Mystery Airplane Contest

Although it has appeared under multiple company names, the Kitfox can claim over 7000 kits sold in over 40 countries. Capable of flying off wheels, skis, or floats, the Kitfox's wings can be folded to allow storage in your garage and towing behind your car. A side-by-side two-seater, it possesses excellent STOL performance, and has appeared in tricycle as well as tailwheel models.

First appearing as the Denney Kitfox and flown in November 1984 from the Denney factory in Boise, Idaho, the design was intended for a small radial engine which did not reach production. A Rotax engine in a bumped radial engine style cowling appeared first. In June 1992, Denney Aerocraft sold the Kitfox rights to SkyStar Aircraft which enlarged the aircraft to include a bigger useful load, more cabin space, and wider choice of aircraft engines. The Kitfox Series 7, as appears in this Oshkosh photo from 2019, came on the market in 2002. Versions of the Series 7 were designed to meet the definition of the Light Sport Aircraft rule and can be constructed with O-200, O-235, and O-240 engines. In April 2006, the rights to the Kitfox changed hands again, to become Kitfox Aircraft, of Homedale, Idaho.

The butterfly themed Series 7 Super Sport in this month's photo is N344V, registered at the time to Stephen Walsh of Palm Beach, Florida.

The unusual paint scheme was a major attention-getter. People stopped, looked, looked again, and many, like me, photographed it. Powered by a fuel-injected Austrian-built 130 hp Rotax 915iS flat-four, the Super Sport boasts a maximum speed of 125 mph and a range of over 600 miles. Most impressive is its STOL performance, with a take-off distance of 290 feet and a landing distance of 270 feet. The company states that the Series-7 kit can be built in about 900 hours.

This month's winner, Burt Ackerman of Shakopee, has been a Flyer subscriber for 53 years. In his note he added, "I gave Sherm Booen a seaplane ride at a Madden's Resort Safety Seminar at Gull Lake in my Piper PA-12 on floats in 1979." Talk about a loyal reader!

Many thanks to all who made the 2022 Minnesota Aviation Hall of Fame induction dinner at the Intercontinental Hotel a huge success. Cheri Rohlfing and her volunteer crew put in mega-hours to prepare and present a super event honoring a new slate of MAHOF inductees. Please check out the Hall of Fame's newly overhauled website at mahof.org for details and the stories of all the Minnesotans who have contributed to making our state a leader in aviation. To all our great Minnesota Flyer readers, Blue Skies and Fair Winds.