Kitfox V history ?

[peanut]

Going to look at a Kitfox V unassembled soon. Guy says it’s 20 years old. Confirmed it is a KF 5 with all manuals etc. I didn’t know they made it that long. It is powder coated for what it’s worth. Were there any updates along the 5 production that I should know about ? Thanks all

[kmach]

There used to be a history page on the Kitfox LLC site, I don't see one on their current website. ( eyes to top Left)

I am going off of memory now so I may not be totally accurate.

The original Model 5 series were sold as a trigear or a taildragger and had a gross weight of 1400lbs . I think these models of the 5 came out in 1995. They had specific names, Vixen for the trigear and Safari for the taildragger.

I am not sure what year they made the change but the model 5 series had a gross weight increase to 1550lbs. Their names switched to the Outback for the taildragger and Voyager for the trigear.

I have a 1998 Skystar catalog that lists the Outback and Voyager in it and their specifications.

I own an Outback it was a 1998 kit.

[jmodguy]

Look at the spars. If they are .062" walls they are the 1550 GW.
There were updates from the 5 to 6 to swap from conventional to tricycle and there is an elevator push tube change that happened somewhere, but the 5, 6, and 7 are basically the same airframe.
I picked up a 20 yr old Series 5 tail dragger and am glad I did! Saved over half the cost of a new 7. (Sorry John...)

[PapuaPilot]

I can't find the history page at the Kitfox website anymore. Here is a link to the Kitfox history: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denny_Kitfox

Around 1994 to 1995 they increased the gross weight of the model 5 from 1400 to 1550 pounds. The names of the planes changed as well as the spar thickness.

I have a 1999 Outback (tailwheel only). FYI the serial number contains the year and month that the airframe was produced.

[MNsnowy1]

And mine is a 94 safari with short wing: 1200 GW

I recently purchased the quick change wing extension kit from Kitfox, which will bring GW up to 1400 on mine.

[jdmcbean]

Look at the spars. If they are .062" walls they are the 1550 GW.

The spar wall thickness was NOT the only change.. there were other structural changes from the Series 5 -1400 to the 1550. Wall thickness of some of the tubing structure and some was actually the structural design..

There are Vixen aircraft that were actually 1200..

[jmodguy]

The spar wall thickness was NOT the only change.. there were other structural changes from the Series 5 -1400 to the 1550. Wall thickness of some of the tubing structure and some was actually the structural design..

There are Vixen aircraft that were actually 1200..

Fair enough. How does one tell by looking at the airframe what they have?

[bumsteer]

Jeff

Not sure if this will help, but a FYI letter that came with my build manual for my Series 5 (1998) says that Series 5 aircraft with a S or V prefix and serial number 95070000 or greater have been increased from a 1400lb to a 1550lb gross weight.

Rick

[Maverick]

I built a KF5 from a kit serial number S94120069, which I believe means that the kit was created in December, 1994 and was the 69th kit built that year. The kit was originally sold to a guy in Tucson, AZ. I am now building a KF5 from a kit serial number S94120078. This kit was sold to a guy in Mesa, AZ. I bought the second kit from Mission Aviation Fellowship after the original purchaser donated it. The kit was not totally complete and I have purchased several of the missing parts from John & Debra. They have been more than helpful even though I did not buy the kit from them. John helped me understand how to approach the FAA since the original buyer did not have his purchase agreement from Skystar. I did get much documentation from the original owner (inventory sheet) and I was able to, through MAF, get a letter to the guy and an affidavit from him stating that he did purchase the kit from Skystar. So, if you are considering an old kit, be sure you can address any registration issues with the FAA.

As far as the missing parts, part labels falling off the baggies, etc., you do want to take into consideration the time it takes to find the right part. Usually, this is the right size bolts for the right location that you need it for. Of course, you want to make sure all the essential parts are there. You would not want to spend so much for new parts that you put yourself in a condition where you would be spending more between the used kit and the missing parts you would have buy and just buying a new kit. My air-frame is a tail-dragger but, the mods to make it into a nose-dragger could be made before you get started, assuming too much work is not already done that would prevent it from being done without a lot of rework.

I have been tracking my spending. With a Rotax ULS purchased from AZ Aircraft salvage with 700 hrs on it, all new Garmin avionics, a Great Lakes EIS and, minimal used steam gauges, it looks like I should be flying for less than $40K. Of course it is not going to be a show plane. I'm building it to fly as a LSA.

[Rocketman]

Going to look at a Kitfox V unassembled soon. Guy says it’s 20 years old. Confirmed it is a KF 5 with all manuals etc. I didn’t know they made it that long. It is powder coated for what it’s worth. Were there any updates along the 5 production that I should know about ? Thanks all

I own a Series V Speedster - it's serial number 1. I bought the kit in 1995 from SkyStar Aircraft, which at the time was owned by Phil Reed. It was completed in 2009 and I now have over 100 hours on it with the 912ULS. It was certified as an E-LSA so I didn't care about the gross weight, although the first few Series V's had a 1400 lbs gross, the later versions around 1996 went to a beefier spar and the gross went up to 1550. The series 6 and 7 are pretty much the same as the 5 with many more improvements. John McBean has done a stellar job of advancing the Kitfox line of aircraft. It continues to be a great flying machine! Hope that helps.