STOL Across the US

[Bjones7788]

My wife and I take our Kitfox (in a trailer) across the entire US each year behind our RV (camper van) and have done so for almost twenty years (months at a time).

Anyone interested in lessons learned or a set of eclectic tour photos is invited to join in at the FunFly Zone forums tent. We do not sell anything. This is just an EAA guy who has done it, sharing the FUN.

Thursday July 27, at 11:30 Eclectic photo tour with short intro to technical aspects. (The non-flyer might enjoy this)

Friday July 28 11:30 Cram course on how to do it inexpensively, safely, easily, and avoiding learning the hard way: matching plane-trailer-tow vehicle, selecting trailer - avoiding mistakes - saving $$$, strapping plane to avoid trailering damage, how pretty serious damage to plane occurs while trailering, getting through lots of airport gates post 911 security, towing an over-wide trailer, Registering it, bunches of trailering problems and solutions, China Bombs and damages (good US made tires), in flight safety in high density touring air tour areas (avoiding mid-air collision), touring without spending money for over-night "camping", avoiding the usual causes of bad aviation statistics (injury and fatalities), some of our favorite low and slow scenic destinations. Flying in national parks and other sensitive areas. We usually don't need to pay hanger or tie down fees - how's that work? We have owned a lot of planes. When we stumbled into doing this because Walmart bought out our local airport and I had to find something to fly out of local farm fields I had no idea how much fun this little Kitfox could be - particularly when taking it all over the US with us behind a camper. Holy Cow !!

By the way, I am happy to discuss this stuff by text, email or cell if you have an interest even if the forums do not fit your schedule AND welcome thoughts on what I may have wrong and better ways to do things.

Dr Bob
443-480-1023
freedog7788@gmail.com

[s_e_slevin]

This sounds interesting do you have a website or online journal we could look at?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

[Bjones7788]

Sorry,
No on line material.
Happy to chat by phone, text, email.
Can forward photos regarding specific questions dealing with the rig, trailer, etc.
I don't sell anything, and just got back from Bar Harbor, Maine flying as much as 5 times per day - beautiful scenery - magnificent estates right on rocky ocean front that can't be seen from roads, more sail boats than even the Chesapaeke Bay region
Bob

[keyepitts]

I, and I’m sure others, would love to see pictures of your trailer setup here, along with a short list of what you have found that doesn’t work. I’ve been considering building a trailer for my plane too, for longer trips, to avoid getting stuck by weather.

[Bjones7788]

My wife and I take our Kitfox (in a trailer) across the entire US each year behind our RV (camper van) and have done so for almost twenty years (months at a time).

Anyone interested in lessons learned or a set of eclectic tour photos is invited to join in at the FunFly Zone forums tent. We do not sell anything. This is just an EAA guy who has done it, sharing the FUN.

Thursday July 27, at 11:30 Eclectic photo tour with short intro to technical aspects. (The non-flyer might enjoy this)

Friday July 28 11:30 Cram course on how to do it inexpensively, safely, easily, and avoiding learning the hard way: matching plane-trailer-tow vehicle, selecting trailer - avoiding mistakes - saving $$$, strapping plane to avoid trailering damage, how pretty serious damage to plane occurs while trailering, getting through lots of airport gates post 911 security, towing an over-wide trailer, Registering it, bunches of trailering problems and solutions, China Bombs and damages (good US made tires), in flight safety in high density touring air tour areas (avoiding mid-air collision), touring without spending money for over-night "camping", avoiding the usual causes of bad aviation statistics (injury and fatalities), some of our favorite low and slow scenic destinations. Flying in national parks and other sensitive areas. We usually don't need to pay hanger or tie down fees - how's that work? We have owned a lot of planes. When we stumbled into doing this because Walmart bought out our local airport and I had to find something to fly out of local farm fields I had no idea how much fun this little Kitfox could be - particularly when taking it all over the US with us behind a camper. Holy Cow !!

By the way, I am happy to discuss this stuff by text, email or cell if you have an interest even if the forums do not fit your schedule AND welcome thoughts on what I may have wrong and better ways to do things.

Dr Bob
443-480-1023
freedog7788@gmail.com

OK, A few thoughts on trailers:

1. A 7,000 pound gross weight (loaded weight) tandem torsion axle trailer has multiple advantages - low floor, soft ride, shallow rear ramp door slope ( huge advantantage when loading, easy to move slowly after a flat tire to a safe tire change spot - among others.

2. My original trailer was a duplicate of the 8' 6" wide trailer used by Kitfox years ago. After buying a used 9' wide trailer, loading was so much easier than with the 8' ,6" trailer that my plane has not been in the 8' 6" trailer since.

3. Although 8' 6" is the typical max width by regulation, almost all states grant over wide permits online. (I talk with a lot of private owners who tow boats up to 10' wide who do not bother with permits as long as they have good equipment and towing skill.)

