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  1. dholly added a topic in Rotax and other engines   

    Subaru E-81 Engine Service Manual
    Just ran across this Subaru E-81 Service Manual mislabeled in my files. Seems I saved it way back in 2003 but had forgotten all about it. Maybe you Sube guys will find it helpful.
    SubaruEA81-ServiceManual.pdf
    [edit] adding a link to: How To Keep Your Subaru Alive - A Manual of Step By Step Procedures For The Complete Idiot
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  2. dholly added a post in a topic Which model fits me?   

    IMHO, anything less than a Mk-IV would tight for 2-up at your height and weight.

    Avid A: cabin width = fuggitaboutit (or convert to single seat), 764lb gross
    Avid B: ? cabin width, 911lb - 950lb. gross
    Avid C: 39.5" cabin width, 911lb. (S.T.O.L.) - 1085lb. (Heavy Hauler) gross
    Avid D: (Mk-IV) - 39.5" cabin width, 1150lb-1200lb gross
    Avid+: 44" cabin width*, 1250lb gross
    Magnum: 44" cabin width, various up to 1750lb gross

    *Avid+ fuselage is 18" longer than Avid Mk-IV (16" longer aft of seat), 4" wider across rear cabin, 10" wider across panel at knees. Windshield is re-raked and firewall to seat back is 2"+ longer than Mk-IV (more legroom)

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  3. Av8r3400 added a post in a topic Which model fits me?   

    I think that you would be able to fit comfortably in a model IV Kitfox.

    I am about 5'-10" and near the same weight as you. My IV has no problem with the weight and I actually made a thicker seat back cushion to reach the peddles.

    Try on one and see.
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  4. EDMO added a post in a topic Which model fits me?   

    At my age (nearly 72) it is hard to get into and out of about any plane - Avid and Foxes seem the worse - The old joints are getting stiff.
    I told the wife I was getting stiff in the joints, and she said I had better stay out of those joints - she also muttered something about another joint not getting as stiff. I think she exagerates!

    I am FAA "certified pilot weight" of 170 in the summer, and "verticaly challenged" at 5'8", with lots of old back, neck and shoulder injuries - paying for my sins, I guess!
    I had a friend about your size, or a little heavier, who flew a Kitfox 1 with the stick in the center. like a single seater.
    The Magnum is wider and might fit you better.
    Headroom should not be an issue in any model Avid or Fox.
    We have some pilots about your size flying other models - Dont know of any flying the A model tho.
    I'm sure you will hear from some other Avid and Fox drivers on here. Hope you find what fits.
    ED in MO
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  5. garage monster added a topic in Avidfoxflyers General Hangar   

    Which model fits me?
    I am looking for N Avid. I am 6' and 240 lbs. At 66 not as limber as i once was. Which model is big enough for me knowing I will usually fly alone? I talked to a man with a model A today and he saidI would not fit. Can anyone help?

    Thanks
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  6. 1avidflyer added a post in a topic Boo Boo   

    If you pay attention, you learn something every day. A few posts back, someone (Avid STOL HH) asked to see the metal caps on other planes. I brought the camera with me when I went to go flying to get some pics for him. I took some of my MK IV caps with the ram air vent tubes, then a couple of the cap on my C model HH wings. I knew those caps were plastic. Low and behold! those caps were close to the fusaloge just like yours are. Glad you brought up the problem you were having with them, I think I will replace the caps to where they should be before I recover those wings. Funny how if your not looking for something you maybe don't see it. I've looked at those wings various times, but never noticed the caps location till today. Well here are the pics... Put another 2 hrs on the MK IV today, helping my friend master the taildragger. He just got his Private a few months ago in a 172 and wants to start flying the Avid... Big change. He showed lots of improvement today. We are on skis and landing on a packed strip on a lake. Take care, Jim Chuk




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  7. EDMO added a post in a topic Mod 3 struts   

    How much does Kitfox get for a set? Are the KF1 and 2 struts the same?
    What's your offer for a Model 2 set? Freight to Alaska is going to cost too.
    Kitfox wont sell you just the fuselage end fittings - already asked.
    My new struts will be longer than the standard, because my wings are 6 inches higher than standard - havent made up my mind whether to cut and modify my old struts or just make new fittings and tubes from scratch.

    ED in MO
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  8. akflyerbob added a topic in For Sale and wanted, you got it, I want it   

    Mod 3 struts
    Anybody out there have a set of usable mod3 struts
    I can shorten for a mod 1
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  9. dholly added a post in a topic Making new Conform Foam seats   

    Indeed, an excellent idea, thank you. I did read that somewhere as I was formulating my plan of attack and planned on doing it. Ultimately, however, I decided to make one extra seat and one extra back cushion to use as boosters. Plain Jane and nothing fancy but, because each is a mirror of the other side, flipping them gives me the ability to use one or more on either side in any combination. The flexibility appealed to me, as does the symmetrical look of nice, even cushions when not in use.


