Kitfox flight manual

I know some of this is available in the "Kitfox Pilot's Guide" book they sell which covers all models , but it is not very easy to sort it all out for say an SS7, and it does not cover checklists and several other things that should be in a POH. I would like to hear John chime in on this, since they must have a digital template already for their SLSA that could easily be modified to blank out the pertinent numbers that we should test for.

I would be willing to pay a reasonable price for it. We do not have an expectation of completion at this time. John McBean www. It's a Playground". I'm sure there will be many of us who will appreciate it. This is not a "plug in the numbers and go" because every airplane is different.

It is a guide for you to use when creating a POH for your specific airplane. It covers all the sections and procedures. If you follow the guide you will have a complete POH that will meet all requirements The guide is 4 pages.

A complete POH in 5 x 7 format will run about 40 pages. I was actually a low-time single engine pilot with about three-quarters of my roughly total hours in gliders. There is nothing hard about building a Kitfox, but it may involve a couple more systems than some other kits. With the Kitfox, there is structural epoxy, aluminum cutting and drilling, bondo filling, woodwork and fabric covering. Building an all-aluminum plane eliminates several of these.

Building any plane is a real project and what it takes mostly is a commitment of time with a true drive to finish and fly it. The Kitfox comes either conventional taildragger or tricycle-gear and is configured for both, and appears easy to convert between.

The fuselage and tail feathers come totally welded out of tube steel so the big work is done for you. I will say that every part in the kit needs a little something done to it such as sanding, grinding, drilling, reaming, or varnishing so that is where time spent can vary vastly from builder to builder.

Somewhere partway into the build, I decided to just pass the nose wheel idea and go tail dragger since that was what I really wanted for a final airplane. That meant I had to go get a tail wheel endorsement which, if nothing else, got me tuned up again in a plane with a fan out front just before I got the Kitfox flying. I went with the Jabiru , 6 cylinder, HP engine in lieu of the Rotax I did buy the Jabiru engine and cowling through John McBean and Kitfox even though he likes the Rotax and maintains more support for it.

Flying up at 10, feet over the mountain tops and then down into the valleys at 5, feet, the CHTs were running way cool and then warm again. The Rotax has the same Bing carburetors but has two of them to keep happy and in sync. For a prop, I decided on the Sensenich ground-adjustable composite prop that Sensenich designed specifically for the Jabiru engine.

Then I upsized the tires. The 6. Then, even though not required, I added a round airspeed indicator in case everything goes dark unexpectedly. I recently upgraded the GPS to the Garmin mostly for the bigger screen and it would fit horizontally where the was. All in all, it took me a little over four years and about 2, hours to finish everything and have a flying airplane.

I justify this because I was working full time and was commuting three hours every day. This meant out the door by a. You can definitely get more done on a six-hour weekend day than you can in four separate two-hour nights. It can and has been done much faster, but I did enjoy the build project and figured I only had one chance at doing it my way. Some people like to make a race out of it and this was not important to me.

I really enjoy flying this machine too. For me at least, it is the best compromise there is. Any airplane you get will be a compromise based on your needs as to fast, slow, IFR, VFR, asphalt only or rough backcountry strips.

I burn only Avgas for several reasons — the Jabiru was designed to run on LL even though it will run on premium auto gas, and Avgas is still more readily available at airports, without having to carry gas cans and fill by hand — especially with the high wing tanks. On bumpy days, you can definitely tell this is a light airplane with a big wing because you will get bounced around more than you will in your standard Cessna. The bubble doors give more width right where it is needed at the shoulders, in addition to giving visibility straight down.

The Kitfox has three flap settings — none, half and full. I generally use the half-flap setting on takeoff because in a no-wind situation, the full length flaperons create too much drag to get started down the runway and kick up rocks, or worse yet with any wind at all, the airplane pops immediately off the ground and seems like you are going straight up at way too slow a speed. I generally give just a little gradual forward pressure on the stick to get the tail up and keep the mains on the ground for a few seconds before easing back and lifting off.

I have never had any issues with crosswinds but use 12—13 knots as a max. Cruise is pretty much hands-off, but it does take coordinated rudders for turns of any kind. Rolls on a point are surprisingly fast stop-to-stop, but these slowed down a bit and take more stick pressure when I added VGs to the wing. The way the Kitfox flies depends on whether it is lightly or heavily loaded. Camping gear for two fills it up pretty fast. Kitfox does sell an optional cargo pod that looks really useful.

I did add two fishing pole tubes extending into the rear of the fuselage which also allows for hauling a shovel or other long-handled tool for use at backcountry work parties. Landing characteristics depend a lot on loading also. Fully loaded, pattern at 80 MPH, reduce throttle, add flaps to 60, over the fence at 50 and it glides right down and touches at 37—40 just like a big airplane. The flaperons create more lift than drag so slips are very effective and used on most landings.

The airplane slips great no matter what the flaperon setting is. I have forgotten to warn a few passengers about slips and they have about jumped out their door when they are suddenly looking out my door seeing the runway coming up at them with the nose off at about a 40 degree angle and the airplane is rumbling and shaking!

With the big tires and spring gear you can get a launching bounce if you force it down too early with either style. The AIM is available online at www. The current Flight Standards. Service airman training and testing material and learning statements for all airman certificates and ratings can be obtained from www. A Quick Panel cuts hundreds of hours off your avionics system installation with a complete, professionally engineered panel, delivered ready-to-install in your homebuilt aircraft.

Sportsman, CubCrafters, Kitfox, and Sonex aircraft. If you fly something. This chapter focuses on the flight control systems a pilot uses to control the forces of flight and the aircraft's direction and attitude. It should be noted that flight control systems and characteristics can vary greatly depending on the type of aircraft flown. The most basic flight control system designs are mechanical Aug 18, Aviation Investigation Report. Huntington, Nova Scotia. Report Number A08A Jun 29, Some experimental airplanes can be flown in a carefree manner with the stick all the way back, while others can depart controlled flight dramatically without any perceptible warning.

Kitfox experimental and light sport aircraft. It was a very successful design as Pilot Operators Handbook or maintenance manual, though I believe they are in the works. Installation manuals for these products can. Aug 1, ROTAX aircraft engine. Chapter structure. This Manual has been prepared as a guide to correctly install the Jabiru engine into an Jabiru Aircraft Pty Ptd.

Installation Manual. Jabiru Aircraft Engine.