4. If adding an ATV or motorcycle to your load you will probably jump from a 24' trailer enclosure to a 27 - 28' enclosure, so heavier duty trailer frame, more wall and roof structure and an empty trailer weight increase from around 3,900 pounds to around 5,800 pounds.

5. Most Class B motorhomes are not rated to tow more than 5,000 pounds and 500 pound tongue weights.

6 We are on our third Roadtrek 190 Popular camper van that is on a Chevy Express 3,500 ( one ton) chassis with 6.0 L gas engine. This camper van has exceptional towing physics due to the short distance from the rear axle to hitch ball that most campers do not have. The base van is rated to tow 12,500 pounds before adding camper conversion stuff.


7. You want the widest rear ramp door opening possible to make loading and unloading the plane easy. If I were ordering a new trailer I would order a 8' 9" wide trailer with one inch square wall studs and gussets at the wall to roof frame weld joints to reinforce those high stress welds.

8, I would spec a beaver tail floor taper downward for the rear four feet of flooring.

9. A roof that is not a single sheet will eventuay leak at the seams so go with single piece of roof material if possible.

10. MEASURE plane height at three blade prop tips, top of cabin, top of tail, width when folded, then think - will I add tall Tundra tires, wide off airport gear, use a tail wheel dolly that raises the tail a foot or so before specing the trailer dimensions Know that a tricycle gear plane requires more distance between the trailer ramp door (prop spinner) and
the inside trailer "fenders" or trailer wheel enclosures.

11 Weight and balance of the loaded trailer is CRITI CAL - PLAN CAREFULLY
Dr Bobo

[Bjones7788]

OK, A few thoughts on trailers:

1. A 7,000 pound gross weight (loaded weight) tandem torsion axle trailer has multiple advantages - low floor, soft ride, shallow rear ramp door slope ( huge advantantage when loading, easy to move slowly after a flat tire to a safe tire change spot - among others.

2. My original trailer was a duplicate of the 8' 6" wide trailer used by Kitfox years ago. After buying a used 9' wide trailer, loading was so much easier than with the 8' ,6" trailer that my plane has not been in the 8' 6" trailer since.

3. Although 8' 6" is the typical max width by regulation, almost all states grant over wide permits online. (I talk with a lot of private owners who tow boats up to 10' wide who do not bother with permits as long as they have good equipment and towing skill.)

4. If adding an ATV or motorcycle to your load you will probably jump from a 24' trailer enclosure to a 27 - 28' enclosure, so heavier duty trailer frame, more wall and roof structure and an empty trailer weight increase from around 3,900 pounds to around 5,800 pounds.

5. Most Class B motorhomes are not rated to tow more than 5,000 pounds and 500 pound tongue weights.

6 We are on our third Roadtrek 190 Popular camper van that is on a Chevy Express 3,500 ( one ton) chassis with 6.0 L gas engine. This camper van has exceptional towing physics due to the short distance from the rear axle to hitch ball that most campers do not have. The base van is rated to tow 12,500 pounds before adding camper conversion stuff.


7. You want the widest rear ramp door opening possible to make loading and unloading the plane easy. If I were ordering a new trailer I would order a 8' 9" wide trailer with one inch square wall studs and gussets at the wall to roof frame weld joints to reinforce those high stress welds.

8, I would spec a beaver tail floor taper downward for the rear four feet of flooring.

9. A roof that is not a single sheet will eventuay leak at the seams so go with single piece of roof material if possible.

10. MEASURE plane height at three blade prop tips, top of cabin, top of tail, width when folded, then think - will I add tall Tundra tires, wide off airport gear, use a tail wheel dolly that raises the tail a foot or so before specing the trailer dimensions Know that a tricycle gear plane requires more distance between the trailer ramp door (prop spinner) and
the inside trailer "fenders" or trailer wheel enclosures.

11 Weight and balance of the loaded trailer is CRITI CAL - PLAN CAREFULLY
Dr Bobo

OK, some additional thoughts on a Kitfox trailer:

1. Between the model IV and V and later models the cabin was made about 2" wider so when the wings are folded the plane is about 2" wider. So older Kitfoxes load easier. John & Debra at the Kitfox factory made a video of me unstrapping the plane in the trailer, rolling it out of the trailer, connecting the flaperons and installing the turtle deck to the point that it was ready to fly. The total time was 4 minutes and fourth two seconds (probably my record) BUT I could not have done that with the narrower 8' 6" trailer. I lo e my 9' wide air raft trailer!

