AOPA Pilot Magazine - June 2022 - 56

speed as a target on final would put the
ideal approach speed at just 50 mph. But
the faster speed, McBean advises, allows
pilots to avoid pulling the throttle all the
way to idle-and that prevents the propeller
from moving to low pitch. Low prop
pitch is a highly effective air brake, so it's
wise not to use it until you're in ground
effect and ready to touch down.
I make several three-point and wheel
landings on the grass runway. Not surprisingly,
three-point landings are consistently
shorter, and the airplane rolls to a stop
with little or no braking in about 300 feet.
A steeper, slower approach and aggressive
braking (especially at lower elevations)
could easily cut that number in half.
Ground handling is obedient and
uncomplicated. And frankly, takeoffs and
landings are so short that there's little time
for things to go awry.
THE JOURNEY
Kitfox got involved in backcountry flying
decades before it was considered cool,
and now the company is well positioned to
take advantage of the growth that's taking
place around adventure flying in rugged
and remote areas.
The STi can compete and win at
STOL events against airplanes that cost
many times as much. In the hands of a
pilot attuned to its strengths, the STi is a
spectacular performer that can operate
off any runway-and most meadows, pastures,
hillsides, lake beds, and riverbanks.
Its turbocharged engine makes the STi
a stellar performer at high elevations, and
its preference for car gas assures pilots can
traverse remote regions where avgas may
be difficult or even impossible to find. The
STi is an adventure machine, and that fits
well with pilots seeking to explore beyond
the bounds of paved runways, swank
FBOs, and expensive hamburgers.
Kitfox expected to sell about 120 kits
in 2021, and the Series 7 STi is its most
popular model. The company also builds
six complete light sport aircraft per year
at its factory.
" Our kits are 100 percent U.S. manufactured, "
McBean said. " We source our parts
in Idaho first, the United States second, and
overseas third. About the only things we
buy internationally are Rotax engines from
Austria and MT props from Germany. "
McBean says his biggest frustration
today is a too-long, two-year-plus backlog
of kit orders waiting to be filled. He
said the company is doing everything in
its power to reduce the wait, and enable
customers to fulfill their flying ambitions.
" Our customers want airplanes to fly
in the backcountry-and our purpose is to
enable them to do that well and safely, " he
said. " That's what we've done all along,
and that's what we'll continue to do. We're
all about the journey. "
dave.hirschman@aopa.org
The STi is the most beefy, rugged, and
popular of three Series 7 models. The
" Super Sport " and " Speedster " are up to
25 miles per hour faster in cruise (largely
because of the STi's draggy tundra tires) but
the STi captures the imagination of pilots
seeking off-the-grid adventure.
56
AOPA PILOT / June 2022
AOPA Pilot Magazine - June 2022

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