Scott & Chris & netters,
The Zodiac twin is called Gemini and has been tabled due to the work Chris
Heinz is having to do to get the CH640 up and going, which is their 4 seat
version of the Ch 601.
The Gemini is a standard light twin with a critical engine. If you don't
know what that is, then truthfully you are biting off more than you can chew.
A critical engine aircraft is one that has one engine that when the loss of
that engine occurs, it most adversely effects the control of that aircraft.
Since the Jabiru engines rotate the same direction, the left engine becomes the
critical engine because it most adversely effects directional control. One
other curious note is that there are very few full feathering props out there
for non-certified engines, and this equipment is basically a necessity for any
standard light twin. I am not going to take up alot of space here on the net,
but anyone desiring to discuss standard light twins further, feel free to
contact me off the net. I doubt very seriously if the FAA would allow the
certification of a light twin, or the operation of that twin without the pilot
having a multi-engine rating. IF they did, one would be a fool to fly it
without formal training in light twins. Especially in this case, what you
don't know WILL kill you!
This is probably the reasoning behind the designing of the Cessna
Skymaster, which has 2 engines fuselage mounted, creating what is known as
centerline thrust. This configuration truly does give you a backup engine to
get home on. The Adam Aircraft new business twin is designed the same way.
Burt Rutan did that one. Mark Langford had a picture at one time of an
artist's rendering of what a centerline thrust KR2 might look like. One could
install 2 Hirth or similar 2 cycle engines and achieve very similar weights to
the present KR2, and have some 2 engine really incredible performance. Be
aware that this aircraft would probably still require a multi-engine license,
and that license would have a limitation stated on it for centerline thrust
only, if it were acquired in this or a similarly configured aircraft. But man
would that plane fly. Trips over water and over high mountains, etc.. would be
possible with piece of mind instead of sweating bullets, until the summits were
behind you. It definitely would make things interesting.....
Colin & Bev Rainey
KR2(td) N96TA
Sanford, FL
[email protected]
or [email protected]
http://kr-builder.org/Colin/index.html
