got my first flights in a kitfox

[akflyer 1427]

Well last Friday I got my first turn left seat in a kitfox (mod II).  First landing was a bit uhhh.. ugly, but we walked away.. actually flew away.. a few more and I was turned loose for solo.. It takes a bit to get used to but was nothing too major.  I have put in a couple hours a day since then.  This little bird is a kick. Cant wait to get my Avid in the air!

Leni

[84KF 4]

Leni,

What was the (minor, naturally) problem? Landing attitude? excess speed?

I tell ya.... I've flown a lot of taildraggers, and none of them demand the attention at touchdown that my 5 does.

  I'll get use to it, and learn to love it. But thinking it is just a "Cub type"  is not the way to go. I guess if it is what you learn in and initially solo, you have no expectations and bad habits to break. But to "downgrade" to a Kitfox", from what I have learned so far, is an exercise in precise approach techniques.

  I'm not talking about just getting it on the ground... I mean being master of the aircraft, not the other way around.

Now, if I were posting this on the other site, I would be told I'm full of s--t..., that it's sooooo easy, bla, bla, bla,.

But I could re-post the link to the NTSB accident site..... 

Now, go around and give me 3 more....to a full stop.

Go-arounds don't count...., and three 5' bounces don't count either.......  after.

Way to go......

Steve      .

[akflyer 1427]

I did all my initial training through solo in a pa12, then on to the spam can 152-172, 180, pa-18, 22/20 etc.  I echo your feelings on the attention needed for the first few.  I don't know about your 5, but the II bleeds off speed faster than a Huey with full aft cyclic..and it is sitting a couple feet lower than the cub so it just took a few turns around the patch to get the "picture" of what it should look like.  As far as ground handling, it has the wide gear and kingfox tires, but is a real pussy cat on pavement, and no where near as bad as the 12 or 18 with 32" airstreaks on the pavement.

I really like the inflight adjustable as keeping your EGT's pegged where you want them on climb, cruise or descent is a simple flick of the switch.  I was flying with a Avid Mk IV speedwing and was only about 10 kts slower W.O.T.

I think this is going to be a hell of a kick on floats playing with the 100's of lakes in a 50 mile radius, not to mention the places I can get into to hunt and fish that no one else can!!

My brother was flying a buddies 5 that had the grove gear and it was a bear... they adjusted the toe in on the gear and he said it was night and day... so if it is getting a loose on ya, you may check the wheel alignment (but I am sure you allready have).. if that is the case.... then "you are full of shit, this is soooooo easy my 15 yr old can do it with one hand behind her back and her eyes shut"

And I did indeed after it was tied down!

[84KF 4]

"you are full of shit, this is soooooo easy my 15 yr old can do it with one hand behind her back and her eyes shut"

Leni,

How many times do I have to tell ya....

Ya gotta stop cooking all that caribou in 2-stroke oil.

steve

[akflyer 1427]

just wanted to make you feel at home lol....

is yours a speed wing?  If so, what do you rotate at?  on my buddies avid speed wing it is tail up at about 35-40 and rotate at 55-60...he took off in front of me and by mid runway I was 500+ feet higher that him and turning down wind while he was still climbing to pattern altitude..

He touches down around 55.. I would think that with power and trim you could get her down a bit slower.. but who knows.. I have not flown a 5 yet.

[84KF 4]

 

It's a long wing.

Ya know, shame on me, but I haven't even noticed that (speed) yet. 

When you go full throttle on mine everything happens so fast.  The acceleration is unbelievable, all focus is on tracking straight. Within seconds you can get the tail up so  as to see where you are going and then it just levitates up at 1000 fps after that at around 65mph.  Even the T-6 doesn't push you back as hard in the seat for those first few seconds.

Now that I think about it... I don't even look at the airspeed until it's off the ground, there is no time, and it changes so fast

Now landings....  I established, in flight, that at idle, it will break gently, just nose down, without dropping a wing at 45mph. That's no flaps. With the first notch, 38-40 mph.  So my approach, for now, is at 55-58 w/partial power, and when I have the runway made, power off, pitch up to slow down, continue at 50 +/-, when a few feet up, pitch up more and wait for the nose to block out the entire forward view. Hopefully the ground is just a few inches below when it hits 40 mph.

My opinion is that it has such a light wing loading (solo, 3/4 fuel) that it doesn't take much crosswind start it drifting at such low speeds. So I'm learning to keep it pointed, and flying, straight with one wing low, right to the end if the x-wind is a factor.

  The closest comparison I can make is it's like a T-Craft on steroids, a real floater if you're to fast, but with absolutely no forward visibility forward in a 3-point attitude. None. Not to mention that you are completely blind to what's on the right side forward.  Not like  tandem seating.  You can see more from the back seat of a Stearman then you can in a Series 5 on Grove gear. I spent last year in a Citabria 7ECA, and you get 180'foward  vision in that, so I'm just learning to do without that luxury.

  The airplane tracks well, so I don't think the alignment is a problem, BUT... I guess I could do the straight-edge check like you suggested just to verify. (It "looks" straight, but I never really thought about it... thanks.)

Anyway, I still have a lot of playing to do with the power-on, power-off approaches, and I havn't used full flaps on landing yet. But they make great speed brakes.... to fast on final, put that 2nd notch in and you go foward against the seatbelts.. wait a few seconds, go back to 1st notch and all is well, and much slower now.

more later...

my dinner is burning....damn.

steve