Factory tour and demo flight report
I’m an RV-8 builder/pilot from Wisconsin, and have been looking into different options for a next project. I was in Boise ID for work recently and had a chance to visit Kitfox Aircraft in Homedale, and thought I’d offer a report on my visit for those not already familiar.
Kitfox Aircraft is located about 40 miles west of Boise on the western Snake River Plain, an agricultural oasis bounded by picturesque mountains to the northeast and desert to the southwest. Arriving at Homedale airport I wasn’t sure at first if I was in the right place; it’s a small, sleepy little strip tucked in on the south bank of the river. This modest setting perhaps helps keep costs down. As best I can tell their prices compare quite favorably to the competition (for example Rans and Just), although direct comparison is a bit tricky due to the ways in which each manufacture does their pricing.
John McBean was remarkably generous with his time and gave me complete a tour of the the facilities, while patiently answering many questions. One of my main questions concerned engine choice. Although Kitfox has experimented with a number of different engines, I quickly learned that John regards a Rotax as far and away the best choice.
Compared to my experience building an RV, the standard Kitfox fuselage appears to be a “quick build” in its standard form. The welding is all done in a massive (and expensive) fixture at the factory, and powder-coating is included rather than being an expensive option. Wing ribs are cut using CNC tooling, and come already glued together. With a regular kit you still have to assemble the wing, but there is a fast-build wing option that John says is the best bang for the buck of their various options (and also assures the correct washout).
Other aspects of the build all looked very straightforward to me, and the builders manual appears to be really excellent. Unlike my RV build there are no complex blueprints to interpret; instead everything is illustrated in beautifully drawn 3D renderings. Building any airplane is a complex undertaking but I this one looks about as easy at it gets. According to John a finished empty weight of around 800 pounds is typical, although lots of variation is possible.
Conditions were less than ideal for a demo flight; OAT was >97°F and visibility was somewhat obscured by smoke from nearby fires. Entry is easy once you learn the trick (butt first, then loop your leg over the stick), and the seat was remarkably comfortable for our short flight. Visibility was excellent in all directions except straight ahead while taxiing; the nose of the taildragger version creates a significant blind spot while on the ground. The same is true with most taildraggers, and the oversize tires on the demo ship may have worsened the effect a bit. With about half fuel and two full size occupants (around 180 pounds each) we seemed to spring off the runway very quickly. I didn’t carefully check takeoff distance but the roll was well under 1000’. The Rotax clearly provides adequate power. On a cooler day with just one aboard I suspect the performance would be really impressive.
I found the flying qualities to be quite pleasant. The controls are not quite as light and sensitive as my RV (what is?), but they are nicely harmonized. Stick forces were lighter than other comparable aircraft I’ve flown, although the controls stiffen noticeably at higher airspeeds. The flaperons and elevator are controlled by push-pull tubes rather than cables, which gives a precise feel with no control play. Elevator trim is accomplished by moving the horizontal stabilizer via an electric motor/linear actuator (which incidentally looks like the same unit used to operate the flaps in my RV). The trim seemed a bit slow to adjust, but it worked fine.
The rudder is very large and effective. Because of the differential movement of the flatirons just a touch of rudder is needed for left turns, with a bit more required for right turns. I was able to do some gentle Lazy 8s with reasonable precision, and John had some fun demonstrating steep turns that kept us within the tight radius of a center-pivot irrigation system below. At the end of the flight he demonstrated an aggressive forward slip from 1000’ AGL and very close to the runway threshold; the resultant flight path felt like we were coming down under a parachute.
The tradeoffs for me are that the Kitfox is a lot slower than the RV, and doesn’t have the baggage capacity of a C180. It felt faster than I expected however; we saw true airspeeds in the 115-120 mph range with large bush tires and a moderate power setting. I don’t have a need for circus-trick STOL performance and therefore feel that they’ve hit the right tradeoff between low and high speeds. The baggage capacity appeared similar to a PA18, and can be extended farther back if desired for light items like skis. Access to the baggage compartment is a bit tight due to the internal fuselage structure, but not problematic unless you’re planning to carry an oil drum or steamer trunk. In that case you could also load from above by removing the turtleneck, which is held on by quarter-turn fasteners. Apparently some builders have even hinged it for easier access.
The RVs became successful because they struck a careful balance between the various tradeoffs that define aircraft design. The result was an airplane that has reasonably good performance at both ends of the scale, is fun to fly, and that can be built for a reasonable sum. It appears to me that Kitfox has done pretty much the same thing!
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