Posted: 4/12/2026 7:39:22 PM EDT
Check this out, it was sitting out at an airport we passed through the other day. I've never seen or heard of it, google says its a KIS RT-1TD. Super sleek, very cool plane! It is about the same size as a RV but way sleeker, and composite built. The fuselage is fairly coke bottle shaped as well, if it flies as good as it looks it would be one fun little airplane! You never know what you'll see around airports, there's always something cool to find.
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I think the designer's name was Rich Trickel. I remember looking at the 2-seater in the mid 90's. It's a good-looking aircraft and the kit was pretty well thought out. Unfortunately, it wound up being an orphan. The KIS stood for: Keep It Simple. |
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When I was a cfi there was a guy in the next hangar with a Prowler Aviation Jaguar. Basically a kit plane that looked like as if a P40, P51, and Spitfire had a baby. Used an LS-1 engine. It was totally badass and you could hear him coming miles away. The guy was kind of a cranky old man though so I never really spoke with him. One day I hear him coming in to the uncontrolled field and I stepped outside to watch. I’m watching him and I’m remember thinking okay dude drop the gear… any time now… until he was on final I figured something was wrong and grabbed a handheld and told him to go around his gear was up. He goes screaming by, eventually comes back with his gear down and lands. He puts his plane away in his hangar and I was out doing a pre flight with a student by then. He was a little embarrassed but said he put the gear down but never checked his gear down indicator lights. Turns out a circuit breaker blew and they weren’t down. He did the alternate extension to get them down to land. He said he wanted to give be a ride in it but his insurance didn’t allow it. And that’s how I saved Jaguar #6 and possibly the only airworthy one left. |