Frederick Lohrs Seawind
I took delivery of my kit in 1997, and the first flight was in the fall of 2003. It was built by the book, and I truly enjoyed the building process, especially meeting other Seawind builders. I fly the plane in the Chesapeake Bay area and do at least one or two landings on the water each time I fly. I was about 150 feet over the Chester River at 150 knots when this photo was taken by a boater who was kind enough to send it along.
Chestertown, Maryland
flohrATdmv.com
Jack Smits Midget Mustang
My Midget Mustang has an O-200A engine with SS pressurized engine plenum and three-blade prop with a chromed 16×18 spinner. There are many deviations from the original design, and I have reengineered the aileron bearing plates, flap operation, elevator trim, fuel transfer from tip tanks to header tank with inverted tri-level cutout of pump/annunciator, remote primer relay, canopy locking mechanism as per Katana. It is a unique airplane with an all-electric glass cockpit (no vacuum), RV flap operator, Dynon FlightDEK and one-axis EZ Pilot autopilot that is driven off the AvMap GPS. It has a one-piece, tilt-up sliding cockpit (the closest thing to an F-16). It has tip tanks with strobes and LED landing lights and elevator trim that are operated from the Infinity (Phantom F-4) joystick. I use a small 12-amp B&C permanent magnet alternator (I don’t need much power) and lightweight B&C starter. It has a solar panel below the bubble with a built-in 12-volt diode on the turtledeck (max 1.8 watt) to charge the battery, auxiliary power for plug-ins or to run other avionics. The ELT is the 406 MHz coded unit with annunciator panel. My switches are always lit up by a flat light luminous strip behind an SS stencil lettering that was laser-cut.
Jack Smits
Richmond Hills, Ontario Canada
smitsATsympatico.ca
Bruce Hoisingtons Kitfox Series 7
On January 5, 2006, after three years and two months, I test-flew my Kitfox Series 7. The flight went without a flaw, and the airplane flew absolutely great. What a thrill it was after spending over 1400 hours of building my first airplane. I wondered if this day would ever come, but dedication and persistence finally paid off. I now have 165 hours of pure fun flying on it. Powered by a Rotax 912ULS (100 hp) and using a three-blade, in-flight adjustable medium IvoProp, the takeoff roll is about 250 feet and it climbs at 1000 fpm. It is equipped for basic VFR. I would encourage anyone looking for a great STOL and fun airplane to consider the Kitfox. A very special thanks to John and Deb McBean for all of their help and to Bill Lewis, who helped me throughout the covering process.
Bruce Hoisington
Bend, Oregon
BUILDERS SHARE THEIR SUCCESSES
Submissions to Completions should include a typed, double-spaced description (a few paragraphs only-250 words maximum) of the project and the finished aircraft. Also include a good color photograph (prints or 35mm slides are acceptable) of the aircraft that we may keep. Please include a daytime phone number where we can contact you if necessary. Also indicate whether we may publish your address in case other builders would like to contact you. Send submissions to: Completions, c/o KITPLANES Magazine, 203 Argonne Ave., Suite B105, Long Beach, CA 90803. Digital submissions are also acceptable. Send text and photos to editorial@kitplanes.com with a subject line of Completions. Photos must be high-resolution-300 dpi at a 3 x 5 print size is the minimum requirement.
