KR> No KR

[Dave Dunwoodie]

James said :

"I've got a Dakota (PA 28-236) and a KR 2.  The Dakota is the station wagon for 
hauling people and baggage, and the KR is the sports car for when Daddy just 
wants to have some fun all by himself.  I spent many hours in a PA 28-180, they 
are a great airplane.  Keep the KR fire burning, it's a fun machine!!"


James said what I was going to say, so I'll say it anyway.  I have a 
PA28-161 Warrior-II as well as the KR2.  Each has a role in life, and 
I'm not going to give up either one of them!  Once you're in love, 
you're in love!

There are days when I dream of getting back into the King Air or maybe 
another Cub on floats or maybe another Pitts or resume helicopter 
training and work.  Then reality sets in, and I realize that I've 
actually achieved my lifelong dream of aircraft ownership and sharing 
already.  We share our Warrior with any victim within reach, and the KR2 
is my "outlet" when it is time to get creative or be involved with a 
wonderful group of people and a never-ending project!

Keep your KR dreams alive!  They can often be the best therapy available!

Dave.

KR> iFly 700

[Dave Dunwoodie]

I've been following the comments with interest.  I own several GPS 
units, Garmin included, and have a total of four GPS units in my Warrior 
(for various reasons).

I can say hands-down, the iFly 700 wins the prize.  I've been so 
enamored with this unit that I actually removed the Garmin and re-worked 
the panel in my KR2 to accommodate the 700.   There have been concerns 
and comments about the usability of the screen in direct sun, and those 
concerns and comments are valid.  Walt has addressed the situation via 
the soon to be released iFly 720, which has a significantly improved 
screen for those of us that have unshaded canopies.

There are a lot of features on the 700 that make it worth your 
attention.  many of the capabilities clearly go beyond what we'd want or 
expect in a GPS, but they're handy!  I have my checklist stored in the 
unit, a finger touch for each item as we go.  This is just bells and 
whistles, but it sure is handy!!!  The iFly isn't being marketed as an 
EFIS, so anything like this is a bonus.

We're having a lot of fun with our unit!!!  Via added memory and/or USB, 
we now have in-flight movies as well as a live external camera view.

My unit is hardwired to the main power buss, off of the avionics breaker 
and switch.  I have been able to make the unit freeze twice now, after 
diligent efforts to break it.  In both of those instances, a simple 
toggle of the avionics master and the unit restored without a hitch.  
Often, avionics don't like RF.  I've tried everything I could think of 
to "break" it via keying the COM radio, hitting test on the transponder, 
and even holding a handheld right against it and keying up.  To my 
amazement, it just kept plugging along!

I was going to buy a 2nd unit, and then the 720 beta came into view, so 
I'm on standby at the moment.  I think what will ultimately happen is 
that the 700 will go into the Warrior, the 720 into the KR2.

I'm absolutely sold on this unit.  The performance is excellent, the 
customer support is superb.

Photos of the final panel mount are available at 
http://www.ellwood-designs.com/kr2.

Dave.

KR> Coax - For Glenn Martin

[Dave Dunwoodie]

Hi Glenn, thanks for the comments.  I re-read your posting and hadn't 
caught the comment about the 8X before.  I've been in the radio racket 
for about 40 years, and hold a FCC commercial with radar endorsement.  
Coax has been my friend (and enemy) for a long time!

I snooped a bit more, as I thought others on the list might benefit from 
the research and findings.  I don't advocate the use of anything but 
teflon (plenum rated) cable for airplanes, and there aren't always 
equivalents, so please bear with me as I babble a bit.

RG-142 is an excellent compromise for what us KR types are doing, and it 
is commonplace in certificated aircraft.  At 122MHz, a 20 foot run will 
only cost about 0.8dB, not horrible, not great.  With 5 watts, that 
gives us 4.1 watts at the antenna, or roughly a 20% loss, as you 
suggested.  This is probably worst case for KR people, as 20 feet of 
coax is a LONG haul inside a KR!  (My longest coax run is 12 feet.)  I 
made a judgment call and went with this cable as a compromise between 
safety, performance and weight.

For the transponder, RG-142 starts to become a problem.  The attenuation 
is over 13dB per 100 feet, and that could become a significant problem.  
RG-393 is about 7.5dB loss per 100 feet, very significantly better, but 
at the cost of about 3X the weight.  What is nice about the 393 is that 
one can use standard LMR-400 (RG-8) size connectors.

I used RG-8X for my transponder run the first time around.  The specs. 
were decent, but not excellent.  Then I switched to LMR-240, which is 
significantly better, but still isn't plenum rated.  LMR-240 is about 
1/3 again better than 8X for performance, but neither are really 
suitable from a safety perspective.  The run from my transponder to the 
antenna is 8 feet, and this is the sole piece of non-teflon cable 
remaining in the airplane.

I knew what we needed, and I knew it was out there somewhere, so the 
search continued, and I found it.  We really need something in the 
LMR-240 size range (like RG-59 diameter and weight), but teflon (or 
equiv.)  A good possibility is LMR-240-LLPL.  The  performance is 
excellent, the insulation is what we're after, and the weight per foot 
is excellent.  It is, however, very expensive, averaging about $3.60 per 
foot in bulk.  This makes it impractical for most of us that only need 
10 feet or so.  If a group member were to buy a 1000 foot roll and then 
sell it out to the rest of us, life would be even better!

FYI, the within spec. performance life of most coax is about 3 years.   
As a final thought, my Warrior is a 1981.  I tore everything apart last 
summer and was horrified to discover that the original coax cables were 
intact.  I was looking at 30 year old coax.  Nothing had ever been 
addressed via the annuals, and if a signal got from point A to point B, 
it was OK.  Not true.  Coax is cheap, failed radios are not!  It comes 
as no small surprise that owners of certificated aircraft are happy if 
they can call a tower that is 10-20 miles away, while KR type people 
often report communications of 100-150 miles.

Dave.

KR> Wiring - To Matt Elder

[Dave Dunwoodie]

Hello Matt;

I read all of the responses and thought I'd chime in as well.  I think 
that everybody has you pointed in a good general direction, so perhaps I 
can help get to some specifics and recommendations.  When I rewired both 
of my airplanes, the first thing to go was anything what wasn't teflon.  
In the KR2, that was about 95% of the wiring!  The airplane had been 
constructed by an aerospace engineer (and former Navy fighter pilot), so 
the attention to detail about the mechanics of the airplane was 
outstanding.  However, attention to the electrical portions were sadly 
lacking --- I found cheap (plastic coated) wires everywhere, ALA Home 
Depot, which IMHO is clearly unacceptable for an airplane.

All wiring was replaced with teflon insulated wires, the size according 
to the anticipated load X2.  For electronic instrumentation, I used 
mostly 22ga.  Where practical, I used 28ga. wiring, specifically for 
audio wiring behind the panel, etc.  Anything other than audio or 
electronic instruments received at least 18ga., and for audio that 
needed to be routed to the headsets or the rear speaker, I used 24ga.  
For example, the wiring to the T gyro is 18ga, the wiring to the radio 
is 14 ga., the wiring to the wing strobes is 14ga. (with shield).  The 
wiring to the rear clearance light is 14ga., and the wiring to the 
utility outlets is 12 ga.  The wiring to the main buss from the battery 
is 6ga., and the wiring from the main breakers is all 10ga., everything 
teflon.

