 300 ttaf, invo in-flight adj prop / nav, strobe and inst lights; 9gal header tank and a 6gal wing tank N numbered and certified as experimental all the help would be appreciated.
thank you
Jose,
You can see the Service Bulletins and Service Letters that have been issued on all Kitfox models at http://www.kitfoxaircraft.com/ click on "Technical FAQ" Most are easy fixes but some are things to watch out for. Also you can read the history ("Kitfox History") on the same web site.
I would ask the owner for a copy of the "Weight and Balance" report to see if the plane would work for me.
I fly a Classic 4 with a 503 Rotax. It won't climb or cruse like a 912 but it is really fun and agile at 770 lbs gross or less. Above 900 Lbs climb is painfully slow and slows to just over 400 FPM at 1050 gross. The best part is it is affordable for me. I have been saving for a 912 but the price of that engine is increasing faster than I can save.
| | - The Matronics Kitfox-List Email Forum - | | | Use the List Feature Navigator to browse the many List utilities available such as the Email Subscriptions page, Archive Search & Download, 7-Day Browse, Chat, FAQ, Photoshare, and much more:
http://www.matronics.com/Navigator?Kitfox-List |
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_________________
Tom Jones
Classic IV
503 Rotax, 72 inch Two blade Warp
Ellensburg, WA |
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lugo2214
Joined: 04 Dec 2007
Posts: 2
Location: FT. RUCKER ALABAMA
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| Posted: Tue Dec 04, 2007 10:17 am Post subject: Re: New to the community |
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Cool;
Thanks to all that reply with all the good advice.
I'm posting another message since I don't know how to work the list server to view the entire thread of messages, or should I answer all individually?
To start, a gentleman, Mr. Heart called yesterday after reading the posting and we spent some time talking. Great mentorship. He offered to coordinate for a meet for the
pre-buy inspection since he is an ASP. We are booth about 6 - 7 hours away, the ACFT is close to Knoxville TN.
To the rest that provided their contact information, I hope to get around to call because free advise is always welcome. Thank you and hope to hear from you guys soon..
Some asked more questions so, here are some of the answers to see if I can do a better job at asking;
I'm a 6'-1", 230 #, military instructor pilot with 4000 hrs. TT. about 150 are fixed wing and the only tail wheel experience I have is taxing a UH-60 Blackhawk, doing Roll-on
landings with that helicopter, those mainly land on the tail wheel between 30 to 60 KTS not too many main wheel landings and rolling T/O that keep me on the mains all the way
up to 40 - 50 KTS. I also do some other stuff for the army but this is not a resume so enough about me.
The intent of the aircraft is to fly around on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon depending on the length of the preacher's service and the NASCAR schedule......... hahahaha.
Not counting on the honey-do ..... that the chief of the house will come up with. But in general she plans to come along and she is about 125 #.
From conversations with the owner of the kitfox, he says that he bought it in MAR 07 and an annual was performed then. The ACFT is about 15 - 20 YO and was in the back of a hanger for a long time since the previous owner / builder acquired a 4 seater and stopped flying it. Thus the gaps on the logbooks??? it has a Rotax 503 pull start with a B drive; with aprox 100hrs since overhaul, 300 ttaf, invo in-flight adj prop / nav, strobe and inst lights; 9gal header tank and a 6gal wing tank N numbered and certified as experimental.
From the age, I'm guessing is a model I or II.
I saw some of the maintenance service bulletins and letters posted on the factory web-site, and wondered about the performance of those that apply to this model with the gaps in the books.
Not having owned an airplane before, I know I'll have to get it inspected annually by an A&P and that some minor maintenance I'll be able to perform IAW FAR 43.
I'll need a tail wheel TNG / sing-off.
Is an annual a good way to ensure a good pre-buy?
ROTAX 503 overhaul / teardown inspection schedule?
Do I need insurance for this ACFT?
Does anyone insure experimental for damage ? liability?
Used to be an EAA member but the membership expired. Currently an AOPA member.
Now, with all this, all the help will be appreciated.
Thank you again.
| | - The Matronics Kitfox-List Email Forum - | | | Use the List Feature Navigator to browse the many List utilities available such as the Email Subscriptions page, Archive Search & Download, 7-Day Browse, Chat, FAQ, Photoshare, and much more:
http://www.matronics.com/Navigator?Kitfox-List |
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_________________
jlugo
.... Once you’ve tasted flight, you’ll always walk
the Earth with your eyes turned skyward.....
Leonardo Da Vinci |
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