Kitplanes for Africa began producing the Bushbaby in 1994. The initial aircraft was modelled on the popular and very successful Kitfox 4. The design philosophy was not to reinvent but rather to refine and try to produce as much as possible locally, keeping production costs to a minimum.

The fuselage is constructed from tig welded tubular SAE1010 steel. The wing spars are extruded from 6061 T6 aluminium. Composite parts are the fuel tanks, flaperons and cowlings. Bungees form the standard suspension. The wings, fuselage and tail control surfaces are fabric covered.

Seating is dual, side by side with both seats having access to all engine and flight controls. Fuel capacity is 100 litres in the wings and a 5 litre header tank.

Very early Bushbaby models were limited to a MAUW of 450 kgs and popular engine choices were VW, Rotax 912 UL/ULS and Rotax 582. After wing load testing the MAUW was increased to 500kgs then 550kgs after further airframe upgrades. 110 Bushbaby airframes were produced with small structural upgrades along the way but no major changes took place.

In 2003 the airframe benefited from some significant upgrades and the Explorer was born. Structural changes to the fuselage and spar carry-through truss allowed a higher maximum takeoff weight of 600kgs, the cockpit was widened, the roof truss raised, the vertical fin including rudder raised and widened.

In 2008 the Safari was developed and like the Explorer this is also a further development of the original Bushbaby. The Safari has an 8 inch wider cockpit and firewall, longer fuselage, higher tail fin, larger elevator and rudder. Upon final type acceptance it is expected that the MAUW weight for the Safari will be 700kgs. All 3 models use exactly the same wing though the Safari has the lift strut attachment some 300mm further outboard.

Kitplanes for Africa was purchased from Monty Jeffries in 2008 by Rick Burrough and Stefan Coetzee. Both being Bushbaby enthusiasts, Rick and Stefan decided to combine resources and take the business to a higher level.

Rick is a licensed AME, AP and JAA rated B747 flight engineer, PPL and NPL holder with instructor and test pilot ratings. Rick has a total flying time in excess of 7000 hours.

Stefan is a successful entrepreneur, businessman, and PPL and NPL holder with B grade instructor rating, Class 2 Test Pilot’s rating and certified aircraft welder with a engineering background. Stefan has a total flying time in excess of 1000 hours.

Situated in Komatipoort, Kitplanes for Africa produces 12-15 airframe kits and builds up 4-6 airplanes to test-flight completion a year. The facility is also home to Komati Flight Academy offering Weight shift and Light sport flight training on tail or nose-wheel aircraft although the school specialises in tailwheel training and advanced bush flying.

Development and refinement of the product is ongoing, engine choices tried and tested with excellent results are Rotax 582, 912UL and 912S, Jabiru 2200, 3300, Rotec radial 2800, UL 260i and the BMW R1200GS. Options are actively explored with spring gear, EFIS instrumentation, dual hydraulic brakes, LED strobe lighting and full airframe fairing kits offered.

To date Kitplanes for Africa has produced 160 airframes, some of which have been exported to Australia, UK, Namibia and Zimbabwe.