Its not the end result that is the goal, its the journey...
Colorado Kitfox
2019 Progress and Flying
Well, 2018 was quite an exciting year as N716EB FINALLY took to the air. As of 1/9/19, I have 15 hours on the Kitfox and am looking forward to getting the 40 hours complete. I have been making short flights to Limon and also to Canon City. All are within the mandated 50 mile radius of KFLY. Below are some videos I took last weekend using a camera mounted on the tail skid. My boys got me two cameras for Christmas so there will be more coming!
5/8/19: Its been a while since I posted because I have been spending my time FLYING instead of building. As of May 2nd, I have completed my 40 hours required to complete Phase 1 flight testing. I have flown to Canon City, LA Junta and mostly Limon. Usually I have found myself alone at Limon with no other planes in the pattern making it a great place to practice landings. I'll admit, I've had some rough looking landings but all within the "doing it safely" range. Yes, I've tested the structual integrity of the landing gear a couple times. I've also had some pretty greasers that feel so nice. All in all, the Kitfox is a fantastic flying machine. Very stable and forgiving. I still have a ways to go and lots of learning to do.
I did have some static noise on the radio so instead of grounding everything through the frame structure, I added a dedicated ground line between the grounding bus bar and the neg terminal on the battery.
In preparation for Oshkosh and possible overnight locations, I purchased the Kitfox cabin cover. Looks nice and hopefully weather resistant.
I plan to take Becky up this weekend on Mothers Day.
5/12/19: Well folks, today is a banner day. Today, I took Becky up for her first flight in the Kitfox. It was a beautiful Mothers Day with bright skies and calm winds. Becky very much enjoyed it even when we encountered a few bumps along the way, We decided to land at Limon for a potty break which gave Becky the experience of landing at a different airport. Afterwards we went out for a celebration at a local coffee/breakfast place. While this was a day of celebration it was also a day of remembrance as I pay tribute to my Mother who passed away only 3 months ago. I miss you Mom.
7/27/19: OSHKOSH 2019
Well, another bucket item has been checked off the list! I successfully flew from Colorado Springs to Oshkosh and back again. I was even able to camp under the wing of the aircraft while there. My son Kyle joined me on the initial leg and unfortunately he had to head home before I was able to actually fly into Oshkosh. Oshkosh received 5 inches of rain the day before we were to land there and they closed the field initially, then opened it up to aircraft with tundra tires only. So, while Jeff and John, my brother and his son also flying to Oshkosh in their Kitfox were able to fly in with their tundra tires, I was not. So, the plane sat in Wisconsin Dells for a couple days until the field dried out, then Jeff flew me back down to Dells to pick up the plane and fly it into Oshkosh. It actually went quite smooth and straight forward. Below is the video taken during the arrival into Fisk, then the landing on the yellow dot. Note the initial communication to someone flying the wrong way. Jeff and I were flying as a flight of two so ATC treated us as a "flight". On the video to the right, fast foward to minute 9:00 for our landing.
OSHKOSH 2019 Day by Day:
Day 1 (Friday): Kyle and I depart KFLY headed to Chamberlain SD which was our aim point for meeting Jeff and John. About 2 hours into the flight we decide to land in Ogallala NE for a bathroom break and eat some lunch. It was quite hot on the ground and very comfortable at 7500' where it was only 68 deg. We had a nice view of Lake McConaughy on the departure north. About 30 min before reaching Chamberlain, it was decided by Jeff and John to get further east for the day,by heading for Luverne, MN. So, Kyle and I diverted east and decided to stop in Yankton, SD for fuel. The FBO there had food and drink for all the folks heading to Oshkosh. It was very hot on the ground. We waited there for a bit to cool down and for Jeff and John to catch up to us. We departed Yankton and the timing was perfect as we met Jeff and John in the pattern at Luverne. After landing we lucked out and got a free courtesy car for the short drive to the hotel for the night. We had a great dinner and some drinks before retiring for the night.
Day 2 (Saturday): We awoke to see the weather closing in on us so after a quick breakfast at the hotel we headed for the airport, uncovered the planes and got them ready to takeoff. I think we got off just in time as it looked like pretty severe weather hit shortly after we left. We headed southeast to avoid weather and ended up landing at Waterloo, Iowa. After hearing about the rain in Oshkosh, we decided to stay the night in Waterloo. We lucked out and found space in a hangar and we even got a free courtesy car for the night! That evening we toured the John Deere museum then went to play go carts, archery tag and mini golf. I must say the older, more wise of the group (Jeff and I) dominated! Afterwards, we headed to the hotel for a good nights sleep.
