kitfox 4 with 582 flying

[zadwit 105]

try this

https://youtu.be/kHAHEVKJEds

 

I installed hot air muffler cabin heat, works great, LRI (AOA) on top dash, Garmin G-5 tied to my Garmin Aera 660 for navigation, electric carb heaters (for carb anti ice), electric fuel pump, and LED mav lights. PUt my old Warp drive 3 blade 68" prop back on, my 2 blade is faster in cruise, and almost identical in climb..about 1000 fpm at 60mph

kHAHeVKJEds[1]

[akflyer 1427]

 

Here is the right link I think.

 

[zadwit 105]

Thank Lenni.... I still have trouble with video stuff... Yup thats it.... The heater works great... IF I did anything to improve, Id take the fibreglass stove door seal material and make a spiral around the muffler can and force the air to swirl around muffler to get a little more heat.. .On climbe the heater air was hot, on cruise, it cools some but lots of airpressure in that cowl so that was part of it.. all in all it made it warmer in the cockpit... even though a lot of the air is blasting under the seat on my side,,,,so I need to seal up the area under the seat a little bit.....THe AOA is a neat little gadget, not sure how much or if Ill use it as I have a very accurate AS indicator and this plane that TOm built is very predictable and a true joy to fly.....IT does perform better with my 72" Aerolux prop, shorter takeoff, faster climb and faster cruise and WAY WAY smoother prop.. most 2 blades are rough running but not the Aerolux

[zadwit 105]

I wrapped the muffler can and hot air outlet hose nd the inlet stack with HD tin foil and used safety wire to secure it.... I will probably remove the tin foil this summer when it warms up....but every little bit make a difference...

[TJay 1041]

You do quite well with the helmet cam. Most I cant even watch but you stay nice and steady so nice work.

And just to stir the pot a bit I see you pointing at your rpm and air speed ha. my Jabiru runs half those RPM at that speed hahaha  

[akflyer 1427]

You do quite well with the helmet cam. Most I cant even watch but you stay nice and steady so nice work.

And just to stir the pot a bit I see you pointing at your rpm and air speed ha. my Jabiru runs half those RPM at that speed hahaha  

That is a good point.  Have you checked the tach against a tiny tach?   That analog tac is NORTORIOUS for being way off.  Your fuel burn is quite a bit more than mine too on take off.  Or have you calibrated the fuel flow meter?

 

[tcj 150]

Thanks for posting that Mark.  I really enjoyed seeing the upgrades you have made in the airplane.  Watching the angle of attack on approach was especially interesting to me.

[1avidflyer 1983]

Thanks for posting the video Mark.  Who makes the instrument in the center of your panel with the artificial horizon on it?  What can you tell me about it.  Also curious about the reserve lift indicator.  What are your thoughts on it?  JImChuk

[marksires 484]

Thanks for posting the video Mark.  Who makes the instrument in the center of your panel with the artificial horizon on it?  What can you tell me about it.  Also curious about the reserve lift indicator.  What are your thoughts on it?  JImChuk

The artificial horizon is a Garmin G-5

[zadwit 105]

I sold my kitfox N503TJ to Trents brother, "sale pending" but Im sure he will buy it.. I tossed in my spare Aerolux prop and 2 engine mounts and all the spares I have...

WHy? Im only 66 but have been fighting high BP for years and the docs in ALaska said OH dont worry bout it, thats normal for your age......(BS!)

IT typically run 180/100 for years.... once I moved to Washington and got a new doc( A German doc) he flipped out at the high BP and said I could have a stroke or heart attack any moment....that set me back on my heels.. we tried different meds and got the systolic down to around 140 but the Distolic will not come down... he oreded  ultrasound and my heart muscle wall has thickened up and become stiff so it probably never will go below 90 luntil I go toes up even on meds....

But I digress, so I have high BP , big deal, well it is.. now my eyes are going.. macular brought on by high bp, cataracts that I can get replaced but macular they cant do anything about....mine is medium fast progression so I decided to quit flying... I have a hard time driving at night, see 6 head lights so aim for the middle!!

ANyway Trent Palmer does lots of videos and is the best advertising agent for kitfox there is.....so maybe we will ole 503TJ  in future videos......

Me, next year Im trying to New ZEaland for a few months, the Bali for a few months then come back here and sell out....

 

Mark

[zadwit 105]

THe Garmin G-5 has an RS-232 input, only one wire from the Aera 660 to the G-5. SO if I have an active waypoint I am going to , the G-5 and change to HSI page and the pointer appears showing the direction of the way point. STill shows compass heading and ground track as well. Its the hot set up...

Add 2 servos and an autopilot controler and you have an autopilot, just sit back adn relax and watch the scenery go buy..

 

The LRI is a fantastic instrument, simple and it works. It uses air pressure  but it is fool proof.. I got the last one the guy made. I beggedhim so he made me on, I could make it myself but his quality  is so much better...... Fred in France made it own and it works fine....by placing it on top the dack I can see it while landing and after parctcing up at altitude, you can watch the needle get in the red on landing and know you are 1, 2 or 5 mph about stalling angle and weight makes no difference, nor density altitude.... it is a great instrument.....

