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Re: 5 vs 7
I currently fly a KF5 and love it, That being said, I Changed the Elevevator to the 7, Put on Wide Bush Gear with larger tires, Changed some of the Instrument Panel, Put on an Alaska Bush Tail Wheel. Put on VG's, added a Heater. etc, etc, etc. and I fly it Conventional and wouldn't desire to fly it as a nose wheel plane where I like to fly.
That all being said I still would like to add the 7 engine mount and change the cowling. So If you have a chance to buy a 7 or SLSA I would go that route, You can convert from Tri to Tail wheel when you like, have all the benefits of the items I had to change and you already have the better CG with the 7 engine mounts.
No don't get me wrong, I love my 5 and it does everything I want to do, but I had to make the changes to get it there from a stock 5 to get what I wanted and still would change a few things, The 7 or SLSA is ready to go.
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Re: 5 vs 7
Interesting.
Only one comment. Landing gear wheel alignment makes a ton of difference. For those of you that have trouble in cross winds or simply landing for that matter, check your wheel alignment. I think of this right now because a friend just bought a Model IV with Grove gear. This is his fourth IV and finds it very squirrely at touch compared to his other IVs. He will be dumping the Grove for something else. Advice, check alighment and add the shims if Grove. I concur with Steve. I did a BFR with Paul. Great experience and after 4 years of non flying the I found the SS very stable and an easy platform for getting back. (Still prefer the liveliness of the IV, however.)
Lowell
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Re: 5 vs 7
Sly is correct, It isn't easy to teach us old dogs new tricks, I for one prefere the Tail Wheel but would not recommend it for someone just starting out or not going do much off field flying. However with the 7 you can learn Tri and if you later want to you can convert and learn Tail, It will also have a much better resale value later on having both.
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Re: 5 vs 7
I don't know about the last two posts. I think Dorsal hit the nail squarely on the head. Get some tail wheel time somewhere and see. To make a rather expensive decision based strictly on theory and what you hear might not be the best idea. Practical experience would be the best determinant. You also might find that with the hiatus, some habits might be a bit easier to overcome in the transition training. Then again, some of us might be old, but there there are many variations of old and without a doubt many variations on native ability.
Lowell
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Re: 5 vs 7
Wow I have been following different threads at this forum for a long time, but I can honestly say this is the first one that I have got ALOT of usefull info from. the only question I still have is this, can a person buy a SS7 in tail dragger configuration and convert it to trik on his own, the aircraft is light sport, built by an individual NOT a company can he leagally make this conversion???? or does it have to be done by the 1-builder or 2 an AP???? I find a SS7 for sale in the tail dragger version and I have only flow trike. so if I were to purchase it can I leagally do the change?. and do I have to notify the FAA and have it inspected? then later on down the road when I get tail qualified I can switch back and forth at my will
thank you
gary
YES from Wisconsin where it is getting colder
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Re: 5 vs 7
My Series 7 is licensed as an ELSA. but the rules should be the same for normal homebuilts too. Switching gear types does not count as a major modification as I understand the rules as it was designed from the beginning with a convertible gear in mind. Anyone can make the switch back and forth.
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Re: 5 vs 7
The Series 5, 6, and 7 are all the same size. If you want to go used Series 6s also have convertible gear.
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Re: 5 vs 7
I agree , if you can afford a series 7 or if you reguire the SLSA Super Sport, those would be my first choice. The improvements on them could be done to series 5's and up, but would be costly. I too enjoy my series 5 , but I do wish I could afford some of the things that a 7 offers, like engine mount , the boot type cowling are just two that come immediately to mind.