All wiring is color coded.  One of the biggest maintenance problems in 
certificated aircraft is that nearly all of the wiring is white.  This 
is simply a nightmare, so I avoided it by going with common-sense 
colors.  It made a world of difference when tracing circuits!

As for coax, I wouldn't get mired down in losses.  We are talking about 
10, perhaps 20 feet of coax, and worrying about losses per 100 feet is a 
waste of time as it will measure out to mere fractions of a decibel.  I 
would focus on 50 ohm coax that approximates RG-58 diameter.  During my 
upgrade, my focus was purely on avoiding coax such as the RG-58/LMR 
series, as these are standard poly. type cables and offer no fire 
resistance.  Everything I installed simply mirrored the stub. cable 
examples that came with the various radios - double shielded teflon 
coax.  Of all of the cables available, my favorite is RG-142 B/U.  It is 
plenum rated, double shielded, and is what you will find as commonplace 
in the commercial aircraft industry.  It fits "standard" fittings, and 
is what you're going to find if you investigate "standard" aircraft 
communications coax.  It averages about $1.00 per foot.

Yes, where practical, keep audio, data, strobe and power wiring 
separated.  If it isn't realistic to separate the wires, then consider 
using shielded wiring, or at a bare minimum, twisted-pair wiring.  For 
my marker lights and anything over about 2 feet, I used a drill and 
created twisted-pair wiring.  This is a "pseudo shield", and well worth 
the effort.  You will find that there will be basically two culprits - 
one of them will be the use of non-shielded wiring over long runs, and 
the other will be dealing with the strobe lights.  As before, simply 
create a twisted-pair to deal with the first problem --- All of my 
wiring has this as a minimum, even if it is to a utility outlet.

The second one - the strobes - needs special treatment.  You're dealing 
with VERY high voltage here, and spikes as well.  I would go with a 
shielded teflon cable.  Very important is that the shield be grounded at 
ONLY one end.  In my installation, I simply grounded the shield at the 
battery, and left the end at the wingtip taped off.  If you ground both 
ends of the shield, you are asking for all sorts of interference 
problems, not to mention the proverbial "ground loop" problem where when 
the strobes fire, the radio burps, or you have a continual hum in the 
headset and even turning everything else off doesn't solve the problem.

In my installation, I used a twisted pair from the battery to a 
distribution system.  From there, I created a ground buss, and various 
power busses, each breakered separately.  All wiring is contained inside 
of individual cable management plastic shields.  I further identified 
each "bundle" by using colored cable ties.

Hope this helps.

Dave.

KR> Real World Numbers

[Dave Dunwoodie]

Hello again everyone;

In perusing various ads and listings about the KR2, I keep seeing the 
original numbers, probably from the original specs - 350 foot takeoff, 
900 foot landing.

Could you please share your real world numbers?

Thanks,

Dave.

KR> Fuel Situation Update

[Dave Dunwoodie]

Thank You to all that replied and offered suggestions and thoughts.  I 
really appreciate all of the ideas, and they helped me get focused.

The engine is a Revmaster 2100-D-75.
The prop is a Warp Drive 3-blade, non-tapered, 52".

I performed fuel flow tests this morning and arrived at 21.8 GPH 
free-flow rate.

In checking total travel of the mixture lever, I discovered that it was 
rotating only (roughly) 60 degrees, not the 90-95 degrees per 
Revmaster's requirements.  Given this discovery, further checks were halted.

I'm now in the process of locating or fabricating a lever with 3 holes, 
total length about 3.5" which can be used to translate 1.5" of cable 
travel into 2.5".

Thanks to all for their help!

Dave.

KR> Max RPM

[Dave Dunwoodie]

Hell again everyone!  I know you're all busy with the annual get 
together, but I'm STILL needing information and suggestions!

I reverted to a pure gravity feed and did tests today.  The max. RPM I 
could achieve (static) was 2550, and usually 2500.  At full throttle, 
the manifold pressure is on the peg.  If I pull towards lean at all, I 
lose RPM.

I tried turning the mixture screw slightly richer and that didn't seem 
to make a difference.

Never having dealt with the Revmaster and Revflow carb. before, all of 
this is VERY new territory for me, so any help would be sincerely 
appreciated.

With the Warp Drive 3-blade prop., which I thought was set to 14 
degrees, I was anticipating 3000RPM static.  However, looking at their 
charts, if the prop. is set to 17 degrees, then 2500 looks about right.

So I'm in a fog at the moment, trying to figure out what to check/try next.

Thanks,

Dave.

KR> Site Update

[Dave Dunwoodie]

We've added a few pictures in recent days.  Please take a look!

Dave.

http://ellwood-designs.com/kr2

KR> Fuel System

[Dave Dunwoodie]

Hi Guys, and thanks to all of you that commented on my fuel system posting.

I am using a Revflow carb., stock as far as I know.  I've heard that 
some have successfully added a pump, and that others have never been 
able to get one to work with this carb.  I guess that puts me in the 
latter group.

Any additional comments are welcome!  Perhaps I should just go back to 
the initial gravity feed and call it good?  As before, my concern is 
vapor lock, so I'm always interested to hear from others about how 
they've mitigated this one.  I have the heat shield tube installed, and 
am now wondering if yet another one on top would help or make things 
worse!!!

Another concern is with unusual attitudes and no pump.

Thanks again,

Dave.

KR> KR-2 -- 99P

[Dave Dunwoodie]

http://ellwood-designs.com/kr2

KR> Fuel System

[Dave Dunwoodie]

I am still undecided about the fuel pump after struggling with it for a 
year.  It is the Facet that has been recommended by several people.

When first installed, I noted that it would nearly flood the engine and 
that an immediate leaning of the mixture was required whenever it was 
turned on.  I solved this one by installing a 5/32" bypass line from the 
pump outlet back to the header tank.  Mixture adjustments from pump on 
to pump off are now minimal.

With the pump off, I can cause the engine to stall at higher RPM by 
setting full rich and waiting.  It seems the free-flow (gravity only) 
rate through the pump is just barely adequate and eventually the 
gascolator empties and the engine stalls.  I can always remedy this by 
turning the pump on for a couple of seconds, so I am convinced it is a 
fuel starvation situation.

I installed a "T" before and after the pump, and made another bypass, 
5/16" diameter with a one-way valve.  With the pump off, the theory is 
that fuel will flow from the header tank through the one-way valve and 
out to the engine.  This effectively creates two flow paths from the 
tank to the engine.  Even with this, I heard the engine stutter a little 
after about 15 minutes with no pump.  Again, just bumping the pump for a 
couple of seconds cleared the situation.

I am very close to reverting to gravity only feed, and am interested in 
who runs gravity only, and what, if any, obstacles they had to 
overcome.  My main concern has been vapor lock, and the pump is very 
effective at clearing situations like this.  However, getting adequate 
fuel flow when the pump isn't running has developed into a real 
challenge.  If I keep the pump, my preference is that it NOT be used for 
normal operations.

What have you that use gravity only encountered in your low fuel 
situations, climbs, etc.?

The entire fuel system has been cleaned and cleaned again, new filters, 
everything.  So it appears that I'm fighting purely a flow situation 
when the pump isn't running, and not some unknown restriction or blockage.

Any thoughts or comments would be appreciated.