My vision problems came on suddenly like within 3 weeks so more test but I am pretty sure Im screwed. both parents had MD and I have the highest uncontrolled BP of the family so the jigs up... I havent given up, just I realize I might as well stick a fork in myselft because Im done!!!!

 

 

[zadwit 105]

I listed my 2000 Kitfox Model IV on Barnstormers with a 160 total airframe time, 6 hrs on factory new 582, Garmin G-5, Aera 660, grove spring gear, matco wheel and brakes, 8" tailwheel    $20,000

 

Within in 30 minutes of placing the add I had over 20 calls..... several wanted it sight unseen... Trents brother was the first to call...

What the heck is going on??I was on barnstormers for a few minutes and the plane sold so I put "sale pending" but with so many who were willing to buy sight unseen??is there a shortage of model 4s out there  or did I sell too cheap????I just picked a price, I have over 25K in it. The money is less important than making sure it ends up with someone who is on fire to fly.......hopefully he will stay out of trouble with the help of his brother til he gets some time in the plane then I suspect he will introduce dozens of people to flying and Trent will make the videos and we will all get to see it!! Thats what I hope for......like a super "young eagles program" 

 

[1avidflyer 1983]

Hi Mark,  I saw your add for the plane and was surprised you were selling it so quick after getting it flying the way you wanted it.  Sorry that you aren't able to enjoy it more.   Hope the health problems get straightened out.  JImChuk

[Allen Sutphin 705]

Sorry to hear about your medical issues. I guess we will all come to that point someday. I really think people are snatching up the Foxes and Avids  as soon as the are available.  With the prices of new kits, people are looking at the older ones seriously. Can't say I blame them, a 20K Avid/Fox is about as good as you can get for a "poor man's bush plane".

[zadwit 105]

MY mom had the same eye problem, macular in both eye,worse in the left exactly like me, pus cataracts.. .so I  agreed to have the catarcats fixed, that will take a few months total but not much can be done for macular. I have been flhying using my right eye only for a few months now because my left eye sees double and is consantly blurry like eye drops are permently in it....never clears up.....

 

It is upsetting to me, Ive flown 50 years, I accidently taught my selt to fly  in a t-craft when I got to taxing too fast and it got airborne but thats anothe story,... I can say I tried to drive it on the ground only to bounce off, finally I remember reading "how to fly a j-3" andit showed the position of the control stick during takeoff and landing so I tried to just level off and made anice landing immediately followed by wild gorund loop! it didnt hurt theplane, scared the hell out of me but I couldnt wait to learn to fly.

I got up the toher day and just realized I had to face reality, my left eye is shot, maybe they can make it alittle betterr but odds are  not in my favor and while I can fly with just my right eye its not easy and notmuch fun. I say to myself, "self, the jigs up" so without giving it too much thought I listed the KF4 on barnstormers  and within a hour had over 20 calls from all over the country.... I listed it for 20K thinking thats fair.. I had 28K in it so thats what I like to do, buy high , sell low, pay no income tax!!!! I bet my add was the shortest listing on barnstormers ever... first called bought it within a few minutes of posting it.......

I soon was told by others that the model 4 is the one everyone wants, it has all the improvement over the early KF and that is true, it flys so nice...It still hurts to think its gone, however, Kevin promised me we will all see it in future Trent videos!!!!!! so that would be wonderful

[zadwit 105]

THe tach is dead nuts on. I used a tiny tach and optical tach with a reflector on face of prop blade and the tach is on the money..

 

The fuel flow is another issue.. I ordered the gold gravity transducer, WRONG, I got it dialed in and it reads proper now but quits reading below 3gph so I spent $259 and ordered the red transducer with a smaller metering hole and it reads right one with 100% K factor but I told Kevin to double check it that it might need tweaking a tiny bit...

THe angle of attack indicator, I cold see where that could come in real handy for landing short... IF you putt the needle in the red about 2 lines from the the far left, it is a speed about 3mph above stall speed..... and it remains consistent, only thing is you are VERY slow and you can feel yourself letting the plane deep in the danger zone but I tried it a couple of times and that little silver KF could easily be a contender in a short field landing contest.....its just I have this string that runs from my wallet and is securely attached to my BALLS!!!!! so I fly buy the old mantra "Vref + 10 for mom and the kids"

[Kahle76 22]

I have ordered the same AOA. Could you enlighten me on how you retrofitted the pitot fixture  on your wing?

[zadwit 105]

I ran the 2 air tubes down the rear wing spar tube into the wing tip area...

 

I mounted the  probe to a flat  6"x2", .020 aluminum piece that I simplypunched hole in the bottom of the wing fabric and then used silicon to hold it to the fabric and side of the wing rib...the directions say to set the angle at about 50 degrees I think and that was pretty close.  Go up to safe altitude and slow fly towards a stall and as you get close note where the needle is.. you want the needle right at the bottom of the red arc when it stalls..... then if you approach at the top of the red arc, you will be about 3 or 4 mph above stall speed... OK in dead calm wind if you want to approach this slow, most approach faster...

[1avidflyer 1983]

Hi Mark, I was watching one of the latest Trent Palmer videos, and when a plane flew over, he says.  That's my brother up there learning to fly.  Sounds like the 4 is getting used.  JImChuk