STOLFox First Flight

An airplane is born. First flight of a Yamaha APEX powered Kitfox 7 SS.
KZbin Channel
/ projectkitfox
Bowen Aero LLC
www.bowenaerol...
BD Turn Key Engines AEM APEX system
bdturnkeyengine...
Bowen Aero, Project Kitfox, Beringer Aero, Beringer Brakes, TK1 Racing, Shock Monster, Kitfox, Kitfox Aircraft, Alaskan Bushwheels, Backcountry flying, off airport, big tire pilot, STOL Rats, Airframes Alaska, Flying Cowboys, Experimental Airplanes, LSA, Aviation, Bushplane,

[@maleficentcop2752]

"We won't be taking off just taxiing down the runway....Sorry could help my self" ....LMAO 🤣😂😜😜

[@maleficentcop2752]

Early on in the build I was reading about this engine, I even left a link in my comment, but there was something about oil temp. & flow. Not a complicated fix, if I remember correctly. Something about getting air in the system & essentially vapor locking the system and overheating things...???? If I find it I'll post it again....GREAT JOB MR....!!!!!

[@zachshaha2603]

I was smiling so big when you did the first pattern. I can’t even imagine your excitement!

[@Steve_MFr]

Another viewer smiling from ear to ear. I can't even imagine how you must have felt. Congrats!

[@johnfigueira8778]

I used to get a big thrill every time I did the first flight of an RC plane I built from scratch. That must have been 1000 times the buzz! I bet the adrenaline was pumping - no surprise you felt tired after that first day of testing. I saw the notification pop up - "STOLFOX First flight" and my reaction was "YES!", then I dropped everything because I had to see the video. Thank you for sharing this journey with us!

[@michaelguy7168]

“Yeah” Awesome plane. What a journey, thank you for bringing us along. Looking forward to seeing it up close.

[@joshholt1513]

The first flight would be so nerve wracking for me.

[@Anthonylarz]

In addition to congratulations, I just want to say how exciting this was for me personally. I have jumped on every video you posted on this build from day 1, I wish I could have been there. The plane is absolutely beautiful, and I even got a little emotional when you did that first flight. Can't imagine what you are feeling. Just know that all of us who have followed your journey ALSO got to feel a little bit of what you felt, and as such we were with you 110%. I tip my hat to you, and thank you for sharing and for allowing me to live vicariously through your work, just as I can not imagine how it must feel to be you, I wonder if you really know how it feels to be us, sharing this with you. I sure hope so.

[@Springfield-1903]

Ditto one hundred times over!!! While searching for the right words to say I was reading through the comments hoping that there was one that could express how i was feeling and that i wouldn't have to repeat it myself. Anyway, you NAILED it! The emotions and everything! I cannot even begin to imagine how it would feel to take off and fly in a machine that I built with my own hands! Simply amazing! What an accomplishment!

[@CJ_LEGAN]

Congratulations on your build. Don’t forget, aviated, navigate and communicate could be forgotten while concentrating on flight testing. Keep her flying. Thank for all the extra time you have spent bringing us along on your journey. Be safe and good luck.

[@politicalsheepdog]

That engine sounds so much better than the one on your previous plane. Very nice.

[@aaronbosch6561]

Congratulations, Brian!!!! Its great to see you in the air again!

[@darwinendreson4628]

Great to see it in the air, like the detailed debrief, will be interesting to see what your oil temp resolve will be. Thanks for the project update.

[@deep6thisdeep6this92]

the yellow decals on the cowl are a nice touch. adds a lot the the overall looks, IMO. congrats on the first flight!

[@jasonsharp6932]

Worst case scenerio other than a engine problem, might need to add an external oil cooler. Congrates on the flight.

[@scottdriver7092]

CONGRATULATIONS BRYAN

[@BlueBaron3339]

It's funny that no matter what's going on with us - first flight, tough winds on approach, even an inflight emergency - we always sound SO...CALM when talking to tower. It's like we all become Chuck Yeager for that moment 😂 🤣

[@davidrobins4025]

What a beautiful airplane! It was easy to see you were "itching" to get those wheels of the pavement - just a little. You must be feeling very happy with your new aircraft.

[@VGreggUndercover]

You have me addicted to watching kitfox builds now😂 Definite goals

[@truckpilotnate2972]

Congratulations! The controller at Redding sure seemed like a great guy and helpful. It’s going to be interesting to see you fine tune everything. I’m sure it’ll be valuable to those of us wanting or planning to build. Thanks for sharing this entire process.

