On 1/9/2023 2:05 PM, Dave Klingler via KRnet wrote:
My long-term pipe dream is to attempt to follow Colin Hales' example.
Does anyone have opinions about the maximum fuel capacity a KR-2S
could handle if built for that mission?
Dave Klingler
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Dave,
You're talking a purpose built airplane. It won't be the weight but the
distribution of fuel that will be the limiting factor. My KR is 760
pounds empty (20 years ago), 0-200 / 100 hp licensed at 1350 gross. I
once made a trip to Oshkosh with passenger and all necessities (cloths,
laptops, cameras, etc) , probably 23 gallon of fuel and the airplane
handled it well although a bit tail heavy and my wings are 8 inches
shorter than stock. I never put it on scales but we had to be 1300
pounds at least. The design G rating at that weight is still 4+ G's.
Even if your KR weighs 800 pounds and you weigh 200 pounds that would
still give you a fuel load of 50 gallons. At 6 gallon per hour fuel
burn and a 30 minute reserve and a 150 mph ground speed you'd have 1175
miles between fuel stops. Lighter airplane, lighter pilot would give
even more range. It is simply a factor of math and how to maintain
proper CG burning off that much weight during the flight. Your fuel
could be located well off the CG if burned off evenly with a plan but
what happens in case of a component failure like a fuel pump. Marty
Roberts had that problem on a flight to one of the KR Gatherings years
ago. He had wing tanks that pumped to the header tank. His wing tank
pump(s) quit and as he continued to burn from the header tank the
airplane was getting more and more tail heavy. His anxiety level was
quite elevated by the time he landed.
Many airplanes have been designed to do many different things and do
them well and your plan is certainly within reason. You simply need to
know all the limiting factors and have a plan to handle them safely. I
keep hearing "the worlds is getting smaller" so maybe if you wait a bit
your goal may be reached much easier. 😁
Good luck.......
Larry Flesner
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