HOMEDALE, Idaho – Kitfox Aircraft hung a 180-horsepower Titan X340 engine on an airframe and took it flying the first week of January.
“Flight testing is partially complete, but so far we are seeing massive climb performance,” reported Kitfox on its Facebook page. “We are seeing numbers at 2500 fpm cruise climb and are hoping for as much as 3500 fpm Vx. Should also be able to keep great climb without giving anything up in cruise. But have not tested top cruise speeds yet.”
I caught up with Kitfox owner John McBean by phone while he attended the U.S. Sport Aviation Expo to talk about his fire-breathing Kitfox.
TITAN AIRCRAFT ENGINES
“Continental Motors acquired Titan Aircraft Engines, which manufactures the X340 engine,” said McBean. “They approached us about the possibility of putting an X340 on a Kitfox. We’ve had good success with different engines on our airplanes from the Radial to the Lycoming 233 and Rotax, so we said ‘let’s take a look.’”
McBean admitted he’s “been wanting to target the Super Cub market, the Carbon Cub market, with our airplanes for awhile,” and this motor gives Kitfox the horsepower they need.
So far, the X340 is on a current model Kitfox and is flying “real low profiles” as part of making sure that the installation is sound and things are working properly.”
PERFORMANCE
I couldn’t help but ask about performance.
“We’re seeing 2,000+ feet per minute at a little over cruise climb speed of 80 miles an hour,” continued McBean. “We’re not anywhere near best angle, which is roughly 60.”
At Vx, McBean suspects “we’re going to see 3,500 fpm or better once we really start trying to push it. We want to make sure we get the right prop for it. Right now we’re just simply doing a rig-out and checking the engine and making sure that everything’s operating how we want it to operate before we start pushing the envelope.”
Paired with the right propeller, McBean estimates “800 pounds of thrust.”
LSA OR EXPERIMENTAL
There is a weight penalty over the popular Rotax line, but the Kitfox airframe will support it. McBean believes it’ll be a good match for both light-sport and experimental class airframes.
“The Kitfox is a 1,550 pound gross weight capable frame, so operating as an experimental will be a great choice,” he said.
Flight testing is continuing in earnest now that he’s made it home from Sebring.
As a 65 year young person whom is restarting a childhood reality of flying again I am greatly disappointed in the SLA and S SLA . The prices are far too high for the intended flying purpose. To create and gather youth, new, and past flyers into a fun / recreational as a well as introduction into the pilot / flying industry/ profession…. The 1320 lbs is a farce. It was / is only a way to increase costs of aircraft that youth/ past flyers cannot afford. There are numerous 150 , 170 , pipers that are twice the aircraft at a cost of 10k to 18k sitting, wasting away. The 1800 class should have been the cut off. Second, there are lots of us that as young / older folks have totally fine hand / eye/ body / mind actions but need very commonly used RX medications that allow this but are on a list by beucrocrats whom have NO knowledge of the needs of and correction they make that allow fine mind/ body functions…. The premise of a class III for the aircraft in the 1800 lbs and down is a sure fire way to eliminate knowledgeable pilots and thus mentors to the youth SLA was suppose to bring into aviation…..
Bob, I think that the DC cartel intends to keep all us free thinking folks under their thumbs. If logic & reason entered into the equation they would have eliminated the medical for any private aircraft operations with less than 6 seats and less than ~2500#. Also they should change commercial pilots requirements to be = DOT CDL with Hazardous Load.
I don’t really see this as particularly news worthy. Put a bigger engine on and get better climb. I’d say you can pretty much take that for granted. What kitfox needs to do is build a bigger plane to take advantage of that power. Who cares if you can carry 800 lbs, if you have to mount a belly pod to do it. Put some massive tanks in those wings, open up a massive baggage area inside the cockpit and build a cockpit big enough for two full sized American men in winter clothing and now you’ve got something. Then again, what you’ve got is maybe just a tube and fabric Glasstar with less performace. Still, I’m happy to see that they’re at least exploring the possibility of giving pilots this combination of options. It will likely fit someone’s idea of a perfect flying machine. So in the end… Well done Kitfox!
I’m guessing the way they came up with 1320 had something to do with the weight of the C-150/152 and the like. I’ll bet dollars to donuts that Cessna and the others didn’t want all those little Cessna’s flying around LSA. Bad for selling new airplanes on both sides of the fence.
Mike
I greatly appreciate the efforts of Kitfox’s John McBean to protect and expand the limits of GA pilots and airplanes.
Now if we could just get someone in the FAA to realize that a 600kg / 1320 lb MGTOW limitation is not only ridiculous but also borderline unsafe (as manufacturers make primary structure borderline too light). The reason many LSA’s have BRS systems is because the builders KNOW they aren’t as strong as a certificated legacy airplane, Cirrus’ excepted.
A weight limit of 1500 pounds OR — better still — a nice round 2000 pounds would immediately pep up the light sport market and GA in general. Very few people in their right mind can justify a light sport airplane costing >$150K unless there is either performance, endurance or payload payback. 1320 pounds just can’t do it.
Good on Kitfox for giving this idea a try. Obviously, the large engine LSA’s ARE delivering performance and, hence, sales.
And that is where the horse got outta the barn on 3rd class medical reform.
Instead of focusing on eliminating the medical, the same could have been accomplished by just raising the gross weight of the allowed aircraft under the current LSA rules.
I realize it was sold as a revitalization of aviation manufacturing, but that market was doomed for failure with new sales at $150k.
All the Cessna 150’s,that were the backbone of training for decades, are now sitting in weeds because they are 160lbs. overweight from current LSA sea weight rules.
More “beef” more cost. Your 150K price number will be left in the dust when the weight of the LSA grows to equal that of the legacy designs which are now 3 times that amount. What then if the LSA structural weight limit grows to 2000 lbs as opposed to the current 1320 lbs? I suppose the letter “L” in LSA could be replaced with the letter “H” and we’d have both Light and Heavy Sport Aircraft classes. Your “pep” up in the light sport GA market would go flatter than it is now, crushed by the increased weight.
The LSA category should have been rolled up with fixed gear singles along with elimination of the entire 3rd class medical requirement. 4 place, 5,000 #, 250 Hp, fixed gear should only require a driver’s license, appropriate training, and written & flight tests. I believe the BFR can cover the rest.
Not really so. Increasing the weight would bring a larger number of older aircraft into the LSA / S-LSA category. This would, of course, increase their value in the marketplace a bit. The law of supply and demand applies. But even if prices on the older aircraft go up substantially, they will still be a bargain compared to what’s currently available. The likelihood that a lot of potential aviators could afford even the increased price of a 30+ year old Cessna 150 is pretty good. Anything out there now that is new or close to new that qualifies as a LSA / S-LSA is priced out of the reach of most of us. Not to mention, as I’m older now, I don’t weigh 165 any more like I used to. More like 215+. And any passengers I would want going with me are more than that. 450 pounds of people, plus baggage, plus fuel simply dose not work. So unless it’s a single seater, LSA is a no go for me at 1,320. For that matter. Given the above weight figures, even a Cessna 150 with any appreciable amount of fuel and baggage on-board, so you could actually go somewhere, is a single seat aircraft. Something has to give or GA is dead in the water. I really liked thr Kitfox. I always have. At 1,500+ gross, it’s a possibility for me and a lot of others. At 1,320? It’s in the same category as a Carbon Cub. A really cool, high performance single seater with lots of baggage room. Put two full sized people onboard and you have no capabilities for baggage or more than enough fuel to buzz around locally. That’s reality. Not just my opinion.