Kitfox and high gas prices..... it's a good thing , sort of.

[84KF 4]

Ok, maybe not good, but I do seem to have the airport to myself lately. No 182's and Bonanzas flying 747 patterns or anouncing 5 mi. straight in approaches. No conjestion on the taxiways and ramps. Nothing much on the radio to distract ya.

Right now I figure about $16.00 to $18.00hr to fly 84KF. As auto fuel goes up so will that cost but it's still as cheap as it gets. (remember...my hanger is free!)

Clear prop...!

  Steve

[akflyer 1427]

shit it costs more than that to fly Johns KF II with the 582.  Gas was 4.34 at the pump yesterday and it burns 5.5-6 hr at cruise on floats...that does not include oil at 15.00 a gallon or figure in the real operating costs to include maintenance etc.. It is still the cheapest fun I can have with my clothes on.

I went for a flight Monday to maiden his Fox on the new floats and was supprized at the traffic in the area.  I had a stinson playing peekaboo with the trees below me, a couple citabria's playing in the pattern, a 185 back taxiing on the lake, a 206 on a 6 mile final a beaver on a 2 mile final and a renegade in a cub take off a dirt strip that runs into the lake at a 90 degree intersept while I was on short short final... I bout shit.  I was 50' of the deck and here comes a cub filling up the passenger door headed right at me from about 300' out.  No radio communications or anything.  I shoved over and plopped her on the water real damn quick.

[84KF 4]

    I'm paying about $4.10 (this week) for good auto gas and figure about 4 - 4.5 gph average, but I don't run it hard. In fact in order to get a bit of better efficiency out of it I just increased the prop pitch a tad and actually got a 15 mph gain in cruise, from 85 to 100 @5100 rpm. It always ran right up to redline before so I knew it was under pitched, but it took until now to do something about it. It's about 400 rpm less at static, but it didn't seem to affect take off much...still plenty of initial zip. So it might take 200 feet instead 0f 150.....bfd.

  Don't ask how much I tweaked it or what it is now..... I just eyeballed it and bumped one blade out a bit and used the special protractor to set the other two to match. Just got lucky on the first try.

As far as your air traffic ...we all know you guys use (and fly) airplanes like New York cabs... with just as many I hear. 

The economy really sucks here in Michigan and a lot of the guys that used to buzz around for the hell of it are bailing out cuz of uncertain job security, or just don't want to can't afford to fill their tanks and just burn 10 - 20 gph any more.  More airspace for frugal (cheap) me .......