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  10. dholly added a post in a topic Boo Boo   

    My KF-3 had the pitot ram on the fuel cap when I bought it, and I've seen other similar. To the best of my knowledge it was oem on the model 3.

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  11. EDMO added a post in a topic Boo Boo   

    All of the Kitfoxes I have owned or seen have the steel bayonet-type caps - Just like the old-fashoned ones that the cars and Pipers used. You can buy a cap at local autoparts that will fit the Kitfoxes or Pipers. Anything from plain galvanized with a handle on top, to pretty chrome slick ones. About same price as Spruce.
    Just make sure you get the UNVENTED, and then put a bent copper or steel tube on it. All of the newer ones I have seen have neoprene gaskets, unlike the original Piper caps with the tubes already on them with cork gaskets, for about .....sit down.....$110 each!!!! I have a pair of those too.
    I like to thread the tubes and put a nut above and below the cap, and epoxy it too.
    I even found some electric light sconces that have goose-neck 3/8 diameter tubes that could be used, and already threaded, but they may not be tall enough for a tail-dragger with full tanks when folded.
    ED in MO
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  12. 6320012s added a post in a topic Making new Conform Foam seats   

    While you are making cushions, you might consider making the pilot's about 4"thick on the seat and about 2.5 on the back. This arrangement allows pilot and passengers shoulders to offset making for a much more comfortable seating arrangement for two big guys.
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  13. 6320012s added a post in a topic Boo Boo   

    I had to pull out my tanks to repair a leak, and found rather than repairing the fabric, a piece of.032 Aluminum screwed to the cap strips made for a repairable installation. At the leading edge, leave a bit of the plywood in place to screw the aluminum to.
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  14. jlpeet added a post in a topic Boo Boo   

    I had the same problem on the last avid I built, but I saw the problem when I put the tank in the wing with the cap to the wing tip the twist in the tank was wrong. I had to move both cap and drain. Not hard with the tank out of the wing. I cut a square.around the cap,when you have the cap out add a lip 3/4" or so on the under side. Then you cut the same size square where you want the cap to be slip the cap in the new hole a little resin and pull the cap up tight,I had the tank upside down until the resin was dry. Then a little glass on top and you're done. Hope this made sense.

    Jim

    Oh yeah I forgot. I had two tanks and they both had the same problem.
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  15. dholly added a post in a topic Making new Conform Foam seats   

    Ron-

    If you go to http://www.oregonaero.com/, on the left side of the Home page under Products, click through all the links under Seating Systems and Portable Cushions. Lots of info on the best pain free sitting position for us non-damaged folk. The video about rolling hips forward to take pressure off the tailbone sounds like it might help you, although I see no reason why you also couldn't incorporate different foam firmnesses in you own custom cushion. Heck, that's what I did. The only downside I see to the Conform or viscoelastic foams is one might want two 'seasonal' cushions for summer and winter.

    The Avid+ seat cushions are stationary, no slide rails like the Magnum or Highlander unfortunately. The seat backs, however, tilt forward and are easily re-positionable which definitely is nice. Just pull the pins and re-pin where you want it, no added weight with this system.


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  16. 1avidflyer added a post in a topic Mark IV For Sale   

    Let it warm up good!!! I dont go over 2200RPM till I have a solid 140 on the water temp. Cold siezures are not good and can give you a false feeling that all is well because most times, the engine will squeak, then die, then as soon as it cools a tad you can restart and it will seem to run fine. The problem is, there WILL be aluminum off your piston stuck to the side walls and sooner or later, your looking at a major tear down. It is easy to avoid cold seizures... LET IT WARM UP GOOD!

    Here is what a piston looks like that's had a cold siezure. This came out of my last MK IV after I got it home. The guy didn't have a thermostat in the plane, and he said it was really hard to get it to warm up. It was about +40 F and after taking off and getting to about 200' the 582 died and he was able to land straight ahead with no damage to the plane. It started up soon after and he couldn't find the reason. I should have pulled the exhaust pipe and looked at the cylinders before I bought it, but it ran nice and sounded good so... I figured on tearing it down as soon as I got it home for new seals anyway, but wasn't expecting to put another $700 in parts into it. I'm not crying though, price was low even with the overhaul. Jim



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  17. 1avidflyer added a post in a topic Boo Boo   