[@kennethlung3371]

Houston, we have lift off!!! Great building videos and also great flying video. I will be looking for the next vids. Congratulations!!!!

[@mflacke]

"I feel like a Dork, so..." That made me laugh. Your conscious of that one dude listening when there are thousands of us watching every video in this series like it's Thursday night on NBC 1992. I'm a big fan thanks for your work!

[@briand3837]

I am impressed not only by the pilot and aircraft but also the tower controller letting him know he will work with him (pilot) in whatever he needs to conduct a safe and successful first flight.

[@godfreypatrick9792]

I followed your initial discussions over engine choices, then the arrival of the kit, the whole build process and now your first flight on one of the best looking and probably best built foxes out there. Very very well done Bryan from just 1 of the 14600 people who have followed you on this journey.

[@JM-iy6wm]

Really enjoy your videos great job on new plane loved the video of you taking up your young son for the 1st ride he was really excited. We need more fathers like you the interaction between you guys was fantastic. May God Bless you and your family. Jim

[@jcjammer1]

Hope the original owners are following you and appreciate all your hard work. Fantastic job.

[@randallharmsen5802]

That first pattern must’ve felt great! Your plane looks awesome 👏, be proud of your hard work.

[@coreymosley3534]

Congratulations Brian awesome job....👍😎

[@Doug_Morgan]

Congrats, she looks darn good. Hopefully you find the cause of that snag in short order.

[@justinninke6405]

Congrats! This is my dream airplane, Kitfox with an Apex engine. As a former Apex snowmobile owner, I know the Apex was vulnerable to fouling spark plugs if you even touched the throttle before it hit a certain engine op temp, however that was in Wisconsin/Yoop snowmobiling conditions. Definitely subscribed!

[@ivorevans1795]

HUMUNGOUS congratulations Brian from Zambia in Africa. Yes you are truly global! Just want to echo the comments thanking you for taking us along. Must have been quite trying at times. Sincerely hope you get thousands of hours of fun out of her and will be along for the ride!

[@friedclutch97]

Man. I am so excited to watch this video. I've been a fan for a long ass time. My wife came bailing into the computer room to see what all the noise was about. I was in here with a massive celebration. Nerding out, big time. Congratulations on your successful flights and thankyou for sharing your journey.

[@johnboyd6139]

Nicely done. I've watched every episode and feel like I have some ownership in the build...lol. Made me smile when you made that first pattern. Thanks for taking me along.

[@peterhancox5268]

Wow, you bugger, you bought tears to my eyes with that first circuit. I’d like to see you try the two blade prop (speed, power setting, cooling), maybe a variable pitch prop for cross country cruising. Congratulations and watch out Steve Henry.

[@rileysmith8980]

Congratulations, I have been with you since the beginning.

[@jimjam623]

Big Congrats Bryan! Sure has been and continues to be inspiring, super useful and much appreciated to have such a nicely documented project to follow along, ahead of our own build, one of four soon to begin any month now in the UK - just patiently waiting since Feb for west coast US shipping port congestion to die down.

[@kamilroupa2077]

HUGE congrants, your STOLfox is now officially born....performs excelent. GOOD JOB BRIAN.

[@bamaverick8740]

I have been watching since the start! What a feeling of achievement ! Doing the same thing here with a Apex on a Highlander in NC! You have been a inspiration to get mine started , Thank you! Awesome job!

[@JailDoctor1]

Congratulations. I know that must feel good. It's good to watch that happen.

[@Ampallee01]

Hi Brian. Congratulations! Enjoying your journey like so many other followers. Looking forward to the next lot of adventures flying with the cowboys.

[@brianberezowski5352]

AWESOME .. CONGRATULATIONS Brian. Absolutely a work of art. REALLY ENJOY ALL your videos. Have fun Fun FUN. 👍🇨🇦👍

[@stevensterry796]

Congrats!!! Didn’t think you would be so nervous 😟 I probably wouldn’t been able to breath! ALL that work was worth it . Beautiful plane ✈️

[@Rob989123]

Nice one Brian. Very well done congrats.

[@markperkins5664]

I had the biggest smile, as I sat at the edge of my seat waiting for you to take off! So exciting! It has been so enjoyable seeing this project come together. I’m so happy for you! Can’t wait to see what it will do, once the coolant issue is taken care of.

[@coj5478]

Congratulations! Awesome job!

[@danbeck6741]

Great to see! Can’t wait to see more.

