วีดีโอ

I had the Avid up for sale at the time. So I suppose it was somewhat a demonstration video of how it flew. I'm reminded of something my mother used to tell me. It was: if you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all.

That is how they were designed. Avid and Kitfox factories supplied a hitch that attached to the back of the plane so it could be towed on the road on it's own wheels. And with gust locks on the tailfeathers it's not a problem. I've pulled a half dozen Avids and Kitfoxes like this. One for 1500 miles with no issues.

Avid and Kitfox made hitches that allowed you to tow the plane on it's own wheels. However it was meant for short distances. My Avid went on a 600 mile trip the day I sold it. No way you would want to pull it on the hitch that far. Not to mention, the cops say where are the tail lights on that "trailer", no DOT tires, and on and on.

@@jimchuk8511 Ahhh. Thanks.

The plane weighed 605 lbs, and gross weight was 1150 lbs. So 545 lbs useful load. Better than a Champ or Chief or Cub... 🙂

Thanks Jim! Your ecer fly with big guy 200+pounds before you widened the cabin? These are just un 40 before a widened cabin?

@@WatchmanForthePeople I flew the plane a lot with a friend of mine and we were both between 180 and 200 at the time. Snug but it worked. Much better with the extra 3"

@@jimchuk8511 Thanks again Jim , I like what you do! I got the bug to do another!

Yes it does. Basically a heater core with a fan on it. Tolerable at 0 degrees, ok at + 20

Oh yes, it is...

Smooth cowl and full windows make a huge difference. I love it.

​@@jimchuk8511 I missed your widened Avid that you sold. I mean really, I missed it, I should have gotten after it when you had it up for sale. Still looking for a Avid Mark lV. I had a model c heavy hauler years ago.

I should use them more, but I just got into slips when the strip was way shorter with tall trees on the ends.

The Avid will fly much better hands off than the Kitfox. If you don't fly the kitfox all the time, it will either start to climb or descend, roll right or left fairly soon. Not aggressively veering of course, but gradually. The Avid would fly for miles straight and level if you got it trimmed out. Avid is lighter on the controls, but for some reason, the Kitfox feels better in bumpier air. In smooth air, the Avid is probably more fun. Performance with the Kitfox with 912 80 HP is better though than the 80 HP Jabiru.

My editing skills don't allow it, but I agree with you on background music.

I used an old snowblower and an electric starter motor. I used it two days ago. When the plane is on skis, and with my slippery floor, I would have a tough time getting in and out of the hangar just doing it by hand.

@@jimchuk8511 I’ve been looking at converting an old disused powered scooter chair.

I suppose that could work. @@Lt_Tragg

With the right radiator it shouldn't be much of a problem. Lots of Kitfoxes operate in the southern US. The 912 Rotax turbocharged version is used in Predator drones

@@jimchuk8511 Thanks!

Avid was only sold as a kit. You can find them occasionally on barnstormers and other aircraft sites. AvidFoxFlyer forum is a good place to search as well.

No problem. Anytime!🙂

Thanks Joey. I flew again today, but left the gopro home...

It's a lightspeed twenty 3G noise cancelling headset. Older, but works good and is real quiet. I have three of them actually.

We did have snow several times but also warmer weather that melted it off. Last yr I flew on skis for first time on 11/20, year before was 11/14.

Thanks, it now resides in Iowa, and the new owner loves it. I've done 5 planes + with poly fiber and it works good for me.

Yes, it pulled real nice. It went to Iowa a month ago, and the new owner is loving it.

Hope so. It should perform pretty good I'm thinking.

Just a handheld, Yaesu FTA-310. Fixed antenna, and I borrow 12 volt power from the airplane to power it. It does work pretty well. Maybe not quite as good as the MGL V 6 in the Kitfox, but still does the job. PS: I just realized I was wrong on the model of radio I have. I have a 310 that has given me problems, and the one I'm using now is the FTA-550. It works good, the 310 acts like the squelch isn't turned up enough.... Not sure what is wrong with it. Both boxes were sitting in my sight when I started to answer your question and brain went to sleep for a bit...

@@jimchuk8511 Nice, thank you. I bought a new Yeasu FTA 550 and it's a disappointment. I have it plugged into the ship's battery and tried different antennas but people cannot hear me, static and crackling and I can barely make out what other aircraft transmit. In my previous plane I had a Icom A22. It was wonderful, crystal clear rx and tx and chatted with other aircraft 120 miles away line of sight.

The strip is 2000' long. I should have rolled it this spring, it's getting bumpier every year.

The guy put down a deposit, but eventually backed out, so I still have it.

@@jimchuk8511 I really like it it's a sweet looking Avid

@@joeyturner9687 Thanks, I have to get the conditional inspection done, and then I will be putting it back on the market.

@@jimchuk8511 oh great, well i really enjoy your video's and wish i could your Avid

What engine is that?

The strip is 2000' long with trees on both ends.

​@@jimchuk8511 If there is a 50 feet obstacles how long strip do you thing your plane needs?

@@TomcatE303 I used to fly out of the strip when it was 1500' long with no issues. I do have a tendency to come in faster than I need to, and that does burn up more strip. So the plane is more capable than me. I sold this plane 6 yrs ago. Flying a Kitfox 4 and my Avid MK IV now. See my other videos for those planes.

I responded back to you on one of your videos. Happy to help. The Avid is a fun to fly airplane, very light on the controls. Most pilots who have flown it with me tend to overcontrol because they are used to using more control input to make the plane do what they want. Airplane and cheap probably shouldn't be in the same sentence or paragraph, but at a 4 gallon per hr fuel burn, it doesn't hurt that bad on that account. Being able to fold the wings and trailer it home from the airport to store in your garage can reduce costs quite a bit as well. A friend of mine used to do that every time he flew.

I discuss the gust locks starting at the 3.59 minute mark. You are right that I don't demonstrate them, but explain what they are and why they are needed.

I took the skis off the Kitfox last week, and yesterday we got 6" of snow.... Duluth is .4" away from breaking the all time snow record

Thanks Jason. I enjoyed talking to you today as well.

Hi Scott, he passed away couple of yrs ago. 😞

A guy is supposed to pick it up in a couple of weeks. Jim

Not yet, but maybe in the next couple of weeks.

@Scot Yount No, northern Mn. but the snow is still 3' deep, so it seems like Alaska.

I thought he did fairly well. Some float that is true, but better that then to plop it in when the bottom drops out 5' off the ground. And he had 1/3 of the runway left when it stopped rolling. My mother used to always tell me, "if you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all" Seems like good advice to me.

Have to keep looking on places like barnstormers. Nothing good is cheap though. If I ever get around to finishing it, I will have another one but progress has been less than slow the last couple of yrs on it.

@@jimchuk8511 how can I get in touch with you?

@@jimchuk8511 do you post updates on your builds on your TH-cam channel?

@@sleepyta r u on face bk? what is ur name there?

@@sleepyta Not really, more like what I'm currently flying or just finished. I hope to finish another Kitfox 4 next summer. We shall see.

Cloudy conditions and low light make it real hard to see how high you are in unbroken snow. Sunlight make shadows and that helps a lot to see where the snow actually is. With poor light, if you are landing on a frozen lake, if you land close to shore, you can usually get clues from the brush on shore and such to see how high you are. Actually, it's kind of funny that you mention depth perception, I only have one eye, but there are ways to work around that. Thanks for the kind words.

I've taken a deposit on the plane, so I would say it's gone. Thanks for your interest though.

@@jimchuk8511 ok thanks for the quick reply