Thanks,

Dave.

KR> Static Test Results

[Dave Dunwoodie]

OK, I've been silent, busily working away, and today I managed to get 
some repeatable numbers.  I would appreciate "health" checks from 
any/all of you!!!

Engine:  Revmaster 2100D
OAT:  81 F.
Humidity: 63%
Elevation: 920'

Engine Run Duration: 20 Minutes
Cowl Flap Open
Ram air closed
RPM 1700

Peak Temperatures Noted:
OIL: 210
CHT: 400
EGT: 1025
(These figures were obtained with the mixture leaned.)

Mixture full rich:
OIL: 200
CHT: 350
EGT: 950

Thanks for any thoughts!

Best Regards,

Dave.

KR> Flap Handle Pipe

[Dave Dunwoodie]

I'd like to extend my flap handle by an inch or so but can't find the 
pipe anywhere!  It is 0.75" OD thin-wall something!  I checked various 
versions of electrical conduit and the closest I can get is about 
0.71".  Can anybody tell me where to get the larger stuff, or should I 
just proceed with the conduit?

Thanks,

Dave.

KR> New Panel

[Dave Dunwoodie]

Just wanted to advise everyone that we are at about 98% complete on the 
new carbon fiber panel.  Barry Smith (barrysmith2009 at gmail.com) 
graciously undertook the task of printing custom 3D trim rings for the 
instruments, and they are gorgeous!  My cost for a totally customized 
trim-ring package was $129.  You can't beat that with a stick!  Barry 
and I went back and forth for several months, getting the diameters 
perfect, the depth perfect, and it shows!

I took a few snaps today, and they will be available for viewing 
tomorrow at http://ellwood-designs.com/kr2.  You can take a look at that 
site now to see where we started, then take another look 1-2 days from 
now to see where we arrived.

I removed the Garmin 196 (with dock) during the creation of the new 
panel, and installed an iFly 700.   It is a squeeze, but it looks like 
it belongs there!

Dave.

KR> Control Centering Springs

[Dave Dunwoodie]

Has anyone tried springs from the main spar back to the elevator 
cross-shaft to help keep the stick (elevator) centered?  I looked at 
this idea in my plane today, and it looked like something that might be 
worth adding (???)...

In my Warrior, I don't have anything like this, but there *is* a 
'helper' spring for the rudder trim, and that got me to thinking about 
"what if" for the KR2.

Can anybody comment about how good or bad something like this idea is?

Thanks!

Dave.

KR> V Numbers

[Dave Dunwoodie]

Hello everyone;

In attempting to write a checklist for my KR2, I suddenly realized that 
I lack any valid "V" numbers for it.  If anyone could help, iot would be 
very much appreciated!!!

Along the same lines, I've noticed a wide range of pre-start procedures, 
and I'm wondering what seems to be working the best for everyone.  Some 
procedures call for gas off, pull 8-blades, engage starter, gas on, 
advance throttle, etc.  Others say nothing about any of this, simply 
suggesting to turn the gas on and start cranking.

The engine is a Revmaster 2100, no turbo, Revmaster carb., Warp Drive 
3-blade at 14 degrees.

The airplane is conventional gear, plans built, and a little bit on the 
heavy side!  It has nearly a full panel, including manifold pressure, 
etc., so any numbers would be very helpful.

I've managed to find three numbers - 183 on the airspeed is red, and 52 
on the airspeed is red.  Tach redline is 3500.  Given the total lack of 
any other numbers anywhere, I even doubt the validity of the numbers 
that I did manage to find.  I don't know where the 183 came from, and I 
suspect that the 52 number came from a sales brochure.  I have the same 
thoughts about the 3500 RPM.

As an FYI, I'm installing an iFly 700 into the panel, and the checklist 
(especially the performance data) can be pulled up at the touch of a finger.

Thanks,

Dave.

KR> Web Site

[Dave Dunwoodie]

Hello again to everyone.  I still have multitudes of questions, and 
describing items with words hasn't been working so well, so Jeremy and I 
have posted a few pictures, many more to follow.  The site is just an 
infant at the moment, please bear with us!

As a reminder, I bought this airplane when it had 118 hours logged.  
Some information is missing from the logs, such as a prop change.  Other 
information, such as "what kind of voltage regulator is that" has gone 
unanswered simply because I couldn't find a way to communicate the 
information.  Hopefully, a picture will be worth a thousand words.

I am still trying to find someone that will 3D print some instrument 
trim rings for me!!!

Over time, we will be posting detailed photographs and diagrams.  Any 
information and/or suggestions from ANY of you would be welcomed.

You can email me at my listed address, or to a dedicated KR2 email 
account ("n11...@yahoo.com") via the website or direct.

Thanks again for all of the assistance and information.  You guys rock!  
What we have posted at the moment is over a year old.  There have been 
radical changes since then!  We should have some 2010/2011 pics 
available in a few weeks.  I didn't like the vinyl trim under the panel, 
so it is now well-conforming rubber.  The new throttle quadrant is now 
installed.  The panel is finished, with a carbon fiber overlay, and 
multitudes of structural additions on the firewall side.  All (interior) 
exposed wood has been covered with fireproof, sound deadening 1/8" 
foam.  A 1/4" foam/vinyl floor pad has been fitted and installed.  All 
wiring has been upgraded to approved teflon, secured and covered.  Wheel 
pants (with landing lights) are ready for installation.  Electric 
elevator trim installed.  Wingtip markers and strobes installed.

As everyone on the list knows, building an airplane is something that is 
never quite finished!  Any questions, suggestions and/or comments are 
always appreciated.

Best regards to everyone.

Dave.

"http://ellwood-designs.com/kr2;

P.S.  Sorry about the chickens, but they add "scale" to the pictures!

KR> Revmaster and Warp Drive

[Dave Dunwoodie]

Hi again everyone, I have more questions!  Revmaster hasn't responded to 
my questions, but Warp Drive has.  So I'm making a little progress!

Here's a brief history.  The airplane is a standard KR2 with spring gear 
and brakes.  Beyond those changes, it appears to be plans-built.  It is 
fitted with a Revmaster 2100D and a Warp Drive 3-blade prop, square tip, 
52" diameter.

I am soliciting suggested RPM settings, pitch settings, etc.  I note 
that the Revmaster charts stop at around 3300 RPM, but that the curve is 
still rising at that 80HP point.  Daryl at Warp Drive suggested that I 
should be looking at perhaps 3500-3600 RPM ???  He said that if I want 
to "slow it down" to 3000 RPM, some pitch adjustments might be appropriate.

So I guess I'll ask for the simple information now, and then the 
detailed stuff later!

What would be the redline for the 2100D ?
What would be the best takeoff RPM setting ?
What would be the best cruise RPM ?
(And dozens more questions like that)...

On the prop, what would be the best pitch, at least to start from ?  Has 
anybody worked climb against cruise performance and developed some 
suggestions for pitch settings ?

Any information and/or suggestions for this engine/prop combo would be 
most appreciated.  The aircraft has 118 hours logged with this combo, 
but very little performance data is documented.  The original tachometer 
had the redline at 3500 RPM, however Warp Drive is suggesting the 
3500-3600 range for normal operations, so I'm wondering now.  I am 
trying to develop a POH and also determine some do-not-exceed markings, 
etc., so any experience in these areas would really help.

