It was more than three years ago that this journey started. I saw a KitFox IV on Barnstormers that was in a price range I thought I could afford.

It was in Red Deer and being sold by someone I knew so I thought I would call and check it out. A couple of weeks later it was in my hanger.

As I looked it over, I found it hard to believe the amount of work that it would require. The previous owner had purchased it in Yellowknife and trailered it back to Red Deer on an open deck trailer. The trip to Red Deer had damaged the KitFox and the back was bent. I further inspected the plane and found the fabric to be rotten and easily torn. The person I bought the plane from was told the fabric was good and just needed some patches as the Ravens on the airfield had torn some holes in the wings. Luckily, he did not have a chance to try to fly the plane.

So, the process began of rebuilding a KitFox more than three years ago. I took the wings off and hauled the fuse to my garage where it became a permanent resident. (my wife thought it was permanent) The process began with me ripping all the covering off the plane. I also stripped the firewall forward, and found black pipe elbows used in the cooling system of the 582-engine system. I guess when you’re in the high arctic, you use what you can to keep your plane flying. After a complete strip and teardown, I started the modifications I wanted to make the KitFox IV my SuperFox. I wanted the wide body mod that I had seen on some of the Kitfox sites and started with that.

I also added the speedster tail modification as suggested by fellow KitFox pilot Jim Corner.

A baggage compartment Arizona style was installed.

A KitFox flyer from Phoenix showed me how he built a floor with thin plywood and then used Dacron to build the baggage compartment behind the seat. I thought I had most of the modifications done that I would do but then a 912 showed up on Barnstormers at a price that seemed to fit my budget. That was the start of another modification that took another 6 months to complete. It meant custom building a motor mount, custom fabricating an exhaust system, running new lines for oil, water, and fuel and just a whole bunch of custom work.

All this work would not have been possible without the help of Jim Corner.

I got to do a first start the first week of June of this year.

The covering is close to completion as I write this, and assembly and rigging will be done soon.

Hauling the Fuse to the hanger with the paint on and some vinyl graphics was a happy day.

Everything is now painted and together on the plane but now double checks get to be done. Taxi testing may happen before this goes to print. Maybe flight testing but no hurry at this point.

A friend said I was building a Super Fox. I thought it would make good nose lettering.

Andy Gustufson wrote “I snapped this picture just east of Strathmore. Interesting. A-26 grave yard or the new Canadian liberal air force bomber command? I sent a picture of the same airport a few years ago but these pictures show more aircraft and a stash of spare wings.”

Andy