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Kitfox 1 build

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Posted

After Many hours of building I finally have the first try at 2 into 1 exhaust, I think they will work quite well.

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Posted (edited)

Looks good TJay - The only part I might question is the solid hanger on the firewall - I wonder if the vibration from the engine might cause problems in the exhausts if this is not flexible, like a car muffler hanger?  I see the pivot bolt, but what about sideways shaking?   Has this been done before?   EDMO

Edited by EDMO

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Posted

Looks good TJay - The only part I might question is the solid hanger on the firewall - I wonder if the vibration from the engine might cause problems in the exhausts if this is not flexible, like a car muffler hanger?  I see the pivot bolt, but what about sideways shaking?   Has this been done before?   EDMO

Hey bud look at the first picture, The aluminum brackets with the rubber mount in the middle, that,s what is on the firewall,  lots of flex in those for movement.

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Posted

Looks good TJay - The only part I might question is the solid hanger on the firewall - I wonder if the vibration from the engine might cause problems in the exhausts if this is not flexible, like a car muffler hanger?  I see the pivot bolt, but what about sideways shaking?   Has this been done before?   EDMO

Hey bud look at the first picture, The aluminum brackets with the rubber mount in the middle, that,s what is on the firewall,  lots of flex in those for movement.

Oh - I missed that - Jolly Good Show!  That looks good.  EDMO

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Posted

I would wonder about being mounted to the firewall myself.  Even with the rubber mount.  I've been wrong before though and there is more than one way to skin a cat.  On my Jabiru installation, the engine came with a pusher style muffler.  I ended up making exhaust extentions to get the muffler away from where the carb was.  On the Jabiru, I found that you can reverse the pipes and the muffler will still fit.  It's just where the carb has to be.  That was the reason for the extentions.  Anyway, I helped hold the muffler weight with some springs that hooked onto the motor mount.  I bet my muffler was heavier than your pipes especially with the heat muff in the winter for heat.  This was an early picture, and changed the heat muff after this pic was taken.  The muffler mounts worked well for over 400 hrs.  Never had an issue with the connection to the heads.  JImChuk

Jab engine pics 002.jpg

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Posted

Time to play with some more fiberglass. Need to make some bump outs for the header pipes and get a nice fit on that prop hub,

 

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Posted

You certainly are getting close now! Any guess as to when you'll have it all finished up and ready for testing?

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Posted

At first glance, I though you were giving it a shave  ;-)  Keep at it,  you will get it done!  I thought you got a cowl from Jabiru.  This one looks like the one that came with the plane.   Looks like the starter clears anyway.  On my Jabiru cowl that came from Avid, I had to build a bump on the top for the starter.  Looking good though!  JImChuk

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Posted

At first glance, I though you were giving it a shave  ;-)  Keep at it,  you will get it done!  I thought you got a cowl from Jabiru.  This one looks like the one that came with the plane.   Looks like the starter clears anyway.  On my Jabiru cowl that came from Avid, I had to build a bump on the top for the starter.  Looking good though!  JImChuk

Yeh, I was going to ask if that was shaving cream or Reddi-Whip. :<)  But didn't want to sound like a smart-ass!  Now got to stay quiet and wait for the final pictures to be posted.  EDMO

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Posted

You certainly are getting close now! Any guess as to when you'll have it all finished up and ready for testing?

flight testing is set in my head for spring time, that's why is so easy to do all these finishing touches and get it the way I want it, there's no hurry here, and I should have it done in plenty of time.

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Posted

At first glance, I though you were giving it a shave  ;-)  Keep at it,  you will get it done!  I thought you got a cowl from Jabiru.  This one looks like the one that came with the plane.   Looks like the starter clears anyway.  On my Jabiru cowl that came from Avid, I had to build a bump on the top for the starter.  Looking good though!  JImChuk

actual Kitfox 1 cowl,  I really wanted to try to figure out fiberglass work, I'm learning as I go and its a fun process for the hobbyist. I have now added to the back of it, to the sides of it, to the top of it, and now to the front of it, surprising that I have only added  2 lbs to it,

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Posted

I actually like the look of that cowl better than the round cowl Kitfox replaced it with.  I'm sure it would be easier to see over then the round cowl as well.  JImChuk

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Posted (edited)

I actually like the look of that cowl better than the round cowl Kitfox replaced it with.  I'm sure it would be easier to see over then the round cowl as well.  JImChuk

 

