Kitfox, an Idaho manufacturer of experimental kit airplanes for 25 years, will offer its popular two-seat, Rotax-powered, STOL airplanes as factory-built special light sport aircraft (S-LSA).
The factory-built Kitfoxes will be available with nose- or tailwheels, and avionics will range from basic VFR instrumentation to full EFIS displays. The basic price of a factory-built, S-LSA Kitfox is $83,495, and company officials plan to build six this year. The company will continue to build Kitfox kits at a rate of about 10 a month.
“We’ve got a great product with a proven track record that’s built in America,” said John McBean, Kitfox president. “We’re not leaving the kit industry. That’s still a very important market for us. But we’re adding a new option for people who want a new, factory-built airplane.”
The factory made minor modifications to its current “Series 7” kits to comply with LSA standards. New airplanes weigh 789 pounds empty, carry up to 150 pounds of baggage, and climb more than 1,000 feet a minute.
Kitfox has delivered more than 4,500 kits since 1984 and about 3,000 of its airplanes have been completed. The fleet has logged more than one million hours of flying time.
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