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rzeppin(at)cox.net
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 Posted: Tue Jan 08, 2008 8:25 pm Post subject: Greetings... |
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Hi all... I just thought I'd introduce myself, I hope that's ok to do here.
My name is Ron Zeppin, 39, I live in Tempe, AZ with my wife and 4 kids,
10, 10, 12, 13. (3-girls, 1-boy) 7 ferrets, 2 rats, and a hamster... In
a pear tree.
I'm a field service tech working on cash handling systems. I've been a
fan of aviation for as long as I can remember.
I've always wanted to be a pilot, but things never seemed to be right.
My 'new' wife is in college after a 10 year hiatus going for her Masters
degree.
She's all for getting my SPL/PPL, and feels it would be very nice to
have our own plane. After looking at a TON of stuff, and weight out all
my options,
the Kitfox seems to be the clear choice. My wife and I were able to sit
in the white and blue Kitfox that I believe is the owners at the
Copperstate fly-in
Oct '06. I'm a big guy, and the Kitfox seemed to be a nice fit. I've
been a 'mechanical' person my entire life. (Parents had to keep the
appliances away from me
when I was 8...  I think it would be a wonderful feeling of
accomplishment to build and fly my own aircraft. I've been building a
flying large 'model' rockets for
the past 10 years, the largest of which was 16" diameter, 11' tall, and
weighed 130lbs. Went 5200ft with perfect recovery!
I was pretty excited to find this forum, as I've learned a LOT about
various thing through forums.
So I'm a total newbie to real aircraft (some RC experience). I'm hoping
to learn a lot here from you veterans, and other builders alike.
I've got some time before I'm able to order a kit, and am considering
doing it in kit stages, otherwise I'll wind up waiting until the wife is
done
with college and is in the workforce, and order the whole shebang at once.
At this point, I'm strongly considering Corvair for a powerplant, or
possibly Subaru, although I'm strongly leaning towards the Corvair.
Sorry for writing a book, especially if I shouldn't have! I tend to ramble!
Cheers guys, hope '08 is a productive and SAFE one!
Ron
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josandt(at)verizon.net
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| Posted: Wed Jan 09, 2008 1:17 am Post subject: Greetings... |
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Ron, If you like the idea of building your own engine, as well as the airframe, Corvairs are highly "do-able." $3000 total investment - so build an extra or two (like me). They're comparable to running a Lyc or a Cont so get a Kitfox with forward wing sweep to compensate for the extra weight (kitfox Sport, I think it's called). But start with William Wynne's engine construction manual -very small cost. It'll give you enough info to determine whether you really want to build the engine or not. Then look through the Matronics archives for "Corvair." I think that so far there are only a couple (few?) flying, but there are some interesting posts on the subject. Somewhere out there lurks Norm who has flown behind the Corvair. I'm still a year away, but working at it. Smooth engine!! Mine is mounted and running. Smooth and quiet. John Sandt / Ridgecrest, CA / Series 7 / Corvair / BRS / Builder
<<<<From: Ron Zeppin <rzeppin(at)cox.net>
Date: 2008/01/08 Tue PM 05:40:17 CST
At this point, I'm strongly considering Corvair for a powerplant, or possibly Subaru, although I'm strongly leaning towards the Corvair.>>>>
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john(at)leptron.com
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| Posted: Wed Jan 09, 2008 2:00 am Post subject: Greetings... |
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Ron,
Welcome from salt lake area.
The group will give you any guidance or info that you want. The fox is cheap
to fly and a bunch of fun for the price.
John Oakley
Kitfox 4 speedster 912ul cap
--
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kitfoxjunky(at)decisionla
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| Posted: Wed Jan 09, 2008 2:05 am Post subject: Greetings... |
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New list members are always welcome. We have all gone through a similar process with respect to selecting an airplane, and wound up with a Kitfox, so you are in good company.
Something I may suggest...you have the option of buying a completed Kitfox, rather than build one from a kit. Check the archives and you will find much debate about how the Kitfox is undervalued in terms of resale value. As a potential new owner, I would suggest you maybe take advantage of that before the market wakes up to the reality of these incredible little airplanes. I have seen excellent examples for sale in the $ 20K range. You cannot build one for that. That is how I got involved. I purchased a completed plane that was owned by someone I knew. I had watched it fly for several years, so I had a good idea as to what I was getting. Well..not really...but it was a quicker path. Feel better knowing it inside and out...maybe try a rebuild if you have the time and interest.
Of course that does not mean you do not have a lot of choices to make. Two stroke vs four. Rotax. Jab, Auto conversation or a used Lyc or Continental. Trike gear vs tail dragger, model I, II, II, IV, V .......speedster vs long wing. List members are always willing to debate these topics.