Thanks,

Dave.

KR> ELT, APRS, etc.

[Dave Dunwoodie]

Thanks to everybody that offered thoughts and hints!  I really 
appreciate it!  Mark, thanks for the picture!!!  It looks like the 
inside of my plane!  Everything is almost identical!  Amazing!!!

What I lack is APRS, and it sounds like a very good idea.  I have a 
VHF/UHF handheld wired in as COM3, and it is idle almost 100% of the 
time.  This would be a good candidate for APRS, interfaced with 
something like a TinyTrak3 from Byonics.  There's a Garmin 196 in the 
panel, so it is just a matter of pulling more wires.  I think 30% of the 
airplane's weight is in the wiring.

In looking at your APRS setup, it looks like you have something that is 
nearly self contained.  Is that possibly a Byonics MicroTrak 300 ?  I'd 
really like to know!!!

As for my ELT antenna, it will be moving indoors as soon as weather 
permits.  Everybody else is already in there, and there's always room 
for one more.  The one exception is the XPDR/DME post which will remain 
mounted to the bottom, almost exactly as depicted in your picture.

I already got rid of the 6" diameter school bus strobes top and bottom 
and went to wingtip.  Hopefully that will drop the RF interference a 
tad, and maybe give me 1-2 knots more...

I haven't made any progress on trim rings for the instruments yet.  The 
search continues.  It is starting to look like perhaps a 3D printer 
output might do the trick.

Thanks again,

Dave.

KR> ELT Requirements, External ELT Antenna

[Dave Dunwoodie]

I've been studying every KR2 picture I can find and a see only a handful 
that have an ELA antenna visible.  This brings up a couple of (dummy me) 
questions:

1.  Is an ELT required?  This may sound really stupid, but the lack of 
visible antennas has me wondering now.

2.  What about an internal ELT antenna?  All of my other antennas are 
internal, why not the ELT?

Thanks!

Dave.
N1199P
N8325M

KR> Trim Rings

[Dave Dunwoodie]

When all you get are blank stares when you ask about a bolt, you go to 
the KR list, and here I am!!!

I built a new panel for my KR2 using aluminum, covered by carbon fiber 
for the face.  It is VERY pretty, however because the CF is on top of 
the instruments, one can see the rough edges of the holes cut into the CF.

I have been searching for months to find a company (or someone) that can 
cut some simple trim rings out of plastic, aluminum, etc.  I'm coming up 
dry.

In a nutshell, the rings would be 2.25 or 3.125 ID, and about 1/8" wide, 
and maybe a max. of 1/16" thick.  Just precision cut rings out of some 
cheap, black plastic would be excellent!

Someone, somewhere knows of someone, somewhere, that can make nice cuts 
in plastic that will give the panel the final touches.  Just simple 
rings that can be glued to the CF and cover the rough edges in it is all 
that I'm trying to do.

Can anybody help me?

Thanks!

Also, if anybody needs to see the pictures of where we are right now, 
please advise and I'll send them to you.

Dave
N1199P

KR> Warp Drive 3-blade Ground Adjustable CF Prop

[Dave Dunwoodie]

Does anybody have any experience or thoughts about this prop?  This 
would be mated to a Revmaster 2100.

Thanks

Dave.

KR> Wheel Pants Landing Lights

[Dave Dunwoodie]

Thank You to all that responded!  I wish I had a website where I could 
post pictures, guess that is the next item to deal with!

I managed to find some small driving lights that (with a little time and 
patience) will "flush-up" into the nose of the pants and actually take 
on the original curvature with almost no body work.  About the only 
thing that can be noticed is that there is a "glass eye" sticking out at 
the very tip of the pants.  They are 55 watt halogen, fully enclosed in 
a well done aluminum housing, about 3" deep.  If memory serves, I found 
them at Autozone for under $30.

After making the initial "chop the nose off" on each pant, the finishing 
fit was easily accomplished with a Dremel fitted with a sanding drum.  
The end result is that it is very difficult to see where the wheel pant 
ends and the driving light housing begins.  I did the initial body work 
using a strip of glass cloth and resin on the inside, and then just a 
dab of Bondo on the outside before painting.

We did some preliminary testing and discovered that they would light up 
a neighbor's picket fence (about 1/8 mile away) very nicely in total 
darkness.  Closer to home, they turn night into day when aimed at our 
house from about 300 feet away.  So I figured they might be worth the 
time to body into the pants and see how it goes.

The lights are mounted 90 degrees from their design.  This results in a 
rather high vertical light pattern, and a rather narrow horizontal 
pattern.  (It also results in the lights nearly falling into place 
inside the pants.)  Looking at the neighbor's fence, the pattern looks 
to be about 150' wide at 1/8 mile.  The vertical pattern easily lights 
everything from directly below the wheels to the tip of that tree at the 
end of the runway.  Thus far it looks like a perfect pattern for 
aviation purposes.

The one item that is still up in the air (no pun intended) is where to 
align the convergence of the two lights.  I think I will try to have 
them converge at about 1/4 mile for starters.

A special thanks to Edward and to Jose for their thoughts and comments.  
I considered the wings, and even the front cowling, but couldn't bring 
myself to bore holes (or cut huge slots) into perfection.  I knew that 
if I cut a big hole into the cowling, it would mean weeks and weeks of 
body work to get things looking good again --- Same for the wings!

Structurally, I changed my plans from a simple 12" long 2-bolt bracket 
to a 12" long 4-bolt bracket for each pant --- 4 bolts on the pant 
itself, and fastened to the gear at all 4-bolts.  .  Inside the pant is 
a full-height vertical bracket to which the light is bolted.  The lights 
weigh only a few ounces, but making heftier brackets at this stage was 
much cheaper than buying a new tire or breaking an airplane because 
something came loose.  I used 7075, but might have to back-off to 6061 
if it proves to be too brittle.

I fully expect the lights in the pants to be a maintenance "issue", but 
it is a checklist item that I am willing to deal with.

Electrically, this is 110 watts at 12 volts = 9+ amps.  I felt this was 
just a bit too much to entrust to a 10 amp. rocker switch, so a 30 amp. 
relay was used.  This also had the side benefit of keeping heavy 
electrical loads away from the panel (and compass)...  The wiring to 
each light is teflon 12 gauge, twisted, and terminated with standard 
crimp spade type connectors.

I'll try to find a way to post some pictures.  Thanks to everyone that 
offered thoughts and comments.

Dave.

KR> Wheel Pants Landing Lights

[Dave Dunwoodie]

I guess I'm looking for pros and cons more than anything.

I came VERY close to installing landing lights in the wings, but it 
immediately became apparent that this would become an expensive 
(intimidating) process.

As I am in the process of adding wheel pants, I thought that perhaps a 
good shot for landing lights would be to poke them in the nost of the 
pants.  From a bodywork perspective, this is working perfectly.  They 
look really good!

So the bottom line question is how to align them?  With the airplane in 
straight and level flight, where should the vertical beam be pointing?  
Straight ahead?  Down by 6 degrees?  Up by 6 degrees?  Something like that?

I haven't flown my KR2 yet, so I don't have a good mental "picture" of 
just where to aim the lights for/during a normal approach.

Thanks!

Dave.