[@jeremykemp3782]

ABSOLUTELY STUNNING

[@danielbasovitch5087]

CONGRATULATIONS Bryan !!! LOOKS GREAT, SOUNDS LIKE AN F1 motor!

[@rafer2002]

Nice looking bird, you have given me a lot of thought on building my own. (Big Fan). .

[@brucemitchell553]

Congrats! Have enjoyed your journey and learned a lot...thanks!

[@acs9787]

Between covid and a couple of joint replacements it’s been awesome to have the time to watch the birth of your baby. Beautiful bird. Also your videos have been a motivator to get cleared for my medical and back in the air again. Thanks for sharing your hard work.

[@johnchristie3984]

Congratulations Brian - what a great project, I have followed every video with extreme interest. I am looking forward to your adventures. John from the UK.

[@travisweide9071]

Yes!

[@VicariousAir]

Love the profile... you nailed that cowling. Happy for your brother

[@Hermanb1915]

I had a smile on my face with those first "hops"! Great achivement and many safe miles flying her!

[@richardseton7014]

Excellent, a great achievement! Well done!

[@careylogan7639]

I can't quite put my finger on the "why's", but I have been enjoying your build series on the Apex Kitfox. after I started watching the build play list on your channel I realized I had become hooked. of all the build videos I have watched, yours seems to hold my interest more than any others I have watched. (with the exception of Mark Patey's Draco and Scrappy builds) I really like the content and the way you have edited the videos. I just finished episode 2 and felt compelled to comment on THIS video. I actually bumped into this video, the one I am commenting on, while surfing on KZbin. I am now a subscriber. there is nothing like having dessert before the meal is served. :o) what pulled me into your channel was the 8800 rpms you were running on the engine. I found myself cringing at those rpms. after watching the videos before the official Episode 1 of the build, I now understand what is going on. WOW!! watching you dive into this project is what has hooked me. Dude...Keep up the great work!!! I am now going back to the build series and start watching Episode 3. I'm not going to get any work done today if I start binge watching your build series. It's all your fault!!!! BACK TO WORK!!!! :o) :o)

[@timhuckabay]

Congratulations, Bryan!!! It’s been a fantastic journey

[@stevekincaid]

So awesome. Looking forward to the electric prop governor upgrade and resolution of the oil / coolant heat exchanger.

[@dougww1ectebow]

She flies! Man that looks great :)

[@markellis265]

Simply amazing I binge watched the entire series magnificent 🎉🎉absolutely amazing 🙏🏾

[@jeefflanyt]

The Blue Collar Kitfox Flyer. Great videos. I really enjoyed your build and commentary. I enjoy the other Kitfox community flyers but can do without all the commercials all the time and the Millenial stuff that goes along with those flyers. I guess I'm getting old. Thanks for posting and all the hard work you put into the videos.

[@eddiex72]

The plane is beautiful. Excited for you. You've made the whole process look east. Congratulations.

[@justindyster7073]

Good Job! Love to see it flying. Won’t be long before your in the backcountry with it!

[@guyflibotte7042]

Yeah, proud of your accomplishment.

[@genekastner8086]

Hi Brian Congratulations ! Well done. I just subscribed today and have watched 5 videos and jumped to the first flight. You are a great model for your sons , kudos to the Mrs. and your Dad !

[@av8rk9]

I can't wait for your discussion about what's different and what is the same between the two planes ... exciting video

[@openoutlaw]

Awesome to see it fly. It sure looks good in the air.

[@EdgePerformanceNorway]

Congratulations! That’s why we add a turbo. 35-45” MAP at 7500rpm would give you 120-145HP at cruise. There’s too little torque and CC NA to be a 915iS or 320/360 competitor 😊

[@skiplambert4693]

What a beautiful plane! You did a great job building it.

[@FlyingNDriving]

I'm so excited to watch this, so excited for you Brian

[@ec-norsemanzero-drake7031]

Congrats Brian! Been a long time coming, glad to be here for the whole build and play videos. Thanks for all you do!

[@petercrowhurst]

Congrats Brian , Its been a great journey with many more to come , Tail winds

[@Mrsournotes]

Congratulations Bryan! 👍🏽👍🏽

[@diepenj47]

You deserve to be one proud papa! Well done.

[@cubman2711]

I've been following your entire build-- congrats on this HUGE milestone. I'm building an EAB and can't wait for this day.

[@bakerrv]

Congratulations on your first flight! I know the feeling of those first flights ...