This list is a wealth of information here so do not hesitate to take advantage of it. Check out some of the other internet offerings. YouTube is a fun place to wander. Type in Kitfox. Look for a clip of the White and Blue anphib. I am the guy in the left seat with a huge smile on my face.
Cheers
Gary Walsh
KF IV Anphib 912S
C-GOOT
www.decisionlabs.com/kitfox
do not archive
[quote][b]
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Michel
Joined: 10 Jan 2006
Posts: 966
Location: Norway
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| Posted: Wed Jan 09, 2008 11:47 am Post subject: Greetings... |
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On Jan 9, 2008, at 10:51 AM, kitfoxjunky wrote:
| Quote: | Something I may suggest...you have the option of buying a completed
Kitfox, rather than build one from a kit.
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Hello and welcome to the list, Ron. I have to agree with Gary, here.
Building a Kitfox is - as I understand from our friends on the list - a
time exhausting endeavour. I bought mine second hand and while I
understand the pleasure to fly the plane one has built, I know that I
would never had the patience to build one myself.
You have four kids and a wife. Are you sure you have the time to build?
Of course, this is none of my business but ... I waited until our son
had left home to first, go sailing long distances, and now, fly around
with my Kitfox. But even so, now that I am a grand-father, my leisure
time is divided between flying and ... baby sitting. Not that I regret
the latter, grand-parenthood is truly life's dessert.
Incidentally, thank you for the link to the bore scope; I didn't know
those things existed.
Cheers,
Michel Verheughe
Norway
Kitfox 3 - Jabiru 2200
Do not archive
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_________________
Kitfox 3 - Jabiru 2200 |
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rzeppin(at)cox.net
Guest
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| Posted: Wed Jan 09, 2008 12:49 pm Post subject: Greetings... |
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Hi Michel. Thanks for the welcome!
I really enjoy building things... enjoyed building RC aircraft more than
flying them...go figure.
This will be a VERY long road for me. With Ember (Wife) in college for
the next 4 years, I plan on spending a LOT
of time researching my options, getting my license, and making friends
with the local Kitfox folks.
The kids are the center of our world right now, and we purchased a 34'
RV last year to take trips with them, go to
weekend rocket launches, etc. My son is 13 and is very much like me in
enjoying building things. I think it'll make a great father-son
project, although he'll more thank likely be close to out of high school
before things really get moving.
On another note, how's the weather in Norway? Never been out of the US...
You're welcome on the borescope link... They're VERY handy tools. NASCAR
use them to look down inside of carbs and intake manifolds
on Nextel Cup cars...
Ron
Michel Verheughe wrote:
| Quote: |
On Jan 9, 2008, at 10:51 AM, kitfoxjunky wrote:
> Something I may suggest...you have the option of buying a completed
> Kitfox, rather than build one from a kit.
Hello and welcome to the list, Ron. I have to agree with Gary, here.
Building a Kitfox is - as I understand from our friends on the list -
a time exhausting endeavour. I bought mine second hand and while I
understand the pleasure to fly the plane one has built, I know that I
would never had the patience to build one myself.
You have four kids and a wife. Are you sure you have the time to
build? Of course, this is none of my business but ... I waited until
our son had left home to first, go sailing long distances, and now,
fly around with my Kitfox. But even so, now that I am a grand-father,
my leisure time is divided between flying and ... baby sitting. Not
that I regret the latter, grand-parenthood is truly life's dessert.
Incidentally, thank you for the link to the bore scope; I didn't know
those things existed.
Cheers,
Michel Verheughe
Norway
Kitfox 3 - Jabiru 2200
Do not archive
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Michel
Joined: 10 Jan 2006
Posts: 966
Location: Norway
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| Posted: Wed Jan 09, 2008 11:42 pm Post subject: Greetings... |
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On Jan 9, 2008, at 9:48 PM, Ron Zeppin wrote:
| Quote: | My son is 13 and is very much like me in enjoying building things. I
think it'll make a great father-son project
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Indeed, Ron. When our son was 13, we were flying RC gliders together.
That is; I was mostly building them and our son was flying them. That
was 20 years ago so, if I had started on a Kitfox at that time ... hum,
yes, I would be finished by now! 
| Quote: | On another note, how's the weather in Norway? Never been out of the
US...
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Actually, I am Belgian but I have been living in Norway for 30 years.
My Belgian family also asks me how it is to live in the cold Norwegian
winter. Well, here, near the coast around Oslo, it never gets that cold
but ... it is very dark! We are at latitude 60 N and that's about the
same as Anchorage, Alaska. Right now, we have only six hours of
daylight. In the north of Norway, they'll still have to wait one month
before they can see the sun at all.
Cheers,
Michel Verheughe
Norway
Kitfox 3 - Jabiru 2200
Do not archive
| | - 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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_________________
Kitfox 3 - Jabiru 2200 |
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