John Kuzmic’s Kitfox S7A
I am a member of the EAA 103 group that took on the project to build 13 Kitfox S7 airplanes beginning in late 2001. In the project, I jockeyed for position 13 because I wanted to gain the most building experience before I started the work on my own plane. When plane No. 12 was completed in the summer of 2005, I excused all of the project members from being obligated to work on my plane.
I took a fair amount of ribbing over all of the changes I made and the time it took me to complete the project. Things like the fairings, upholstery, the Rotax 914 engine, Airmaster prop, hidden hinges on the cowling and oil door, color scheme, solid-state electronics and, of course, my “eagle.” But I never wavered from the picture I had in my mind of how I wanted this plane to look.
I passed my airworthiness inspection in June 2010 and had my 40 hours of Phase I flight testing completed by July 3. My first cross-country was to Arlington in 2010 with the intent to have the plane judged. To make a long story short, I won the Reserve Grand Champion for the Custom Kit Built category.
What a great experience from the beginning, from the group project build in November of 2001, to the culmination with this award at Arlington in July 2010. Now I am thinking that I will take my turn in dishing out the ribbing.
Nampa, Idaho
[email protected]
Steve Rush’s RV-12
The Van’s RV-12 kit No. 18 was ordered the first day orders were accepted by Van’s, and it was completed two years and two months later. It was a joint project between my dad and me (my dad doing all the really hard parts, like fiberglass). First flight was on June 19, 2010. Paint is by Jeff Miller at JMI Motoring, located on the airport in Arlington. The airplane flies great and has already won two awards at local fly-ins.
Arlington, Washington
[email protected]
www.hangara13.com
Eddie Brewer’s Pedal Plane
For several years at AirVenture, I’ve parked my Kitfox next to the pedal-plane vendor and have admired the little pedal planes for children. Last fall, I decided to build one for my 3-year-old grandson, Gray. I wanted to pattern it after my Kitfox, N122EB, which I have flown to AirVenture for 15 years.
I changed the plans for a Taylorcraft to look more like the Kitfox by reshaping the tail surfaces and wings and by forming a round “bump cowl” for the nose. This turned out to be a long winter project, but it has been very rewarding. I would highly recommend a first-time builder try one of these child-size projects. There are several building elements required to complete a pedal plane: metal work, welding, woodwork, fiberglass and painting. When you have completed the project, you should be confident in building and completing the real thing!
Memphis, Tennessee
[email protected]