KR> Re: [SPAM] KRnet Digest, Vol 352, Issue 311

[Dave Dunwoodie]

On 11/3/2010 7:59 PM, krnet-requ...@mylist.net wrote:
> Send KRnet mailing list submissions to
>   kr...@mylist.net
>
> To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit
>   http://mylist.net/listinfo/krnet
> or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to
>   krnet-requ...@mylist.net
>
> You can reach the person managing the list at
>   krnet-ow...@mylist.net
>
> When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific
> than "Re: Contents of KRnet digest..."
>
>
> Today's Topics:
>
> 1.  list moderation... (Mark Langford)
> 2.  Fly By Wire (Jose Fuentes)
> 3. RE:  Fly By Wire (David Goodman)
> 4. RE:  Fly By Wire (twarner)
> 5. Re:  Fly By Wire (Jose Fuentes)
> 6. RE:  Fly By Wire (David Goodman)
> 7. Re:  Fly By Wire (Jose Fuentes)
> 8. RE:  Fly By Wire (twarner)
> 9. Re:  Fly By Wire (Tony King)
>10.  Fly By Wire (John Caudle)
>11. Re:  Fly By Wire (Jose Fuentes)
>12. Re:  Fly By Wire (Glenn Martin)
>13. Re:  Fly By Wire (Jose Fuentes)
>14.  RE: KR FBW and other "stuff" (M Blank)
>15. Re:  RE: KR FBW and other "stuff" (Ronald Wright)
>16. RE:  RE: KR FBW and other "stuff" (Bob Buzby)
>17.  KR FBW and other "stuff"/ warning (Larry Flesner)
>18. Re:  RE: KR FBW and other "stuff" (Mark Langford)
>19. Re:  Fly By Wire (jmelvin...@aol.com)
>20.  Ordered my canopy today and other updates (Craig Williams)
>
>
> --
>
> Message: 1
> Date: Wed, 3 Nov 2010 06:54:03 -0500
> From: "Mark Langford"
> Subject: KR>  list moderation...
> To: "KRnet"
> Message-ID:
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
>
> I'm sure some KRnet list members wonder why I'm such a jerk about people 
> making useless liittle comments that don't contribute anything toward helping 
> somebody solve a problem, answer a question, or in some way further the body 
> of knowledge of building and flying KRs.   Most people get it, some don't.  
> I've explained it a hundred times, but I'll try to make it very simple for 
> those who don't understand.  The vast majority of list members get it, but 
> the few that don't make the rest of us miserable.
>
> - If we bog this list down with 50 messages a day that don't mean anything, 
> some of the contributors with the most insight and willingness to help will 
> feel like they're wasting their time here, and will simply unsubscribe from 
> the list, preferring to do something more productive with their time.  It's 
> happened before, and when it gets bad, they leave for another year or two, if 
> not forever.
> - By not deleting all previous posts (except for a sentence or two pertaining 
> to what you are addressing), you bog down the archive, which future members 
> will be sifting through to find some nugget of info they need to get 
> something accomplished.   And it might be YOU that finds yourself finding the 
> same messages over and over again, rather than the answer to your question, 
> and wasting YOUR time rather than others.  Maybe THAT will make a difference 
> to you, since inconveniencing others doesn't..
>
> I can't ride herd on 750 people, keeping tally on who does what, how many 
> times, but when there's a total disregard for the rules by somebody, I'll go 
> back and look at their previous posts, and if I when I see a pattern of 
> examples of the same sort of disregard, it's all I can do to keep from 
> throwing them off the list immediately...and sometimes I just go ahead and do 
> it.  Public humiliation seems to be the only thing that works, and it gets 
> the point across to others (well, SOMETIMES) of what is acceptable and what's 
> not.
>
> So that makes me the jerk, but I do what I have to do to keep this list 
> useable.  I shouldn't have to do that.  I have far better things to do with 
> my time.  Hopefully that's "enough said" for a while, but the usual scenario 
> is that it'll only make a difference for 2-3 days, if that long...
>
> Mark Langford
> n5...@hiwaay.net
> website www.n56ml.com
>
>
>
> --
>
> Message: 2
> Date: Wed, 3 Nov 2010 11:02:25 -0400
> From: Jose Fuentes
> Subject: KR>  Fly By Wire
> To: KRnet
> Message-ID:
>   
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1
>
> Hi everyone,
>
> I had been thinking about a fly by wire design, I had posted this on my
> other forum I'm a member of, but too many of them are "BUILD IT to PLANS!!"
> type, I like to change things for the better.
>
> I'm thinking one of the changes I could do to the KR I'm planning on getting
> is to figure out how to do fly by wire, I'm thinking of a full feature Servo
> that can go in several directions along with one for the rudder. I had
> originally thought about 

KR> Fwd: Oshkosh 365 - Discussion Boards - Kenyan homebuilt - latest

[Dave Dunwoodie]

 Original Message 
Subject:Oshkosh 365 - Discussion Boards - Kenyan homebuilt - latest
List-Post: krnet@list.krnet.org
Date:   Thu, 28 Oct 2010 21:15:40 -0400
From:   Dave Dunwoodie <ddunw...@fnwusers.com>
To: Jeremy D. Ellwood <jellw...@ellwood-designs.com>, Anastasia Ellwood 
<keltiks...@gmail.com>, Julie Dunwoodie <musetta...@fnwusers.com>, 
rwrusch <rwru...@yahoo.com>, Sean Mahar <lsma...@comcast.net>
CC: Helicopter Air Specialty Service <denn...@cac.net>



http://www.oshkosh365.org/ok365_DiscussionBoardTopic.aspx?id=1235=147=175=5661


I guess even EAA is 'on-board' with this, so that makes me the
abstainer.  After watching this, it is no small wonder that homebuilt
airplanes get bad press.  I admire the guy's tenacity, but the bottom
line is that he needs to learn how to golf or something.

IMHO.

This is a far cry from something like a KR2 or any other proven design,
but this guy got all sorts of TV coverage, etc., for taking part of his
house, part of his fence, part of the nearby metal storage building and
cobbling together an abomination.

Sorry, EAA, I just don't like this video.  He has the spirit, lacks the
training, and perhaps EAA is right, and he needs to get to Oshkosh or
find a CFI before he kills himself and his friends and neighbors.  My
"rub" is that the abomination is being covered as a homebuilt, not as an
abomination.  (No, Martha, I DON'T know what I would call it other than
"homebuilt" but there MUST be *something* that we can assign to stuff
like this.)

It is no small wonder that Julie has "issues" with certain "homebuilt"
aircraft.  After seeing this video, I'd run for cover too!!!

D.

KR> Fwd: Randi Lesson - 9/3/10

[Dave Dunwoodie]

This is seriously off-topic, but I know a few of you have an interest in 
what Randi is doing, at age 14.

Best Regards to everyone,

Dave.


 Original Message 
Subject:Randi Lesson - 9/3/10
List-Post: krnet@list.krnet.org
Date:   Fri, 03 Sep 2010 18:35:53 -0400
From:   Dave Dunwoodie <ddunw...@fnwusers.com>
To: Julie Dunwoodie <musetta...@fnwusers.com>, "Jeremy D. Ellwood" 
<jellw...@ellwood-designs.com>, Anastasia Ellwood 
<keltiks...@gmail.com>, rwrusch <rwru...@yahoo.com>, Jacob Rusch 
<jpru...@yahoo.com>, Sean Mahar <lsma...@comcast.net>, Carl Bortels 
<carlborte...@gmail.com>, nudahun...@aol.com, n...@umich.edu



An early morning lesson today, 9AM.  Randi ate breakfast first this
time, so she was in rare form, ready to take another shot at this
helicopter flying business.

