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Thread: folding wings every flight

  1. #1

    Join Date
    Feb 2015
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    Default folding wings every flight

    Hi guys. Is it REALLY practical to fold the wings for each flight. In other words take the plane home with me after every day that I fly and keep it in the garage. Reason I ask is i have seen a couple Kitfoxes tied down at my local airport and I wonder what the circumstances are. Guess I could ask. I live less than 2 miles from the airport.

    Plus my other concern is I also want it on amphibs so how high is the tail going to be? I'm thinking 10 or 11 feet tall. If so, can I tip the nose up somehow so the tail goes under my 9 foot garage door?

    Any experience or commets are appreciated.

    I'm beggining to think that even if it is determined to be technically feasible,,,,,, is it practical?

  2. #2
    Senior Member jiott's Avatar
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    Default Re: folding wings every flight

    I originally was going to fold my wings and trailer it to/from the airport to save hanger cost. I quickly determined that to not be very practical. You will have much more fun and log many more hours if you can just drive to the airport and quickly jump in your plane for maybe just a short sunset flight, etc. To me the main value of the folding wings is to be able to occasionally trailer it for repair if it is not flyable.
    Jim Ott
    Portland, OR
    Kitfox SS7 flying
    Rotax 912ULS

  3. #3
    Senior Member
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    wales,ny
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    Default Re: folding wings every flight

    I agree with Jim , If I had to trailer my Kitfox back and forth , load and fold and unfold , my flying time would be reduced by a bunch. Once a year is enough to get it home to do my inspection. Its a nice evening, think I'll go for a sunset cruise. Bruce N199CL

  4. #4
    rocketman2tm's Avatar
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    Default Re: folding wings every flight

    For me, the folding wings have come in handy during the building stage. I can have one wing folded out and the other folded back and have the plane fit in the garage.
    John Grueter
    N188LR
    Kenosha, WI
    Series 7 Super Sport - flying!

  5. #5
    Senior Member
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    Oct 2013
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    Brownsburg, IN
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    Default Re: folding wings every flight

    I have my own airport, but no hangar. I've kept her in the barn during her refit, but the doors are too narrow to go in or out with the wings unfolded. After owning a sailboat for years, I've learned if it's already in the water you will use it more. The same will translate to the airplane. If I kept her in some sort of shelter during the summer, it will get flown more. So I'm looking into some sort of shelter where I can store with the wings out.
    Jay

  6. #6

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    Feb 2015
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    Default Re: folding wings every flight

    A lot of useful insight. I definitely appreciate it. I think this is the reality of it. I very much value the easy wing folding because it's not a big decision then to bring it home to work on ,,,where all my tools are!. But every flight would become a hassle. When you want to steal an hour for yourself you don't want most of it tied up in preparation.
    thanks much

  7. #7
    Senior Member
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    Garland, Texas
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    Default Re: folding wings every flight

    The tools needed are not that extensive. I would buy a small tool bag, and get a set of metric & inch sockets set, and metric & inch open & closed end wrenches, metric & inch Allen wrenches, screw drivers, and vice grips. Harbor Freight has goo prices. Throw the bag in the plane, you need the tools as an emergency kit, in case of a problem on a trip. I also throw in 8 spark plugs, and 3 quarts of oil.
    Paul Zimmermann
    LSRM-A
    Garland, Texas

  8. #8

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    Default Re: folding wings every flight

    Quote Originally Posted by rocketman2tm View Post
    For me, the folding wings have come in handy during the building stage. I can have one wing folded out and the other folded back and have the plane fit in the garage.
    Rocketman, I never thought of that. Excellent point.

  9. #9
    Senior Member t j's Avatar
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    Oct 2009
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    Ellensburg, WA
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    Default Re: folding wings every flight

    I trailered my plane to the airport for every flight for the first five years. It seemed like a lot of monkey motion. Then I went in partners on renting a hangar with a Sonex owner.

    It was a small T hangar. Half the rent was $135 which was affordable for me. The most I had ever flown in a year was the first year...40 hours...and I figured now I would fly a lot more.

    The only way to fit the planes without folding the kitfox wings was Kitfox in first then the Sonex with its tail under the kitfox wing.

    I had to open the stubborn hangar doors, push the Sonex out the doors and out of the way, push the Kitfox out and out of the way, push the Sonex back inside, and close the stubborn hangar doors. Then do it all in reverse when I returned from my flight.

    I took me about the same amount of time to get ready to fuel up and preflight as it did to trailer the Kitfox....more in the winter with chipping ice and shoveling snow in front of the hangar and busting my butt when I slipped on the ice.

    The hangar was drafty and dirty. Birds got in...even and owl. I couldn't tinker on my Kitfox like I did when I kept it at home and had to trailer it home to do any significant maintenance on it.

    My hangar mate was a college student and after two years he graduated and flew away to Texas for work. I wasn't flying any more often than I was before renting the hangar. It wasn't worth $270 per month to me to keep the hangar so I went back to trailering for every flight.



    Tom Jones
    Classic 4 builder

  10. #10
    Senior Member Norm's Avatar
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    May 2013
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    Airdrie, North of Calgary
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    Default Re: folding wings every flight

    There is a lot of wisdom in TJs post. I can not say for sure what I will do as my KItFox is still in the rebuild stage. I have my hanger a half hour drive away but I could park an enclosed trailer 5 min down the road and fly from there. The question I am faced with is would I fly more with the plane close with the wings folded in a trailer or 25miles away and not have to fold the wings. One of the reasons I am rebuilding a Fox is to allow me the freedom to choose from a couple of options. As hanger rents increase I can build a trailer for less than a hanger and keeps my options open. I think if you only get to fly weekly then folding every time might make sense, but if you get to fly daily then a hanger that allows you to pull it out and go might be the best option. The thing about the KitFox is it does allow you options. Something you don't get with most other planes.
    I had a hanger that I had to use a dolly system to get the plane in and out and while it worked ok it was troublesome. I still got 100hrs a year in that hanger and I think wing folding might be less trouble.

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