My channel is about flying and farming. The two things we do. The first videos will be on building your very own airplane and the steps to do it. Off airport flying has become my favorite pastime!
Harlan, great video as usual. Question, did you look at the Rans S-21 Outbound? I spoke to Kitfox and they are 18 months outs on deliveries! I went to Kansas last week for the Rans open house and got a demo. Pretty cool plane. Any thoughts?
I still chuckle about snow birding to mo, but hey it's warm compared to Alaska in the winter. Mike showed me a pic of a thermometer that was bottomed out below the -40 -50 numbers. Brrrrrr
Nice set up. But winching the door closed is a cob design. Many large toy haulers have springs in the ramp hinges that can allow easy one hand lifting of the ramp.
@@KitfoxPilot yes they will. I’m not talking about cables. I’m talking about the hinge the ramp is on would also be a coil spring. I have it in my toy hauler and it’s flush below the floor and very simple to operate.
Just thought I'd report later that day I loaded a couple thousand pounds of hardwood flooring, tires, and solar panels in the trailer and headed back to Alaska. The trailer pulled perfectly!
Susan and me had decided we were going to buy a bush plane kit so we could fly out of our farm behind our house. We knew nothing about any of them other then reading about them. We were down to kitfox an highlander when we went to oshkosh. Susan liked the looks of the kitfox interior much better than the highlander soooo we bought the kitfox. I did over ride her liking the reg wing over the sti wing but I didn't tell her that when I ordered the kit. Haha. I think either choice is good between the two planes.
@@KitfoxPilotthanks for the reply! Didn’t you look at any of the Zenith or Rans planes? Those are all aluminum. Any thoughts on those? I need to go to Oshkosh sounds like! Thanks again!
@@shelliecurry6052 Yes I did look at those. Zenith are good airplanes but really slow and I wanted a tail draggier for off airport/sandbar type flying that I do. Rans I think would be fine airplanes but were not side by side seating, when we looked at them. Now I believe they do make side by sides and would be good. We definitely wanted side by side seating.
did you have to do anything to the relief to repair the fiberglass cut? Did you just leave it as is or glue in a piece of fiberglass on the backside of the cut?
Hundreds of seasonal Eagles on this river. It is very fun flying the rivers when the bars are out so thick and your not over water as much. Thanks for watching Stu!
I see you made it on the cover of the Rolling Stone! (Sport Aviation). Nice job. Your comments confirm my suspicion all along. Make a wise decision on your choice of aircraft and the type of flying you want to do. Back country flying of low and slow is way more fun than 172 airport hopping.
Thanks Mark, It has been a life changing type flying for me. Thanks for your kind words. It was the last page of the magazine so it won't go to my head too much. Haha
We just returned from a couple weeks traveling. The latest edition of Sport Aviation magazine was in my mailbox. I particularly enjoyed the photos from AirVenture then, on page 105, I immediately saw a nice photo and write up of your Farmfox. Well done Harlan!
What’d you use to get such round holes in the vertical fiberglass piece? I was looking at using regular hole cutters with my drill but wasn’t sure how they’d work on fiberglass.
@@KitfoxPilot thanks. What was your total build time? I’m at the “overwhelmed” stage of the build. I’m 7 months in and am almost at the end of the fuselage section of the instruction manual. However, I look at my progress and feel like I’ve only completed 5% of the airplane. I was watching some of your later videos thinking: holy crap, I’ve got so much left to do.
It is overwhelming if you look at what you haven't done but if you do a little every day you will get it done. I have no desire to build another one. haha
It sure is. I have had more fun flying off airport for a couple years than I ever had flying the other 30 years! Thanks for your comments, I appreciate them.
Hello Mark, I did install an autopilot and it is the best one I have ever flown behind. Garmin brand. I like to look around when I just going cross country and the auto pilot takes care of everything for me while I'm sight seeing!
I see it has been three years since you made these videos. I am thoroughly enjoying them. I would love to build one but first I think I should learn to fly! Thank you for making these. Very therapeutic just watching these. God bless you and your family. Fly safe!
Harlan, I have watched your build series twice on the Kitfox. Your attention to detail is amazing. I also really enjoy the farming operation videos. Its interesting to get an inside view of how it all works. What types of crops you grow and the logistics behind it is fascinating.
Always makes me nervous landing under the wires! There’s a field between Poplar Grove and Huntley along I-90 that I’ve landed at that’s under the high voltage wires. Easier to go under than over, for certain.
Hi Mark. The only trim tab I have is a manual trim tab on the rudder. I have factory sold heat via a small radiator above my feet. Good down to about 20 then you will put on several cloths. Haha
Thanks Tyler! The runway I took off on is really my perment taxiway but I use it to take off if the wind is out of the south or close to it. It is 600ft long. I use it to land on if the wind is out of the north but its a one way strip so you need to be on to land it. haha
Ive been a volunteer timer for a national air race called Air Race Classic for about 8 years. all women racers. mostly university teams. tomorrow morning, 49 teams will be departing carbondale heading about 35 degrees...maybe..right over your farming operation. so if you see a steady stream of planes youll know what it is. google air race classic 2024. I am timer at stop 3 in Newark Ohio
Thanks for taking us along on your day. I love the wheat harvest even though I have never done it. Just corn and beans over here in Iowa for the most part. I have 180 acres coming out of CRP in 26’ that I might need some advice on how to put it in to winter wheat. I’m over in southern Iowa. Recently picked up a nice Kitfox SS with monster shock gear and a 912 is. Currently relearning how to fly a taildragger again. Spent the last 10 years with a Cessna 310. Maybe sometime I will see you over on the river bars. God bless Mjorgy
I'd love to fly with you on some sandbars. In my area crp doesn't work going to wheat, to many grasses there and they will choke out the wheat. Beans work good here behind crp. Roundup will work good cause there's no waterhemp normally out there yet. It usually takes one extra pass of roundup but they will be the best beans you have. Let me know if you ever get down here with the kitfox. Harlan Ok I'd love some pics of your kitfox sent to hsdjp@yahoo.com
It has been one of the wettest springs that I can remember. Very tough to get a crop in the ground and up. Another 2.5 inch rain that was suppose to be a .5 inch rain. More replant I suppose. Haha. We just have to laugh and go on cause we can't do much about the weather.
I hope your soft rain helped your beans jump out of the ground. It’s been a wet spring in NW Ohio so most crops are still popping through and a decent number of planters still rolling. I do like the idea of scouting with the Farm Fox.
@@diepenj47 we did get .9 over night so they should pop out fine. We have planted everything in the mud it seems this year. Still need one more day to finish planting then wheat looks to be ready in about a week. I really enjoy using the plane for crop scouting. I don't post much because I didn't figure many cared. Good to hear from you Jim! Harlan Edit. ended up with 2.5 inches.....
Do you know if Kitfox offers a balistic parachute system and if so did you install one or would you consider installing one. I know theyre pricey but safety first.
As far as I know they do not offer the system. There are a few kit foxes that I have seen on line that have put the system in. I really don't see a need to carry the extra weigh since I can land almost anywhere if I am high enough to put the chute. Then you have to have them repacked every 5 years I believe. Just my opinion but I don't see much safety factor in a slow low flying plane. In a high speed night flying plane, that would be a different story. Harlan
@KitfoxPilot i see and all valid. I too have seen experimental aircraft install the system in planes thst weren't originally designed for a parachute system. Just curious what your thoughts were. Thx