new guy questions

[bagem]

Hello everyone

I am considering a Kitfox build because I need a plane that can consistently land and take off on a semi-primitive, and fairly short grass strip. I have a piece of land about 250 miles away that I would fly to about once a month. My concern is that my grass strip may have 6 inches of growth on it from one visit to the next and may have burrowed animal holes as well (no tree branches to worry about). Is this a condition that the Kitfox would be suitable for? My runway would probably not be more than about 900 feet long either.

My other concern is getting to and from the land in a reasonable amount of time. I read the performance stats on the Kitfox website, but what are ways I can maximize cruise speed? engine options, etc. Thanks

[Pilot4Life]

bagem,
Give these guys some time and they'll answer all your questions about performance of the Kitfox on the LZ. As far as the maintenance of the strip, have you ever considered asking a neighbor in that area to mow/maintain it for you while you're gone? Perhaps for a nominal fee, such as the hunting priveledge? Unfortunately, I am not one to offer said help because I'm in Texas. However, I'm certain that there's someone out there just itching for a place to hunt and would gladly keep up the strip for that type of opportunity. Just a thought. Good day sir!

[DesertFox4]

Mark, welcome. A tail wheel configuration sounds best with maybe slightly larger than average tires installed. You sure wouldn't want to drop a Kitfox nosegear into a 6" deep animal hole. A Super Sport model 7 with a 912S Rotax gets you in at the least amount of weight. A controllable prop. would really benefit the take off.
900' with little obstruction should be no problem for the airplane if you are up to the task. Expect cruise speeds with this set up in the 108 to 112 mph range with oversized tires. Better if stock tires are adequate. Build it as light as possible. Keep the "I can't live without it" goody list to a minimum and you should have an 800lbs .or maybe even less Model 7 SS.
The Super Sport can be a 1320 lbs. aircraft or 1550 lbs gross weight if you need it.

If you can live with a model 4 you can acheive the same cruise speeds but you will have a 625 to 650 lbs. aircraft if built with weight reduction in mind using the same engine/prop. combo. The model 4 Classic is 1200 lbs gross weight.


Both models mentioned can accomodate floats and skis and are convertible from tail wheel to nose gear and vise versa at anytime. Both can handle lots of cargo. The model 7 has more cargo space.

Any other model as in model 3, 2 or 1 would handle your strip also with ease but cruise speeds would be below 100mph as in 75 to 90 mph. and would have less cargo capability.

[bagem]

Thanks

So if I went with the Super Sport 7/912S combo, in a quick build kit, what would be approximate build times and approximate total cost? I realize these figures are highly variable, but can you at least give me some realistic ranges?

I also had hoped to cruise comfortably at about 120 mph, but maybe not possible because of the bigger tires? Also, what type of fuel economy could I expect? Sorry for all the questions right away, but I'm trying to get a good overall understanding of what the Kitfox has to offer for my particular mission.

[DesertFox4]

With the 912S you can figure 5.5 to 6 gals per hour depending how hard you want to run it. A good average is 5.8 with take off and climb figured in. You are not climbing to 11,000 feet in Minnesota to reach your destination as some have to in the West. I think 120 mph is doable if tires are stock size and you don't mind 5.8 to 6.2 gal. per hour fuel burn. The bigger tires may not even be that much of a penalty in speed. More and more builders are running bigger backcountry style tires so they may let you know actual speeds with them installed.

There a lots of members building 7's right now so I'll let them address realistic costs and time to build.
My 4 took me about 1300 to 1400 hours to finish and I did it in a span of approx. 14 months. Yes the quick build options will reduce time in the build stage.

[Dorsal]

I think a series 7 or SS will run well over $50K by the time it is done (large variability based on equipment). I also expect that average build time is measured in years, 3 to forever (I know some have done it quicker). I bought my project >30% complete, work on it fairly regularly and hope to have it flying this spring ~2 years. The original owner worked on it on and off for ~5 years. I will also offer the opinion that you should only build a plane because you have a passion for building, if it is primarily the flying that motivates you then buy one already built. As a person with a passion for building, the KitFox is a great plane to build (I hope it is as much fun to fly.

[akarmy]

Here's the setup you need. These are 8.50x6's and will handle your 6 inch grass and holes just fine. I get 120mph TAS at 5.5 gph just fine.