Will Aldridge
Well-Known Member
A few years ago I got caught up in the Trent Palmer/Kitfox craze and just had to have one. About a year and a half ago the stars aligned and I was able to buy one. I went in unprepared and although the seller assured me it was airworthy it wasn't. Don't get me wrong it was a solid airframe but all told it was worth $5k less than I paid for it. The rotax 532 needed a full overhaul, it also needed a new prop and the wing fuel tank was unusable.
Why "Cindy the DragonFox"? The first thing I learned about the early model Kitfoxes was that the really narrow bungee gear made the plane a handful on the ground and having already been bit by a tail dragger wanted as much help as I could get. Also the idea of breaking both legs if I dropped it in too hard was unappealing. So I bought a set of cub style cabane gear from Stace Schrader of Rocky Mountain Wings. They are 7 ft wide, a full 2 ft wider than stock and taller a well.
Next I didn't like the Kitfox round cowl so decided to build a new one.
About this point I was thinking of a name for it and I thought that it was an older long legged fox with a nose job. That sounds like a super model. Cindy Crawford was the first Super model I can remember being aware of so it became Cindy.
Dragonfox is an homage to Mike Patey and Draco.
I'm hanging a BMW R1200 engine on the front so it's going to have a lot more hp, the wings and tail surfaces are all being modified, some carbon fiber for the cowling and wingtips will be used, and I'm currently working on a fairly radical new suspension system. There's a lot more going into it which I will detail later.
The reason for waiting so long to post this was that I was determined to do what I wanted to do and didn't feel like listening to differing opinions on it. I'm far enough along now that it should be obvious I'm committed. Little details like drag reduction I'm willing to solicit opinions on but the big ones are non negotiable. So far Ive got the new motor mount fabricated and the new Bush gear mounted.
Why "Cindy the DragonFox"? The first thing I learned about the early model Kitfoxes was that the really narrow bungee gear made the plane a handful on the ground and having already been bit by a tail dragger wanted as much help as I could get. Also the idea of breaking both legs if I dropped it in too hard was unappealing. So I bought a set of cub style cabane gear from Stace Schrader of Rocky Mountain Wings. They are 7 ft wide, a full 2 ft wider than stock and taller a well.
Next I didn't like the Kitfox round cowl so decided to build a new one.
About this point I was thinking of a name for it and I thought that it was an older long legged fox with a nose job. That sounds like a super model. Cindy Crawford was the first Super model I can remember being aware of so it became Cindy.
Dragonfox is an homage to Mike Patey and Draco.
I'm hanging a BMW R1200 engine on the front so it's going to have a lot more hp, the wings and tail surfaces are all being modified, some carbon fiber for the cowling and wingtips will be used, and I'm currently working on a fairly radical new suspension system. There's a lot more going into it which I will detail later.
The reason for waiting so long to post this was that I was determined to do what I wanted to do and didn't feel like listening to differing opinions on it. I'm far enough along now that it should be obvious I'm committed. Little details like drag reduction I'm willing to solicit opinions on but the big ones are non negotiable. So far Ive got the new motor mount fabricated and the new Bush gear mounted.