First of all, I need to advise you to come to the KR Gathering in Mt. Vernon Illinois. This is going to be one of the best ever and you will get all your questions answered and may learn how to work with fiberglass and some other things.
You wrote: (However, the KR-2S seems to offer better performance, lower cost and better looks by far. ) You are correct. (My problem is that the KR website offers almost no information regarding some key concerns faced by any prospective builder. ) KR Net is the best place for information (questions.) (1) What tools will I need to buy in order to build the KR-2S kit? ) Shop Vac;Drill:Dremmel is handy:Drill Press is nice:Disk and belt sander is convenient;Table or Radial Arm saw is a must and I prefer the Radial Arm Wrenches and screwdrivers;Vice;Band Saw will be used a lot if you have one. I cut foam on my band saw to get a clean streight cut. As much room and climate control as you can afford. (2) When the spruce and plywood kits arrive, how much fabrication is involved? Do I have to cut out each piece, or are they prefabricated?) You are the fabricator, cutter, and assembler all in one. (3) I have never worked with glass-fibre before - is it difficult?) Same for me and I have not found it to be a problem. It gets easier as you go, and you have the KR Net. (4) How good/accurate/comprehensive are the plans? They are OK, mostly accurate but not very comprehensive. Between them, the KR Net and builder web sites, you will not go wanting. (5) Is this a one-man job? 90+% one man. You will need friends for some 4 and 6 handed stuff. (6) How 'docile' is the tail-dragger version? I know that the Sonex is really easy to land and manage on the ground, and the view while taxying isn't too bad. What about the KR-2? Docile and KR2 are mutually exclusive but I would not build it any other way than in a conventional gear and almost all my tail dragger time is in my first KR2 View requires S turns. Little to no visibility over the nose in conventional gear I think that it is very easy to land, you just have to pay attention. Ground handling is like a go cart. It Goes where you point it. (7) The Sonex is capable of 'recreational' aerobatics - which is all I'm really interested in doing. Is the KR-2 similarly capable? I have seen KRs do simple aerobatics, but I was always "chicken" (8) Finally, how well does the KR-2 fly 'hands-off'? It doesn't. You have to fly this plane all the time. That is one reason that we put in a dual stick, so we can always have one hand on the stick while reaching for stuff and to clamp it between our legs while messing with maps. What is it like. It is like a hot little sports car that can give you the roller coaster ride of your life and can take you places fast for old Volkswagen prices. "There is a time for building and a time for flying, and the time for building has long since expired." See N64KR at http://KR-Builder.org - Then click on the pics Daniel R. Heath - Columbia, SC See you in Mt. Vernon - 2004 - KR Gathering
