More or less a first flight

[rwaltman]

While working on getting my own Kitfox in the air, today I flew for the first time in a Kitfox-like aircraft. Found an instructor giving lessons on an Eurofox SLSA, and spent a wonderful hour and a half between Randall, Wurstboro and Resnick airports in New York.

First of all, now I understand what is meant when people say that “things happen fast” in a Kitfox. My previous flights were in a Piper Cub and an Aeronca Champ, which I sought as the closest thing to a Kitfox from the point of view of size, weight and engine power.

The numbers may be close, but they surely don't fly in a similar way. The KF/EF is much more “squirelly” and responds much quicker to the controls, It was a bumpy day, strong thermals, orographic lift, sink out of the blue, turbulence just because. So I had plenty of opportunities to see the controls response, both when I did it right and when I made mistakes.

I'll take a few more lessons with this plane. Unfortunately it is not a taildragger, but I believe flying it will prepare me for my Kitfox better than anything else I did so far.

I am allowing myself only a 50% grin, since it is not my own plane.

Roberto.