Kitfox 4 XL

[Abgreen]

I'm looking at a XL it's equip twitch a 503 from factory and as far as I can tell it was manufactured with a smaller tail then the classic 4. My question is how would the control be affected if 80hp Rotax 618 or 912 was hung on the front. Will gear support it motor mount needs to be changed obviously any other changes needed to make it right thanks. Avery

[avidflyer]

Just looked in an older LEAF catalog, and the bare 618 engine is actually 1 pound lighter than the 503. Of course you would gain weight from the radiator and coolant with the 618 but not very much really. 5-10 lbs?? I think the same motor mount might work for both as well if you used the bottom mounting bolts. The 912 is a different ball game though, different mount and a good bit more weight. Jim Chuk

[DesertFox4]

Avery- first welcome.

Many of the early Kitfox models had less tail (vertical stabilizer and rudder) than the model 4-1200's or the Classic model 4's. My first Kitfox was a model 3 (1050 lbs gross weight) and it had a 912 80 hp. Rotax . It was a great performer. Having a larger tail/rudder is better for crosswind conditions and recovers from spins with a little more authority.
There weren't many XL's sold that I know of. They sounded like fun aircraft though.

[Av8r3400]

Wow. I can honestly say I've never heard of a IV-XL before.

How do these differ from the Lite²?

[t j]

In 1994 I saw an article in a magazine about the new Kitfox XL. A complete Kit, everything, as in all the pieces to build a complete airplane, powered by the 52 horse power 503, maximum gross weight of 1050, and was $14,995. I wanted one! Flew over to the factory to take a ride in their XL demonstrator. I was really disappointed when they told me they had shipped the XL demonstrator to France and were no longer producing the XL Kits.

But....the XL was actually just a stripped down model 4 and they were bringing back the model 4 renamed the Classic 4 and would sell me one with a 503 engine for the same price as the XL. Patrick Rediker gave me a ride in that famous florescent greenish yellow and red Model 4 speedster...it was quite impressive.

I built my Classic 4 with the 503. With that engine there is a power limitation on the maximum gross weight of 1050. I've since heard hearsay that the XL was actually a model 3 fuselage with the rest of the components being model 4. I don't know what the true story is, as I have never seen an XL in person to check.

I have no doubt you could put a 912 on the XL but the question I have never had answered is...was the max gross weight of 1050 on the XL a power or airframe limitation??

[t j]

Here it is, Sport pilot September 1993.

[HighWing]

TJ got it right. Attached are the pages from a 1993 Sales Brochure. Sorry about the orientation - tried to correct it.

[t j]

Thanks for posting those Lowell. I printed it out for my kitfox files. It lists the XL max gross weight as 950. I can't remember where I got the 1050 max for the XL...probably thought that because the factory guy told me the classic 4 was exactly the same as the XL. The Classic 4 has the power limitation on Gross weight of 1050 with the 503 engine.

Looking at the prices I guess I got a fair deal of a complete package for $14,995. It included everything including instruments, and poly fibre materials through Polyspray. I had to buy the polytone was all.

Abgreen, max gross weight of 950 would be a deal breaker for a 912 in my mind. You probably should check the paperwork on that XL for sale to see what it actually is.

[Av8r3400]

How do these differ from the Lite²?

maybe the "XL" was a light version of the IV-1050? The light version of the IV-1200 was the Lite².

Love to know he whole story.

[SkyPirate]

Just evolution of our favorite flying machine