2. Trailering a plane risks damaging it inside the trailer as the plane bounces inside the enclosed box, so attention to strapping the plane is important. So let's get into strapping a bit. When the wings are folded they are attached to the aft cabin tubular steel hinge points, at the wing rear spar and the hinge point at the bottom of the wing struts. This means the entire mass and momentum of the wings extending back out over the horizontal stabilizer puts A LOT of force on the aft fuselage ahead of the tail. Kitfox provides support braces that extend down from the wing strut attach points (under the wing) to tabs at the front of the verticle stabilizer on both sides of the tail. These little braces transfer bouncing forces when trailering past the thin aft fuselage where the tubular steel has been known to BEND. Make sure these two braces are connected when trailering on roads that cause trailer to "bounce". This is a BIG DEAL. Those two braces also prevent the wings from swinging out while towing on an open trailer, which could destroy your plane.
.
3. With the above in mind, drop a short clear siphon hose in through the gas tanks cap opening, after the wings are folded and the gas cap area is over the lowest point of the tank and siphon out gas before trailering on rough roads. This gets rid of up to 150 pounds of weight in the wings (a really good thing) and helps prevent gas from running out under the gas caps onto the wings and down on the trailer floor.

4. A trailer with heavier duty suspension than needed can cause HARSH bouncing so avoid a 10,000 pound capacity trailer suspension unless you are carrying an ATV, motor cycle or other heavy toy.

5. After the Kitfox model IV, the cabin was built about two inches wider so when the wings are folded in, the folded width is about two inches wider on later model Kitfox aircraft a d harder to load without scrapes on the wing leading edges against trailer wall corners.

6. My old model IV weighs 610 pounds empty. Later models can creep up to close to near
900 pounds. Consider the extra weight in performance and specing your trailer. I am out touring for months at a time so carry a lot of stuff so when I go through CAT scales I see near 7 000 pou ds on the scale pfi t out. You want about 10 % of the loaded trailer weight on the tongue (hitch ball).

7. Extra weight comes from two mounted spare tires (US made Goodyear Endurance load range E, (225 X 75 - 15), a commercial 35 gallong gas tank for Rec 90, generator, West Marine folding kayak, 2,000 watt 12 volt DC to 120 volt AC power converter, automatic battery charger/jump starter, spare mounted plane tire, 12 v and 120 v compressors, spare trailer brake assemblies with hubs, bearings and drums for left and right rotation, aircraft oil, Rotax oil filters, grease gun, battery impact wrench, LOTS of tools, five gallon buckets, water pump, 12,000 pound bottle jack, 6 - 2 X10" oak blocks, emergency gear for use in the plane when flying back country, water tank, plus lord knows what. Point being more weight than most.

8. Small 15" trailer tires are horrible (China Bombs) that look like tires but are made overseas and do not comply with US Fereral Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS 139) or quality controls thus I use Goodyear Endurance, US made, high price trailer tires of the largest size that fits.

9. I use the 35 gallon gas tank, and trailer tires positioned behind the interior large trailer "fenders" to achieve proper trailer weight and balance. I also use a quality load leveler and anti sway hitch. Most current camper vans suck as tow vehicles. They have poor design physics for towing which is hard to correct for with after market gear.

10. The shorter the trailer side walls the less "sail" area there is to be blown around by tractor trailer bow waves and gusty cross winds plus the shorter the "speed brake" you have across the front of the trailer to create wind resistance and lower fuel economy.

11. I use heavy ratchet straps from the float attach points to the trailer floor to minimize plane bounce. Straps over tires have proven to be inadequate. Make sure the floor is strong , attached well to the trailer frame and tie down rings are bolted through the floor with fender washers under the floor to prevent pull through of bolts.

12. I run two ratchet straps rom each float atfa h point. One goes dow , outward and forward. The second down, outward and backward toward the tail. The same pattern is used on the opposite side float attach point. Thus the cabin is pretty stabile. After I get the photo attachment process figured out, I will go over the aft fuselage strapping which is a key consideration - to avoid aft fuselage bending damage.

Hope these generalities help.
Dr Bob
Drjones7788@gmail.com

[MikeFairbanks]

This is great information, thanks for the write up.

One of the deciding factors in buying the Kitfox for me was being able to trailer it. I tell everyone that this is my retirement bird, and I want to be able to take it with me where ever I go.

[Bjones7788]

This is great information, thanks for the write up.

One of the deciding factors in buying the Kitfox for me was being able to trailer it. I tell everyone that this is my retirement bird, and I want to be able to take it with me where ever I go.

Mike,
I still have a light personal twin with turbos, tip tanks, oxygen and Lopresti plus Knots 2 U speed mods.
But the Kitfox behind the camper, allows us to fly low and slow, stick and Rudder, doors off, in the most spectacular scenery found all across the US.
It is much like having a motorcycle that can fly right down inside the scenery.not talking to ATC, flying in places and ways plus landing where most planes simply can't.
I am totally with you, your plane, in your hanger (trailer) read to go play whenever YOU want from any and all airports you stop at as you tour the US.
Bob

[Billiken]

Thanks for sharing your experience and doing the presentations at Oshkosh. Your insight is priceless. I don’t have current plans to trailer, but for fun I tried to find a 9 ft trailer and it’s not easy. I also liked your short trailer dolly invention for going a few blocks.