Some Kitfox Questions

[rosslr]

Dear Flienlow,

Once again the Kitfox group here have kicked in generously with their time and experience. And I am sure there will be others yet to do so, particularly in regard to the float Qs.

However, I note that you conducted a similar exercise on this forum in 2012, asking very similar Qs and getting similar responses. I cant help but wonder if you are not entertaining yourself by getting the group here to jump hoops for your entertainment!? I hope not. In the spirit of openness I would have appreciated it if you declared this is the second time you have posted such Q's and explained the reasons for doing so 4-5 years after the first round to allay any thoughts that this is just a theoretical exercise on your behalf.

That said, I hope you find the responses useful and that you make a decision soon that you can live with comfortably.

cheers
ross

[Ramos]

Ross, I can't answer for Flienlow. However, your post could apply to me to a certain degree. Some of us have the passion and the determination and even concrete plans. Then, you get up one day and life gives you an unexpected/unwelcome surprise. Next thing you know, all this fun stuff is delayed. Please don't exclude those of us who have yet to achieve ownership. You guys are key players in keeping the likes of me moving forward. I can't tell you if I will be purchasing in the next 12 months for sure. I hope so, and I BELIEVE so. That being said, I have a limited budget and commitments that have to come first and they don't always go as expected or hoped for. I do not believe that makes me a 'poser' or less than sincere or, a person who does not value other people's time.

If I had to pay you guys what your time is worth, I'd never have anything left over to purchase an aircraft!

Respectfully,
Jon Ramos

[PaulSS]

Regarding Q4, I think it's worth taking a look at the MGL product. Certainly significantly cheaper and more options to configure and change things to your design. It's not necessarily easy as the manual is not well written but, thanks to some great videos and information from a very helpful chap on the MGL Forum, it is suddenly making a lot more sense and give you a chance to do things that you cannot with Garmin, Dynon etc. I think the likes of these companies have a more polished result in their displays but you pay for it and then continue paying with all the updates etc, whereas with MGL you can do a lot of it yourself.

[Delta Whisky]

Flienlow - when talking money with a spousal unit, some of us convert costs into AMUs. (Aviation Monetary Unit) Although more stable than the Bit Coin, it's daily value floats and isn't traded on the commodities market so conversion can't be accurately determined. Having said that, most of us recognize 1 AMU is roughly $1K. HTH with one of your questions. - if you get my drift.

[av8rps]

I can appreciate those that take their time in determining what diection they want to go with their aircraft decisions. So even if these are repeat questions from years ago I don't have a problem if we discuss it again, as we probably will come up with new, additional information that can help the poster as well as others that may have similar questions.

I'm a seaplane guy, so I'll try to adress his questions or concerns regarding that aspect as briefly as I can. If others want more info about that I'd be happy to answer more in later posts.

First, a new Kitfox built reasonably light would make a phenomenal seaplane. If flown experimental at 1550 lbs you could have a 750 lb airplane with an 800 lb usefull load. And for the record there are newer model Kitfoxes on amphibs that the builders set gross weight at 1750 lbs and have operated that way for years quite safely. Very few planes can boast having the ability to carry up to 133% of its own empty weight.

And a big benefit of the 912 Kitfox is that you only need to carry around 25 or 30 lbs of fuel an hour because it burns such little gas, so most of that 800 lb (or up to 1000 lb) usefull load can be used for carrying floats, people, and gear. Oh, and a set of amphib floats will typically only add 175 to 200 lbs to the empty weight of the aircraft. So the available payload is really quite useful

So lets compare that to your average production plane. A Cessna 185 will burn 100 lbs of fuel an hour, and a set of amphib floats will add 675 to 750 lbs to empty weight. So that 300 hp Cessna becomes a good 2 seat airplane, 3 maybe? A friend with a Cessna 180 on Edo 2705 amphibs has a 714 lb useful load. Do the math of what that can haul after putting 4 hours of fuel in it and you will find a Kitfox amphib will haul at least as much. Plus, aside from top speed, the Kitfox will perform better, and all on about 1/3 the amount of fuel.

Another friend has a 180 hp amphib Husky and it only has a 384 lb useful load. At 10 gph with 4 hrs of fuel, it legally can't even haul a pilot unless he weighs less than 145 lbs. And a Husky is perceived as a premium seaplane in that community. And for the record, a Super Cub can't legally haul what a Husky can. So dont' let them fool you, by comparison a Kitfox can make for a very practical, good performing, and super cost effective, FUN seaplane.

But if you really need 4 seats and you want amphibs, you're gonna need a Beaver. For that you'll need 30 gallons an hour and a half million dollars. Oh, and the Kitfox is likely to pass it in cruise flight

[alanr]

I would like to chime in here with the length of time decision making process.
In 2014 I came within a hairs breadth of placing an order for a SS7. Probably I upset John McBean at the time due to me messing him around. I am in the UK and £/$ exchange rate was very good at the time and I bitterley regret not doing it. My family talked me out of it!...A bad move listening!
Having built and owned a Sportcruiser previously I went off and built a Bristell NG5, its a quickbuild kit here in the UK, it took me 18months and its great..I love it.
However I still want to build a Kitfox!!.....But now the £/$ exchange rate is awful and the kit will cost me far too much if I keep the Bristell.
I keep returning to this forum though and wishing..If only I had done it back in 2014 because I still want one!...I keep thinking and hoping that one day I will. Sometimes perhaps you just have to go for these things and to hell with the consequences....