Kitfox
|
Denney Kitfox Model 2, built in 1992 |
|
Denney Kitfox Model 3, built in 1991 |
|
SkyStar Kitfox Series 7, built in 2004 |
Flown in November
1984 from their
Boise,
Idaho, factory, the first
Kitfox design from Denney Aerocraft was a two-seat
STOL aircraft, the Model 1. Similar in concept to the famous
Piper J-3 Cub the aircraft was a lightweight, two-place sport aircraft with good STOL (Short Takeoff and Landing) performance, enabling it to fly from short and unimproved airfields.
Six Model 1 Kitfoxes were delivered that first year. The Kitfox range was then expanded from the Model 1 to improved versions known Models 2, 3, 4, and Classic 4.
In June 1992 Phil Reed's SkyStar Aircraft Corporation purchased the rights to produce the Kitfox kit from Denney. They began development of a completely new Kitfox, the Series 5. This larger aircraft was designed to fit the needs of a pilots who wanted a
recreational airplane that combined the best attributes of the Kitfox with greater useful loads, certified engines, increased cabin space and larger cargo capacity. The Series 5 offered a
Taildragger (the Outback/Safari) and
tri-gear (the Vixen/Voyager).
In January 2000, the company changed hands when a group of employees bought SkyStar Aircraft and produced the Kitfox Series 6.
In 2000 SkyStar introduced the Kitfox Lite Squared as a two seat companion to the single seat Kitfox Lite. The Lite Squared was a version of the Kitfox Classic 4. The Kitfox Series 7 was finally selected as SkyStar's entrant into the
Sport Plane market.
In 2002, SkyStar introduced the new, high performance, Kitfox Series 7. With cruise speeds of up to 160 mph, and a service ceiling above 25,000 feet, Kitfox had entered a new era of performance. The new Series 7 was better adapted to the Sport Plane regulation than was the Lite Squared. As understanding of the proposed Sport Plane rule increased it became obvious that the specially packaged version of the Kitfox Series 7, known as the Kitfox Sport, would not be needed and that all three Kitfox airframes then in production (Lite, Classic 4, and Series 7) met the Sport Plane definition.In late
2005, the manufacturer of Kitfoxes,
Skystar Aircraft, filed for
bankruptcy. However, the
Eurofox is still in production in
Europe. The Eurofox has no affiliation to Kitfox. In early
2006, Kitfox Aircraft LLC aquired the production rights, tooling, patents and trademarks for the Kitfox aircraft.