The R22-HP is out of service right now, so Randi took the R22-Beta II,
the "little hot shot" version, a brand new one, with a sexy paint job,
and, well, the pictures and videos tell the rest!!!

We had gusty winds today, somewhat higher than normal for around here,
so I knew she'd have her hands full.

Nevertheless, Dennis didn't back-off one iota.  A flying curriculum is a
flying curriculum.  You take the bad with the good.  Dennis had some
stuff planned, winds or no winds, and Randi had to step up to the plate
and perform.

Today, Randi performed her first completely unassisted run-up and
takeoff, with some seriously gusty crosswinds to deal with.  And it was
picture perfect!!!  (Her mom and I had no idea that Dennis was doing
nothing, so we parked right behind the heli during run-up and takeoff.
Now is that confidence and faith or what???  Now that I know that Dennis
was doing nothing, I'd do it again!)

(Randi's mom, Stacey, was asking about the controls, while watching
Randi, and then she commented "So you really *do* need both feet and all
3 hands at the same-time!")

And today, Randi performed her first completely unassisted full stop (on
the ground) landing, in gusty crosswinds - TWICE !!!  (GRIN, GRIN!!!)
That is an ENORMOUS accomplishment!

She got back into the hanger and said "Mommy, Mommy, my hand hurts!"
She'd had a 'death grip' on the cyclic, and her right hand was
complaining about it!  And she was grinning like crazy at the same-time!!!

Dennis critiqued her, and told me that her steep approaches are better
than her standard ones, and that her landings were "perfect", and then
he said "That just ain't right!!!"  He also told me that he was
"extremely happy" with her work today.  That means a lot to a G'Pa!!!

And yes, she managed TWO "B" grades again!!!  So we went for food and
let her take her pick!

She had an OUTSTANDING morning!

As an aside, Dennis has given only TWO "A" grades throughout his entire
teaching career.  Randi has an opportunity to change that, and I think
she will.  She told me this morning that her goal is to be "better than
Dennis"...  I told her that she just said one of the smartest things
I've EVER heard, from ANYBODY!  She liked that, and so did I!!!

Randi has an "A" from HASS, but not from Dennis.  She got it from
Dennis' co-instructor, Ginger.  Needless to say, getting an "A" from ANY
HASS instructor is gonna be tough, if not impossible.  Well, Randi has
one, so I think we will frame that report card!

We are enormously proud of what Randi did today, as well as her overall
progress.  But beyond that, we are even more happy for *her*, that she's
able to do this work, and do it extremely well.  And she's planning on
being better than Dennis?  Now THERE IS A CHALLENGE, but I have this
"gut" feeling...

Pictures and videos will follow, but they will take a few hours to
upload to you.

D.

(Donna, please forward a copy of this to Randy and Jeff.  Tell them that
Randi will be watching for them at Maple Grove this coming weekend!
Thanks!)

KR> Thanks for the information and some thoughts to share

[Dave Dunwoodie]

First, thank You to everybody that responded about the fire 
extinguisher, the alternator (and the master switch), and about my 
granddaughter and her R22!!!

I am still troubled by the (apparently) accepted practice of the master 
switch not killing everything.  I want my KR2 to behave like my Warrior 
II - When I dump the master (split switch), I want the panel dead as a 
doornail.  Off is off.  This is an emergency procedure item, and the 
last thing I need to be dealing with in a situation like that is having 
to go kill each rocker switch.  Not good.  So I am going to retain some 
kind of alternator "slaved" arrangement to the master.  If the master is 
off, the airplane electrical systems are off.  Period.

My typical charging voltage is in the 14.5 to 15.0 volt range, although 
I have seen it sneak up a bit higher if it is really cold outside.  The 
accepted convention for charging most car/air/lawn/solar batteries is in 
the range of 13.8 to around 15.0, give or take.  At anything above 13.8, 
you are in the gassing area for the battery, so you don't want to stay 
there if the battery is full.  On solar systems, it isn't unusual to see 
voltages in the 15+ range, but this is typically with a smart 
controller, and it will drop the voltage and amperage as soon as it 
detects the battery bank maintaining voltage when it checks.

A good place to get good information is Deltran 
("http://batterytender.com;), makers of the Battery Tender.  Their smart 
tenders are 4-stage, and their web site explains more than most people 
want to know about battery charging!

For Jim Morehead, N522PC, I have several thoughts and suggestions:

1.  Check the regulator.  My Revmaster isn't running nearly that hot.  
Checking the regulator on something like this is a challenge, because 
you can't run to AutoZone and try a replacement.  But at least check the 
wiring, etc.  Also, the output of the alternator is almost pure AC.  
There isn't any significant filtering on the Revmaster system (it uses 
the battery as a filter capacitor), and the AC component can wreak havoc 
with cheaper DC voltmeters.  With the engine running at 3,000 or so, 
switch your voltmeter to AC and see what it says.  I'm betting you will 
see a very troublesome amount of AC on your supposed DC buss, especially 
if you have a failing battery!  If you study the workings of the typical 
tachometer (Westach) for a Revmaster, you will discover that it is 
actually an AC voltmeter.  I don't like it, but it is what it is.  With 
the master switch off, but the panel still connected to the alternator, 
you are hitting your avionics with something between 25 and 40 volts AC.

2.  Check your battery.  Sounds basic, but they can fool you.  The 2006 
battery I pulled from the KR2 will float at about 13.6, and shows a full 
charge after just minutes on the charger.  At a supposed "full charge", 
it will crank the engine for about 5 seconds.  The identical model 
replacement I installed will float at 12.3 or so, and it takes hours for 
the charger to back-off.  So it could be that you have something as 
simple as a dying battery.

3.  16.5 volts is over the practical limit for most avionics and typical 
"12 volt" electronics.  The accepted number is 15.9 volts.  You could 
"safety" each electronic item by inserting a power diode in series, but 
that doesn't really address the over-voltage situation with the 
alternator/regulator.

4.  If you can't pin down what's going on, there are a couple of things 
you could do.  One would be to install a power diode in series with the 
alternator output.  This should be a diode in the 50-100 amp. range, 
with heatsink.  That will drop the output by about 0.7 volts, and that 
might get you back into the green - about 15.5 volts, which is still too 
hot, long-term.  If you look at battery combiners, dual-battery 
adapters, etc., you will find what you're after - most of these items 
have two huge diodes on a heatsink.  Each diode will get you a 0.7 volt 
drop.  An accepted practice in the power electronics industry is 
something called a crowbar.  Brute force, in other words.  You could 
install a power zener between the fuse/circuit breaker and across the 
associated load, to ground.  Get something like a 15.5 volt zener.  As I 
said, this is brute force.  If the voltage goes too high, the zener will 
conduct and pop the fuse or throw the breaker.  I don't like this 
approach much, as it leaves you with a dead panel item in-flight, but it 
*will* save the item!

5.  If you have firewall space, you might consider installing a huge 
capacitor across the alternator output.  It won't lower the voltage, but 
it will filter a good chunk of the AC component, and also slow down any 
spikes and other critters that can destroy avionics.

