Making the transition

[LSaupe 123]

Have any of you had problems making a transition into side-by-side seating and also the round cowl of the Kitfox?

I am used to flying a tandem tail dragger with the throttle on the left and flying with my right hand.

Transitioning to left stick, right throttle, round cowl and not sitting on the centerline makes things challenging at times.

For some reason I keep thinking my left wing is low (went it is not, maybe an unconscious response to the round cowl?)

Have any of you experienced this before?  If so, how long did it take to get comfortable in the configuration?

Larry

 

 

 

 

Edited 14 Nov 2015 by LSaupe

[Av8r3400 1179]

I've flown my plane many hundreds of hours.  I still need to check myself every once in a while with a side glance to the wing tips to keep wings level. 

Left stick, right throttle is natural to me so no issue there.  

The round cowl will take a while to get used to.  Took me a good 20-30 hours to really get comfortable and 100 hours at least to "wear" the airplane. 

Edited 14 Nov 2015 by Av8r3400

[EDMO 1078]

I fly the steering wheel birds from left seat, right hand on throttle - For tandem I fly right stick and left throttle - For our s/s birds, I prefer to fly right seat and left throttle - I am also ADD, so have a problem changing from right stick since I have flown that way in tandems so many years.

The cowl will look offset to the runway in the round cowl planes - You just have to get used to watching the runway and not the cowl.

EDMO

[1avidflyer 1983]

When I started flying Avids, I was used to flying in a single seat UL, and then a Champ.  Took some getting used to cause you are used to seeing the prop in the center, and you want to step on the rudder to get it to look that way with the side by side.   Another friend of mine trained in a Champ, and then bought a Chief.  One ground loop after another.  Touch down in a crab, and there you go.  I made a mark with a piece of masking tape on the windshield to use as a sight to aim down the runway.  It did help.  Got used to it and don't need the mark any more.    I also worried about using the other hand for stick and throttle.  Did a bunch of taxing, and never had a problem with that when the time came to fly.  Jim Chuk

[C5Engineer 1170]

Why you looking at the cowl during landing? Did my training in a Champ and transitioned to the Avid. Big wide Paved runways make people a lot more adept to orientations. Go find a short narrow grass strip and make the airplane do what's needed for a successful landing. I have yet to see a ground loop on a really challenging strip. It's always on a big paved one.

Edited 15 Nov 2015 by C5Engineer

[Knuckledragger 135]

I was taught to make a "sight picture" using the cowl, the left A-Pillar, and the horizon as the frame of the picture, then refer to that "picture" from time to time as I might a gauge or section of the sky.  I had to learn what it looked like in straight and level flight, then in turns and climbs.

The other thing I learned was to sight the runway down between my legs.  I've never flown a tandem/single seat and I still wanted to line the runway up with the prop & center of the cowl.  Once I got the "between the legs habit" I started to just watch the far end and let the runway find its way to me.

Now I hangar and fly out of a 1600x70' grass swale ended strip on a hill with trees at either end. 

[dynomike 91]

Why you looking at the cowl during landing? Did my training in a Champ and transitioned to the Avid. Big wide Paved runways make people a lot more adept to orientations. Go find a short narrow grass strip and make the airplane do what's needed for a successful landing. I have yet to see a ground loop on a really challenging strip. It's always on a big paved one.

very true ,we get lazy when we think we can get away with it.(not talking about you.talking about me) keep getting out there and flying .youll get it figured out

[Dusty 126]

Have any of you had problems making a transition into side-by-side seating and also the round cowl of the Kitfox?

I am used to flying a tandem tail dragger with the throttle on the left and flying with my right hand.

Transitioning to left stick, right throttle, round cowl and not sitting on the centerline makes things challenging at times.

For some reason I keep thinking my left wing is low (went it is not, maybe an unconscious response to the round cowl?)

Have any of you experienced this before?  If so, how long did it take to get comfortable in the configuration?

Larry

 

 

 

 

Don't feel bad or daunted,I took 5 hrs longer than it should to get rated and another 5 to get comfortable,

the transition for me took longer and was more frustrating than learning to fly,the mark on the screen really helps

[LSaupe 123]

Was out this AM, with much better luck.  Picked a point on top of the dash to align runway with.  Used it on take off, though don't recall looking at it on landing (landing went well). Hopefully the next go will go just as good.

Thanks for all the great feedback!

Larry 

[dholly 718]

Try the 'tape tip', it helped both me and my high time TW instructor. While setting at the end of your runway, sight down the runway and place a narrow length of blue painters tape on the inside of your windshield aligned with the left side of the runway. You can do the same for centerline and right side of the runway, assuming you can even see it over the cowl (I couldn't). Until you get used to the unusual sight picture, it's like that big round cowl causes some kind of big subconscious Jedi mind trick almost guarantying a crooked touchdown. Turf strips are much more friendly than asphalt during this learning phase so you got that going for you!

[Bandit 286]

I had no problem transitioning into my Sky Raider even though I use my left hand for throttle, right hand on the stick and I am sitting in the center. There is no need to line much up on a long or short runway because in about 180ft I am airborne with either airplane.

[dholly 718]

It's not the takeoff Mark, it's the landing. Looking around the big round Kitfox cowl presents an unusual sight picture that makes lining up perfectly straight easier said than done until you learn to adjust.

[C5Engineer 1170]

Larry congrats on your kit planes article! McBean used it for advertising on FB.

[EDMO 1078]

Larry congrats on your kit planes article! McBean used it for advertising on FB.

More info?  for those who missed it...

EDMO

[C5Engineer 1170]

http://kitplanes2.com/blog/2015/11/saupe-kitfox/

Edited 16 Nov 2015 by C5Engineer

[EDMO 1078]

Congrats on making hall of fame Larry- now just get used to it and have fun.  EDMO

[LSaupe 123]

Thanks guys!!

[Av8r3400 1179]

Awesome, Larry.  Congratulations!

 I'm hoping to be not too far behind with mine...