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Thread: Purchase one Sub-Kit at a time

  1. #1

    Join Date
    May 2009
    Location
    Fresno, Ca
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    1

    Default Purchase one Sub-Kit at a time

    Hello Everyone,

    Is it possible to order and build one subkit at a time? Or do you need to purchase the entire airframe kit (Fuselage, Wings, Gear)?

    Thanks,

    Rick

  2. #2
    Senior Member Dave S's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2008
    Location
    St Paul, MN
    Posts
    1,833

    Default Re: Purchase one Sub-Kit at a time

    Hey Rick,

    Welcome aboard Kitfox island.

    The answer to your question is going to be rooted mostly in your strategy for completing the airplane; and, in your finance options. What works for one of us is not necessarily true for another.

    1) Getting one sub-kit at a time permits a person to spread out their cost rather than taking out a loan - probably the main advantage.

    2) Getting it all at once gives a person a chance to work on another thing if one part gets stalled (no pun intended - I think) for some reason or other.

    3) It may be a reasonable assumption, if a person can swing it financially - stuff will only get more expensive in the future and getting stuff all at once can possibly save one some cash by avoiding higher prices later for remaining sub-kit parts. Kinda depends on if a loan or price increases will bite more - and one of those is answerable only speculatively.

    4) If a person does not get a complete kit - getting everything behind the firewall is really good to do meaning the fuselage kit, wing kit and tailfeathers and leaving the firewall forward, engine and avionics till later - procrastinating on the avionics has a lot of merit considering how quickly things change in this area. This is about half as expensive as getting everything including the engine & FWF and a person can take their time selection the engine ONE EXCEPTION - you must decide which engine you will be using before drilling the wing spars for attachment to the fuse because certain heavier engines require a slight forward wing sweep.

    5) You really need the fuselage to complete the wings and tailfeathers.

    All depends on a person's philosophy and situation - I will say that if a person gets it all at once - you have a better chance of getting the plane together sooner rather than later.

    Have fun out there..

    Sincerely,

    Dave S

  3. #3
    Administrator DesertFox4's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2008
    Location
    Arizona
    Posts
    3,563

    Default Re: Purchase one Sub-Kit at a time

    Rick, Kitfox Aircraft is happy to sell the sub-kits individually if finances do not allow a full kit purchase. Many builders have opted for this plan. Here is a copy from their website showing the option. You will see all 3 can be bought separately. I differ slightly with Dave on what to purchase and in what order. My suggestion if building and storage space is at premium is to start with the fuselage kit first. It takes longer to build than the wings do and that way your covered wings don't have to sit around or get in the way for months after finish and be exposed to possible damage. It happens quite often. You could even buy the landing gear kit and install the engine and accessories, exhaust, fit cowlings and install the prop, upholstery before you need to buy the wing kit. I do agree to postpone the panel decision until late in the build. Avionics are evolving rapidly and prices are also. Engine choice may influence how your wings are rigged so the pre-rigging option would be predicated on which engine you want. If you know that at the time of your fuselage purchase then you could opt for pre-rig. Obviously choosing an engine the factory supports will simplify your build considerably. The Kitfox allows a wider choice of engines than almost any other kit aircraft on the market. Maybe the most.

    If I were building again I'd opt for the quick build wing option and the pre-rigging to fuselage option. Wings are built on factory jigs and insure a perfect flying aircraft. You still get to do some work on the wings but the critical parts are handled at the factory before your kit is shipped to you. Well worth the price of the option.
    Here is a link to the kit pricing page on the Super Sport 7
    http://www.kitfoxaircraft.com/s7sspricinginfo.htm

    The Kitfox Model 4 Classic is also available to purchase sub-kits separately. Good luck Rick. Get your order in and start building. Welcome to TeamKitfox.com also. Happy to have you as a member.


    DesertFox4
    Admin.
    7 Super Sport
    912 ULS Tri-gear


  4. #4

    Default Re: Purchase one Sub-Kit at a time

    Rick,

    For me living on the east coast shipping was a big factor in my ordering my whole kit fire wall aft at the same time. I saved a lot of money by buying it all at once.

    There are also companies that will finance your kit. Debra at Kitfox should be able to point you in the right direction.

    Something to think about.

    Mark

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