Day 3 (Sunday): We arrived at the airport around 6am to pull the planes out and head for Wisconsin Dells, our planned staging point before heading into Oshkosh. Once we arrived there, we began getting text messages from Oshkosh telling us the grass parking was closed except for tundra tire aircraft. We waited until it was obvious that they would not open it up to smaller wheeled aircraft. So at this point, Jeremy had arrived at Wisconsin Dells on his way to Oshkosh, So we decided that Jeff and John should proceed on to Oshkosh and that Kyle, Jeremy and I would head to Milwaukee to drop Kyle off since he had a car there and then head on to Oshkosh to set up camp. Jeremy and I arrived at Oshkosh to find a mess of vehicles all trying to camp on the roads until the fields dried out.
Day 4 (Monday): Spent the day at the show enjoying all there is to see and do. A nice warm day! Saw a really cool RC demonstration at the ultralight field that evening.
Day 5 (Tuesday): The light winds and sunny skies had done a great job drying out the fields and the ultralight parking was now open, so Jeff and I decided early in the morning that we needed to fly down to Wisconsin Dells and retrieve my plane, so that is what we did. Operation Gumby rescue was on! So, we worked with the ramp folks at the ultralight field to get Jeffs plane out and off we went from the ultralight strip down to Wisconsin Dells. After landing we briefed the arrival at Oshkosh, then took off and before we knew it, we landed at OSHKOSH! The whole sequencing process went rather smooth as a flight of two. My only disappointment was that they didn't ask me to rock my wings! The video above shows the arrival process. That evening I crossed another bucket list item off by setting up my tent and sleeping under the wing of my plane. It was perfect until 3:30 am when the garbage trucks came to empty those huge metal garbage containers making enough noise to raise the dead!
Day 6 (Wednesday): Our last day at Oshkosh. We attended a couple forums, walked a bunch more, got some t-shirts then relaxed at the planes watching the afternoon and then evening air show. I must say that the evening airshow was spectacular and the following fireworks was even spectacular. Actually I think the best fireworks show I have ever seen! Another great night in the tent (plenty cool) and yes the garbage trucks returned at 3:30 am.
Day 7 (Thursday); We got up and prepped the planes for takeoff from the ultralight strip. After waiting for the paramotors to land, the planes were moved into position on the ultralight strip and off we went. The takeoff went very well and after leaving the immediate vicinity following the departure instructions we headed west. Our first fuel/bladder stop was Austin, MN. After looking over some incoming weather we decided to make a slightly northly heading before turning back west. So off we went and encountered rain. This was another first, flying in rain. The good news was that the visibility remained good and the satellite pic showed clearing skies further west. Our next stop was Huron, SD where the FBO showered us with food and gifts as they were a new FBO looking for good reviews and returning customers. We then headed out again heading for Custer County airport near Mt. Rushmore. On the way there, John joined me in my plane and provided a demonstration on playing near white puffy clouds. It was really a great time and I was impressed with John's flying and his willingness to share his skill with me. After a flyby of Mt. Rushmore John landed the plane at Custer County airport (yep, he greased it). The airport is really cool cut out of the pine trees. It even had a nice campground we could have used but the shower at the hotel was calling. So, we checked into the hotel after securing another courtesy car then it was off to dinner in town. After a great meal, it was off to bed after a long and fun day of flying.
Day 8 (Friday). We got up, had breakfast at the hotel and headed for the airport. It was a beautiful morning and it was a little sad as we said our goodbye's after uncovering the planes and getting them ready. Jeff and John headed back to Mt. Rushmore once again and I headed south toward home. It was really a nice way to end this amazing trip by having a few hours of perfectly calm air and beautiful landscape to view under me as I contemplated how surreal it was to complete this tremendous adventure. I landed on runway 26 with full flaps and the plane helped me set her down ever so gently concluding the flight to OSHKOSH 2019. Becky met me at the hangar after I unloaded and we headed home. It took me the rest of the weekend to recover as I was exhausted, in a good way from the week.
THANK YOU! I would like to thank my Dad for tracking and supporting us as we crossed the country, to brother Jeff and nephew John for their expert advice and guidance along the way, to my son Kyle for being my co-pilot, to my son Jared for helping prepare me for the trip, and especially to my wife Becky for being my greatest supporter without whom none of this would have been possible. This trip and a bunch of "firsts" checked off a bunch of items on the ol bucket list.