Finally, Thank You to those that appreciated what Randi is doing with 
her R22!  I am so proud of her that sometimes it is hard to write about 
it!  Her instructor critiques her with a very detailed 

KR> YouTube - R22-12 year old training

[Dave Dunwoodie]

Seriously OFF TOPIC, but I thought everybody would enjoy this.  The 
video is of my 12 year old granddaughter learning to fly helicopters.

She flies with the best heli instructor in the U.S.

She's bankrupting me, but I'd gladly do it again!

Now, at age 14, she flies not only the R22, but the R44, our Piper 
Warrior II, the Remos, the new Cessna LSA, and just about anything else 
she can get her hands on!  So, to make life a challenge for her, now she 
has to master a tail-dragger KR2!!

The video was made at E66 and 65G, where we will have the fly-in the 
weekend after Labor Day.

Dave.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q5H3JtVcMRE

KR> Maple Grove Fly In

[Dave Dunwoodie]

Please, everyone!  Head to 65G the weekend after Labor Day.  The main 
event is Sunday, Sep. 12, with a "big deal" breakfast, but most folks 
show up Friday PM or sometime Saturday.  If memory serves, this is the 
59th year!!!

Everything from Grummans to twin Aero-Commanders to KR's to MediVac Bell 
430's, even several Huey's will likely be there.  Everybody shares rides 
all day Saturday and Sunday, with Saturday being the heaviest flying 
day.  EAA is active at these events, with lots of Young Eagle flights.  
The Boy Scouts are there, and just about everybody else you can think 
of!  Lots of skydiving as well.

We have E/W and N/S runways, everything is turf, very well maintained.  
Runways are well marked, lighting on pilot command.  9/27 is 3050', 
18/36 is 2000'.

E66 is co-located, in case you want to fly in by helicopter.

Unicom 122.8.  Call on downwind, left traffic.

I will be there with the Warrior, and (hopefully) the KR2.  I'll feed 
any KR types that fly in.  This year I'm planning on top sirloin and 
T-bones, Western style, toss in a shrimp or two and some corn on the 
cob.  Life is good!

Bring your sleeping bag, or plan on a motel or hotel just a few minutes 
down the road.

This is *the* major event in our area each year, fun for kids of all 
ages!  We especially look forward to the University of Michigan's 
"Survival Flight" team arriving for breakfast!

Please contact Dennis, airport manager, at 517-223-7809 if you need 
additional information.

Dave.

KR> Alternator Wiring

[Dave Dunwoodie]

This probably sounds really stupid, so I'll ask anyway!!!  I have a 
Revmaster 2100 with the standard alternator, 2 wires leaving from it, 
going to a connector that has a couple of pins jumped and then to the 
voltage regulator, etc.

For lack of a diagram, I installed a relay between alternator output and 
load.  On a test run, I killed the master switch, but the panel didn't 
completely shutdown.  Upon investigation, I discovered that the 
alternator was powering the panel, and it cost me a radio in the 
process.  Hence, the relay.

However, I think the accepted practice is to switch the field instead of 
using a relay on the output.  So the really stupid question is "How do I 
ID the field?"  Is it that jumper on the connector at the voltage regulator?

Thanks!

Dave.

KR> Fire Extinguisher ???

[Dave Dunwoodie]

I have a 2.5 LB First Alert fire extinguisher that I am considering 
adding to the baggage area.  Anybody have any thoughts or comments?

Thanks.

Dave.

KR> Flap Effectiveness - 2nd Pass

[Dave Dunwoodie]

Many thanks to everybody that responded!  However, I didn't really get 
the information I was after.  I am looking for pitch up, pitch down 
information when the flaps are deployed, as well as effective slowing 
numbers correlated to percentage of flap deployed, stall speed changes, 
recommended flap settings for takeoff from short field, etc.

For example, with full flaps deployed, doing slow flight, what stall 
speeds are you getting?  How effective are the flaps for landing, and 
what are the numbers?  Would you use no flaps, or 1-2-3 notches of flap 
for takeoff from short field?  If you used flaps for takeoff, at what 
speeds would you being them back to zero?

In my Warrior, I have all sorts of numbers available to me to make 
decisions with, but in the KR2, I have nothing!  In the Duchess, I have 
the same information available, but again, in the KR2, I am trying to 
"write the book", so I really need input!

Thanks everyone!

Dave.

KR> Flaps Effectiveness?

[Dave Dunwoodie]

I have a standard KR2 and haven't flown it yet.

It would be interesting to know how effective the tiny flaps are, from 
several KR2 owners.  Also, knowing resultant pitch changes in Cessnas 
and Pipers, what does the KR2 do when flaps are deployed?

I would like to know how short fields are dealt with, especially short 
turf strips - 2000-3000 feet.  Should one use flaps for takeoff, and if 
so, what do most of you use???  I use 1 or 2 notches in my Warrior, and 
am wondering how I should deal with the KR2???

Again, I'd like to hear about trim when flaps are deployed, and how 
effective they really are.

Thanks!

Dave.

KR> Air Filter

[Dave Dunwoodie]

Time for a new air filter and I can't find it anywhere.  It is for the 
Revmaster 2100 with ram air.  Hose clamp at each end.

Can anybody help?

Thanks,

Dave.

KR> Electric Trim Install

[Dave Dunwoodie]

I've managed to do it - a retrofit - but I just have to ask!!!

Are all of you guys just little guys?  Or do you hire midgets, or use 
mini-robots, or bribe your kids, or what???

My access panel is just about large enough for my head.  No arms in 
there, just the head!  So, with extensive use of a mirror and a video 
camera, I managed to get the manual trim system out of there and then 
fit the new RAC system.

Would I do it again?  Well, yeah, I guess!!!  But not for free!!!

Dave.
N1199P
N8325M

KR> Pants

[Dave Dunwoodie]

Thanks to everyone that helped me!

I bought some pants from Steve at Great Plains.

Now that they are here, I don't have a clue as to how to mount them!!!

Can any of you send me some closeup pics of how your pants are mounted?


Thanks,

Dave.

KR> Trim Tabs

[Dave Dunwoodie]

In examining my KR2 for electric elevator trim, I was reminded to ask 
you guys:

There is a 9" by 2.5" added trim tab on the starboard side of the 
elevator, fixed and bent down at roughly 30 degrees.

Can anybody offer ideas why the builder would have done this?

Thanks.

Dave.

KR> Manifold Pressure Range

[Dave Dunwoodie]

Time to poll the collective wisdom of the list again!

I have a Revmaster 2100 with ram air.  The gauge in the airplane ranges 
10-50 inches.  I'm doing a panel upgrade right now and am wondering if I 
should change this gauge to perhaps 0-30 inches or some other range 
while I have the chance?

What have been your extremes on your Revmaster?

Thanks!

Dave.

KR> Pants

[Dave Dunwoodie]

Hello all;

I am toying with the notion of adding some pants to my KR2.  I found a 
couple of offerings, one at $120, the other at $250.  Neither of them 
gave me a clear, concise idea of what would be involved in the fitting, 
etc.  And neither offered a direct shot of what I would be buying.

My KR2 has spring gear for grass strips, I think everything is 
'standard' but I don't know for sure.  It drags its tail.

Can anyone offer some places to find some pants for my baby?

