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Denney Aerocraft
produced the first Kitfox kit in November of
1984 in a small factory in Boise, Idaho. The
Kitfox was designed as a lightweight, two-place
sport aircraft with excellent STOL (Short
Takeoff and Landing) performance and the ability
to operate from short and unimproved airfields.
The Kitfox features folding wings and is easily
trailered, allowing owners to share hangar space
or keep their Kitfox's at home in a single car
garage. Six Model 1 Kitfox's were delivered
that first year. Since 1984, over 4,000 Kitfox
kits have been delivered to builders throughout
the United States, Canada, and over 42 foreign
countries. Under Dan Denney’s leadership, the
Kitfox evolved from the original
Model 1
to continually improved versions referred to as
the Models
2, 3, 4, and
Classic 4.
In June 1992,
SkyStar Aircraft Corporation purchased the
rights to produce the Kitfox kit from Denney
Aerocraft. SkyStar immediately began
development of a completely new Kitfox, the
Series 5. This larger aircraft was designed to
fit the needs of a growing segment of the
marketplace that wanted a “Weekend Cruiser.”
These pilots 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,
which offered both a taildragger (the
Outback/Safari) and a tri-gear (the Vixen/Voyager)
configuration, answered these requests and
became one of the most successful introductions
in the history of the kit plane industry.
In January of
2000, an employee group acquired SkyStar
Aircraft, and an exciting new chapter began for
the SkyStar team. SkyStar announced the new
Kitfox Series 6, an airplane that incorporated
all of the best features of all versions
of the Series 5. The
Series 5
evolved into the
Series 6,
and then the Series
7. In October of 2005, Skystar
encountered financial difficulties and ceased
operations.
In April of 2006,
the assets of Skystar were acquired by Kitfox
Aircraft LLC, a newly formed organization
operated by John and Debra McBean. The McBean's own
and operate Sportplane LLC, a Kitfox
specialty supply firm they founded after John's departure
from Skystar in 2003. |