I thought the round cowl was the original Kitfox cowl for a round engine that never got in production?  Maybe this is either an Avid cowl or a later Kitfox cowl?  or Raven?  Anyone have documentation that Kitfox had a cowl like this before the round ones?  I have a cowl that looks somewhat like that one but I don't know where it came from originally - I thought it was either Raven or Kitfox 4 or 5?   My Kitfox 1 was serial number 134 or 34th built and it had a round cowl.  EDMO

Edited by EDMO

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Posted

The cowl that TJay has came with the kit from Kitfox.  His was serial # 11.  It was listed in the inventory sheets for the kit.   I've seen this cowl on another kitfox 1 also.  I think it was a better look and function then the round cowl that came later.  JImChuk

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Posted

The cowl that TJay has came with the kit from Kitfox.  His was serial # 11.  It was listed in the inventory sheets for the kit.   I've seen this cowl on another kitfox 1 also.  I think it was a better look and function then the round cowl that came later.  JImChuk

I agree.  Thanks for the info.   That looks more "Avidish", and mine looks more "Kitfox 5ish", flatter top, larger openings, and maybe wider?  EDMO

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Posted

The original kitfox was an avid clone including the cowling.  Yes the round cowl was for the rotec engine that never really worked out.  The round cowl stuck as it was also a way to beat the law suit and not have a direct copy of the Avid.

:BC:

 

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Posted (edited)

The 1-3 Kitfox wasn't a copy of the Avid, it was an Avid.  It was Denny's superior salesmanship that made the company successful.  It wasn't until they got to the model IV that they had enough money to hire an actual aeronautical engineer and designed a superior airplane and the line never looked back and Avid never recovered.

I doubt any type of lawsuit would have gone anywhere but to fund a bunch of lawyers' retirement.  There is so much copying and outright theft in the experimental aircraft / kit industry, if there was a chance of a successful lawsuit we would have seen it already.  Same factor precludes liability lawsuits.  Liability insurance is something never spoken of in the business, because no-one has any, even if it was possible to afford it.  But I digress...  

The original radial was not a Rotec, it was a Pong "Dragon" radial, a six cylinder two row of three cylinders radial.  A promising design on paper at 121.4 pounds and 65hp.

Kitfox_Test_283_Pong_Dragon_Radial_engin

 

Pong_Radial.thumb.jpg.15eeff50e6d22111c1

 

Edited by Av8r3400

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Posted

Now that is a unique looking engine. 6 cylinders instead of the typical odd cylinder arrangement in other radials. Any idea what happened to the engine, did i just not ever enter production, too heavy?

 

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Posted

It was a two row by three cylinder engine, so in effect it did have an odd number of cylinders, just in two rows.

I thought I read somewhere the company didn't work out for other reasons than the function of the engine.  This model at only 65 horsepower would have been weak and heavy for the airplane.  There were designs for 85 and 100 hp but they never came to be.  Sad...  

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Posted (edited)

As I read about the lawsuit, it was not about copying the Avid to make the Kitfox - It was that Denny had taken an Avid kit off of the loading dock when it was ready to ship to the buyer, and he made off with it.  Judge ruled that since the partnership was still valid, then Denny was one of the partners of the company who owned the Avid, and had not stolen it.   I watched a video of Denny trying to take off in his first plane, and ground-looped it -  He couldn't handle it!   That was a hoot!   EDMO

Edited by EDMO

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Posted

Ed, what lawsuit are you referring to?

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Posted

Ed, what lawsuit are you referring to?

Wilson vs Denny - The only lawsuit I read about when the partnership split.  EDMO

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Posted

I never heard of any lawsuit.  Any links or sources to info on this?  I'd like to know more.

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Posted (edited)

I never heard of any lawsuit.  Any links or sources to info on this?  I'd like to know more.

Any old info I had has either been trashed or stored in the many boxes I brought from Alaska - This was about 33 years ago.  Logtrucker might have better info from Dean?  That's Ancient History now.   I don't remember who wrote about it back then - maybe it was in one of the old plane mags?   I have lived in 6 houses, 2 condos and moved 7 times and married 2x since 1992.  Wish I still had the video!    EDMO

Edited by EDMO

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Posted

I have read that there was a court case as well, but nothing really came of it.  At least nothing that benifitted Dean.  I don't remember the part about weather the kit was stolen or not.  What I remember was that Denny was given the kit to get rid of any interest he had in the company or design.  This is all going off my memory of what I read, or think I did.  Not saying it was written accurately either.  And some days I can't vouch for my memory........  a, what were we talking about???? ;-) JImChuk

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