Thanks!

Dave.

KR> Fuel Pump Question

[Dave Dunwoodie]

My KR2 has a 12 gallon center tank and also 6 gallons in each wing.  The 
airplane flies with a Revmaster 2100-D.

Prior to the KR2, my only experience with gravity feed was in a J-3 
seaplane.

I have a 4 PSI free-flow pump on-hand, and I am considering installing 
it as a 'booster' pump for unusual attitudes, low main tank level, etc.  
Something to give the carb. a constant pressure...

Has anybody tried this, or are there any thoughts about this?

Thanks!

Dave.

KR> Thanks - Electric Trim

[Dave Dunwoodie]

Thanks to all of you so much for your various ideas and solutions on 
electric trim!  The information has been a Godsend!!!

Looking back through old newsletters, I came across the idea of an RC 
servo with servo tester.  I saw this one as problematic from the outset, 
and that is why I asked for assistance.  RC servos are generally pulse 
width modulated.   That means that they always have power applied, and 
then you move them by sending various width pulses to them via a 3rd 
line.  A nearby transmitter can raise havoc with such a system, 
especially if the PWM wire isn't shielded.  A typical 5 watt AM 
transmitter might not be a problem, but the typical 200 watt pulse 
transponder box would likely wreak havoc!  After reading all sorts of 
horror stories about runaway servos in certificated aircraft, I decided 
that an RC servo wouldn't be a solution.

As an electrical engineer, and a 50 year veteran pilot, it seemed to me 
that having constant power available to ANY type of flight control servo 
was a bad idea.

The obvious (and probably the safest/cheapest) solution, IMHO, would be 
something like the Allen servo.  The big, bad version is $165.  It 
provides 40 pounds of thrust as opposed to standard RC servos which are 
typically measured in ounces.  I am intrigued by mirror motors, window 
motors, etc., and I'd love to try that, but we live about 900 miles from 
nowhere!  Getting a bolt around here is a challenge, let alone finding 
the right motor from a junk yard!

I have to take another look at the geometry of what is in my KR2 at the 
moment.  My servo will have to be in the fuselage as I'm not going to 
turn the airplane upside down and cut into a finished elevator to 
install a servo.  I plan on fuselage mounting the servo, and simply 
hooking it to the rod that goes to the trim tab.

I would like to retain the present trim wheel, but it is butt-ugly, and 
in a poor location, and, well, it is just ugly!!!  So there is a good 
chance that I will relocate the wheel and keep a portion of the existing 
manual system such that anything the servo does is apparent on the 
wheel, and the wheel is there for backup.

I'll send information as this new project comes to fruition!

Thanks again, everybody!

Dave.

KR> Electric Trim

[Dave Dunwoodie]

I haven't seen anything on here about electric trim, and I know lots of 
you have it!  I'd like to go electric on the elevator trim, but don't 
know what kind of linear motor, actuator, servo, geared motor, etc. 
would be up to the task.

Any information would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks,

Dave
N1199P
N8325M

KR> Comments from Sid Wood

[Dave Dunwoodie]

Hi Sid, and thanks for your thoughts, encouragement and questions!

As for the questions, perhaps you are right, and the final installation 
isn't completed! 

However, I can provide a little insight about what I am thinking!  I 
come from the West Coast and we have mountains and other common types of 
landmarks to help us along in VFR.  Here in Michigan, everything looks 
the same, at least to me!  A field is a field, is a field, and there are 
lots to choose from.  You can overfly Maple Grove airport and never know.

A lot of my flying is local, taking the kids to breakfast, etc., and a 
lot of it is cross country - across the pond to Oshkosh, etc., ALWAYS 
into unfamiliar territory.  Again, this entire region of the U.S. is 
foreign to me and I will use everything I can get my hands on to know 
where I am! 

TFRs are like popcorn in this neck of the woods.  It is not at all 
unusual to get less than a 12 hour notice that over two dozen airports 
will be closed, and a 30nm 'perimeter' established.  It is super easy to 
'bust' one if you don't know precisely where you are, and have one radio 
for comm and another for monitoring a nearby center for advisories.  
Even at that, several people around here accidentally wandered into a 
TFR near Chicago last year and got nailed.

I generally have EAA Young Eagles with me in the Warrior, and we do 
familiarization with the instruments and various systems.  It made 
perfect sense to me to take as much of that environment into the KR2 as 
possible.  With my granddaughter (13, and an active helicopter student 
pilot) it was essential that she have a full panel available in 
everything she flies.  For consistency, and just in case.  She can name 
everything on the panel, be it a R-22, R-44 Bell 430, Bell 47, Piper 
Warrior or KR2, and she uses everything at her disposal.

I have to agree with what I believe you are intimating - that the KR2 is 
minimalistic, make it fun, etc.  And I don't disagree.  But in my 
circumstance, and with lots of spare time now (I'm retired), well, what 
can I say???  And it really spooked me a couple of years ago when I got 
out of visual range of Maple Grove and then couldn't find it without 
following roads and looking for familiar barn roofs!

In MI, just as in MD, clouds and storms seems to appear from nowhere.  
For what it cost me in time and money, I opted to have a horizon gyro 
present.  I don't like winding up in instrument conditions without 
instruments!

The panel looks great, I'm very happy with it.  Numerous 'nice to know' 
items such as voltage, a digital clock, etc. are present now, and the 
old wind up stopwatch is gone.  With great amounts of patience and 
shopping, the airplane now has a transponder with encoder.  It is SUPER 
easy to stray into controlled airspace around here!

Thanks for making me think this through one last time before hauling out 
the tools and completiing the actual panel swap.

Best Regards,

Dave.

KR> KR Pilot Near Michigan ???

[Dave Dunwoodie]

Hello again, everyone!  Work on N1199P's new panel is progressing 
nicely, and I am to the point of thinking about upholstery, so we are 
very, VERY close!!!

The aircraft has 118 hours on it, all I am doing is upgrading some panel 
items and controls.  Out here in the middle of nowhere, it is hard to 
get direct input, let alone guidance and suggestions.

We are adding NAV/COM and a full 6-pack to the panel, along with some 
digital devices and GPS.  I have everything weighed, and as soon as we 
get the upholstery installed, we will do a new weight and balance and 
then be planning to fly. 

The aircraft has conventional gear, grass strip springed, and hydraulic 
brakes, Revmaster 2100, 3-blade CF prop.

We are based at 65G, near Fowlerville, MI., and I am wondering if any of 
you will be over this way this summer.  As I haven't flown my KR2, I 
would feel a lot better if someone nearby could stop over for a couple 
of days and work with me at the airport!

Thanks to anybody that's interested!  My best guess is that we will fly 
the tail in May, fly the airplane in June.

Dave.
N8325M
N1199P

KR> Header Tank Rework

[Dave Dunwoodie]

Hello all!  I just bought a flying KR2 and am in the process of adding 
some instrumentation.  I discovered that the new instruments are about 1 
1/2" longer than I have room for, and it appears that moving the panel 
is not a viable option.

I would appreciate some information concerning what type of epoxy to 
use, what type of fiberglass cloth to use, etc., etc., etc. if it 
becomes necessary to cut an indentation into the fuel tank.

Thanks so much, and Thank You to ALL of you for the wealthy of 
information I've discovered here!

Best Regards,

Dave
N1199P.