[@minoc2]

Thank you for bringing us (me) along with your whole build and test experience.

[@ednesbit2988]

OUTSTANDING CONGRATULATIONS ITS BEEN AWESOME TO WATCH THIS FROM THE START JUST MAYBE THE ENGINE NEEDS TO BREAK IN EVERYTHINGS TO TIGHT WHEN I BUILD HARLEYS THATS THE CASE JUST SAYIN IM SURE YOU WILL FIGURE IT OUT

[@Mikesmith-tm5sh]

Congratulations on your first 🚀

[@rumbear1]

Congrats! Love the detail in the videos. Stay frosty and sort her out!

[@davidrempel6319]

Congratulations Bryan awesome work! Love the videos! Beautiful airplane!

[@DavidRMalloy]

Congratulations Brian! You built a beautiful plane and should be very proud of what you have accomplished. Thank you for all the extra effort you spent in bringing us along on your journey. It probably added 25% more effort to your build effort. It is very much appreciated. I look forward to your test flight videos and hearing about how you resolve any issues that pop up. I like the way you work, very much like my mode of operation. Best regards.

[@rickhart6049]

I'm real glad to see the take off performance and hope you figure the oil issue out. I am a part 103 flyer with a quick silver aircraft up here on Dersch Rd.have my own grass strip be it short it works fine for ultralight aircraft you are welcome to come check us out.

[@BowenAero]

Email me the coordinates [e-mail]. I would love to check it out.

[@superduper1917]

Love it when the tower is in great mood! Great Attitude for the controller! Let’s hire more like this one before this controller get’s burnt out from being the only positive voice on the radio, ha! Sexy plane and good logo placement. Question is what lucky sponsor get's the opportunity to advertise on the tail cone?

[@BowenAero]

That spot is available for Reno STOL drag sponsors, let me know if you are interested.

[@UCs6ktlulE5BEeb3vBBOu6DQ]

I've never heard a plane sound anything like this one ! It sounds like a 1985 Toyota Celica with a wind generator propeller.

[@lbrunet]

I am still smiling ear to ear. I can imagine how it affected you. So beautiful. I am so excited for you. Thank you so much for sharing. Please continue. I had the same problems when I first flew the quickie I built. You will figure it out. Great job. Beautiful airplane

[@lbrunet]

Been thinking about your first flight. Wondering what the manifold pressure is at 8600 or so. Could your increase pitch while remaining a safe mp. Also on my quickie I had to let air flow to the oil pan to help get the temperature down. Just thinking about your beautiful airplane. Thanks again

[@theflyingfool]

Yes! Finally a smile from you! Awesome aircraft & once that oil temp issue is fixed it will be fab! I guess the only thing you need now are a set of leathers :D

[@brucebell6391]

Congratulations Brian on you first flight. Hope you get the oil temp figured out soon.

[@xavitrod5802]

Congratulations, good work !!!! 👌👏👏👏

[@davebrewer9279]

Big day! I’ve watched a lot of these builds, but I think this one is perfectly my style. I love the KitFox and I thought you chose an excellent motor. The tires look great and they compliment the Berringer brakes. Awesome!😎

[@TheMot616]

Congratulations

[@rogerolander458]

Congratulations, Brian! Awesome!

[@HMac411]

Brother Bryan...In the EA-B world, I'm an RV kind of guy, but I do ride a Yamaha Apex snowmobile...🤣. What a great adventure this has been and I'm pleased for your success so far. I can appreciate how nerve-wracking these first flights must be. Best of luck as you wring this puppy out! Perge!

[@ik04]

That tower dude is epic!

[@vincentmolloy5660]

Well done Brian.

[@mastermoarman]

Awesome. Been watching sence before the build began. Good job. Sounds like you need a constant speed prop.

[@akschu1]

I’ve experienced that engine in a sled, and after years of 7800rpm, when it went right past that to 9500, without thinking I lifted. Brain isn’t used to that many RPMS.

[@PolarisEricson]

Damn good motors. From a skidoo guy 😉

[@bradwright2841]

Congratulations on first flight I’d say airflow to the coil

[@SteveN3695J]

BRAVO MR BOWEN....!

[@leibrandtduplessis3397]

Great video, congrats...I know all about those nerves, goodluck on the oil temp.. I think the short answer will probably be a oil cooler. Enjoy your new aerie, she looks great🦾🍻

[@Kitfoxj]

Awesome man!! Congrats!!!!! So happy for you.