    I read in one of the Avid newsletters why they went to the ram air vented tubes. One of Avid's main guys was flying behind a 582 to Oshkosh and his fuel pump quit. He had to put the plane down in the mountains somewhere. I could find the newsletter if need be, but that's how it came about. The ram air pressure will keep the fan turning. (that's kindof nice) On my first MK IV, I drilled out the metal caps and epoxied in 1/4" aluminum tubes. They worked fine. I also used those caps without the tubes for a long time with out problems, although shortly after I stated to fly the plane I had a fuel filter between the wing tank and header tank plug to where I had to land in a neighbors hay field. (It doesn't take much to stop gravity feed) If I had had the vented tubes then, it may have pushed enought fuel through the filter to keep it running. Take care, Jim Chuk


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  18. akflyer added a post in a topic Buuilding wings for model 2   



    I was going to replace mine because they were a little beat up.. in 2008 or 2009 Avid wanted 1250.00 each. I decided to live with a few dents and dings.


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  19. 1avidflyer added a post in a topic Buuilding wings for model 2   

    Leni, you wouldn't insult me, just curious, what did the factory want for a set? Was that the Avid or Kitfox factory? About 8 years ago, I picked up a messed up Kitfox 3 that needed a wing and flaperon. I remember talking to Kitfox then and they wanted to sell me a Kitfox 4 wing kit. Don't think it included the flaperons, but it may have. They wanted about $4500. Later on I was sure glad I didn't do anything with them. Just after that they stopped filling orders after taking the money. I would probably have been one of the poor guys that got screwed. Just to be clear on this, if anyone doesn't know about this Kitfox thing, it's not the current owners that were robbing people. Take care, Jim Chuk


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  20. dholly added a post in a topic Making new Conform Foam seats   

    Got another hour and a half in on the seats tonight and I am real happy with the progress so far. This has taken way less time than I anticipated.

    Finished sculpting the bottom of the right seat cushion and got a nice fit...



    There are a lot of curves and angles in the seat pan to mold to, another good reason for a professional to sew up the covers.



    Here's the seat and back cushions in place, laying nice and flat.



    Time to add some bolsters. I didn't care for the results with the electric knife and jig board method so I tried using a band saw. Wowee, cuts like buttah! Very nice cuts even with a wood blade, this is the way to go.



    I cut all the scrap shipping pieces into shape for seat and back cushion bolsters, had plenty left over to make some lumbar supports. I am sooo happy the foam co. put those pieces in the box for shipping.



    I cut the bolsters and lumbar supports a bit proud and did not glue them on. I'll let the cover guy use his commercial glue to stick those on real good and do whatever finish sculpting he deems fit, ie. still need to taper the front of the seat bolsters and cut 45's where the seat and back bolsters meet. I figure it might be best to leave the cover guy as many options as possible. Will have to do a test 'sit' to find the right lumbar support placement and mark before dropping off at the cover shop.


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  21. lv2plyguitar added a post in a topic Wasilla Alaska Flight Instructor   


    I have one but he is in Anchorage. Not very cost effective. I got to get this phase 1 flown off. Trying to get licensed before July.

    thanks
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  22. akflyer added a post in a topic Buuilding wings for model 2   



    I know what the factory wants for a set... NO THANKS, I will build my own for a very small fraction of the price.. I would not want to insult you with putting a number out there Jim, however, I will tell you that I would go without flying for a very long time before I paid the factory for a set of them, and I cant live without flying!


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  23. akflyer added a post in a topic Wasilla Alaska Flight Instructor   



    I know of one that was in Soldotna, but I dont know of any in the valley. Have you contacted Arctic Air to see if one of their instructors would be willing?

    There was a guy on here a couple of years ago that had a kitfox V that was having issues with getting instructors in the area up there and it was hit and miss for him to get one to fly with him on his schedule. Hopefully you will get some other hits on this.

    I thought about pursuing the instructor thing myself a few times, but the investment in getting the ticket would never be recouped, it would be a "out of the goodness of my heart" to train others once in a blue moon type of thing.. I hope you find someone soon!


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  24. akflyer added a post in a topic Boo Boo   



    I would be hesitant to use a fuel cap that does not have the goose neck ram air tube in it. The steel cap that Jim refered to can have the tube braised or welded into it. The guy that had my avid before me did not have the ram air tubes in the plastic caps and said he never had an issue with the engine running out of fuel but I am hesitant to try it. I may put one on a tank and take it up and try running on that tank to see if it draws fine over time, but there was a reason that the factory put out the service bulletin to modify the caps with the ram air tube in them.

    Just my .02


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  25. lv2plyguitar added a topic in Avidfoxflyers General Hangar   

    Wasilla Alaska Flight Instructor
    I am looking for an instructor in Wasilla that will get in my AVID after phase 1 for training for the sport pilots license. Do any of you know of a small instructor that is willing to train me in an AVID that lives in or very near Palmer or Wasilla?

    Thanks
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