Took my 89 year old mother for a Kitfox ride

[SkySteve]

I took my mother for a Kitfox ride today. She loved it! We are expecting a snow storm within the next few days and the weather is already turning. As a result the sky was dark and the video quality is poor, BUT, hey, how often do you get your 89 year old mother in a Kitfox?! The funny thing was she couldn't climb in my plane by herself so I had her back up to the doorway, then I walked up to her, told her to bend over my left shoulder and lifted her in the plane like a sack of grain (potatoes for you Idaho guys)! Where there's a will, there's a way!!

http://youtu.be/bHkd7SRt8AA

[Av8r_Sed]

Good on you, Steve. I've wanted to take my 87 yo dad for some time since he's always been supportive during my build but the thought of shoehorning him into the fox has put me off. You've given good inspiration.

[SkySteve]

Paul,
"Shoehorning" IS the perfect description!

[kitfox2009]

Hi Guys
I live in part of Canada that has been chosen as a retirement area for many years, therefore we have a majority of senior/seniors here.
So far the oldest I have taken is 94 and I was concerned he would not be able to get in. (especially getting the leg over the stick routine). His response was " Don`t worry about me getting in, you just worry about flying the damn thing!!!" Anyway, he had great time, never been in a light a/c before.
Actually we have 3 active pilot/owners in our Flying Club that are in their 80`s.Two are women! The one fellow has shot over 4000 wolves and coyotes in Northern Manitoba from his Cub!!
Hope I am still able to do this stuff in 10 or 20 years!!
Cheers
Don

[SkySteve]

Don,
The stick is an issue. When my wife flies with me she doesn't like the stick, so I've made mine removable. It is removed most of the time unless I'm taking someone who wants to fly. A simple hole and good quality pin system allows for this and most passengers prefer the extra leg room.

[Dave S]

Guys,

I am beginning to think an easily removable stick on the passenger side is a good thing.....I once found that the stick would not come all the way back when I was in the flare......after blasting off again and sorting the deal out....found out that the space between the back of the stick and front of the seat on a Kitfox is apparently a convenient place for a passenger to ditch a camera when it is not being used...its part of the preflight briefing now

BTW....all concerned, including the camera and plane, escaped the situation intact ...

Got a question....with a removable stick...what solutions have folks come up with if a PTT switch is on top of the stick?

DS

[SkySteve]

When I first made my right stick removable I installed a simple pull apart connector for the PTT wiring. After awhile of never using it I removed the push button and wiring that was inside the stick. The female end of the push plug still sits under the right seat should I ever want to reinstall.