Hi Robert,
Plausible vs possible?
Almost anything is possible with enough time, effort and money.
Most importantly you have to evaluate your goals and priorities.
Want to fly?
Want to build?
Want to finish _your_ project?
Want to finish _a_ project?
Budget limitations?
$10K?
$20K?
$30K?
If your goal is to fly - you would be far better off to buy.
If your goal is to fly under a limited budget, buy into a flying partnership.
If your goal is to finish your project and fly it some day, budget $7K to $14K
and 3 to 5 years (of course you can spend a lot more, you just probably won’t
be able to spend much less and this assumes a VW engine and scrounged
instruments). The more mods, the more time.
If your goal is just to build - go for it!
I actually like the original KR2 a lot. I think you could finish it up and
with little to no mods (maybe just the gear?) and fly the heck out of it.
Its important to note that I have _no_ 1st hand experience with the KR.
But, I read a lot and have completed 3 airplanes and flown a lot more.
Mods - I think if you read through the archives and the excellent builders
sites (like Mark’s), you’ll seem most of the best mods.
My guess is you’ll want to go to fixed gear, extend the fuselage and increasing
the tail size. If the wings are not made yet, go to the new airfoil with wing
tanks but keep the header.
Make a solid rather than sling seat. Everyone seems to love their belly board.
Engines, you really can’t beat the Rotax 912, probably the perfect engine for
the KR2. The 0-200 is probably a close second. I love their track record.
There’s quite a collection of new engine alternatives trying to fill the Rotax
912 space with a slightly less expensive option:
https://ulpower.com/en/engines
http://www.motorav.com/company-profile.php
https://www.d-motor.eu
https://www.vikingaircraftengines.com
A friend of my flies a Highlander powered by a Yamaha RX1 conversion that puts
out 140hp at the same weight as the Rotax.
https://www.mohawkaero.com - (he actually home-brewed his conversion)
My son is building/completing a very early KR2s (12” stretch rather than 18”,
original size tail, original airfoil, dragonfly canopy, fixed gear).
I have been very uncomfortable with his budget based decision to stick with the
VW engine. From what I read, with a good build, keeping the temps and RPM
down, dynamically balancing a wood propeller, and making sure the front
(pulley) bearing is aligned and fed oil by an unrestricted oil galley - seems
like you have a good chance of making it to 300-500hrs before rebuilding. I
like to fly ~150hr a year, and rebuilding the engine every other year would
drive me nuts - but maybe I’d get good at it. Worse, you can’t fly too far
here in CA before you are over some pretty high and inhospitable terrain -
which would keep me pretty nervous with the VW.
My son has mostly decided to head towards completion without restarting with a
lot of mods, mostly in the interest of getting it done and flying.
He’s in high school and just got his pilot’s license with the EAA Ray
Scholarship. He’s mostly focused on school now but plans to get back to the
airplane after college applications are in and try to finish and fly it before
the end of the summer.
His web site is here:
https://hugheskr2s.yolasite.com
My current project is finishing a friend's Cavalier:
https://sites.google.com/view/melbycavalier/home
Cheers,
Owen
>
> Message: 1
> Date: Wed, 9 Oct 2019 16:01:08 -0700
> From: "R.W. Pearson" <[email protected]>
> To: [email protected]
> Subject: KR> Hello - From builder of incomplete KR-2 garaged 20+
> years.
> Message-ID:
> <CAB2goHDcy9MTnWWovu38fb2x_m=8nq+kgvaylvheuedkzow...@mail.gmail.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8"
>
> Hello KRNet -
>
> I started a KR-2 Kit SN 8149 back in 1989 and stopped as boat on gear with
> wings in 1997 to raise a family.
> Now kids are in college and I am retired, thinking of finishing this plane
> or getting project out of my garage.
>
> If go to finish - would convert to a KR-2S, change to tricycle gear, and
> put in wing tanks instead of header tank.
> So does this sound plausible?
> Any other important mods needed at this point?
> Any great new advances in motors since I have been out of the loop?
>
> Thanks and best regards, Bob
> --
> Robert W. Pearson
> 8586 Cedar Drive
> Buena Park CA 90620
> 714-952-1986
>
>
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