Hi Sam, thanks so much for taking the time to welcome me and give me all that information! Do you have any suggestions on where to start when figuring out weight and balance and have you had to rebuild the heads on your engine often? I plan on reading through the archives between now and spring and re-reading Mark's content. Thanks again for the huge welcome and if I ever do make it out your way I'll be sure to let you know!
Anthony Steinke Get Outlook for Android<https://aka.ms/ghei36> ________________________________ From: KRnet <krnet-boun...@list.krnet.org> on behalf of Samuel Spanovich via KRnet <krnet@list.krnet.org> Sent: Sunday, August 9, 2020 12:05:44 AM To: krnet@list.krnet.org <krnet@list.krnet.org> Cc: Samuel Spanovich <spanovich...@gmail.com> Subject: KR> New Guy Hey there Anthony, and welcome to the KR world! If you’re looking for a plane that is cost effective, efficient, fast, and pretty reliable for the most part (more of a function of the builder/engine), you could not find a better airplane. You’ll find that most “stock” KR-2S’s can do about 120-130 mph in cruise with a 65-70HP VW motor, at about 4-5 gallons per hour. These are way better figures than you’ll get out of a Cessna 150/152 and about on par (if not slightly better) than a Cessna 172/PA-28 series. If you consider a KR-2S with a Corvair, or even an O-200, forget it, there is no comparison there; you’ll be looking at a 160-170mph airplane. For gross weight considerations; this is mainly just a factor of who builds and signs off on the plane. Since it’s experimental, the builder can set the gross weight they desire. My KR weighs ~650 lbs empty, with a gross weight of 1150, and holds 12 gallons of fuel; this gives me a payload of about 430 lbs, which is good for me and my wife and a carry on bag of luggage if we take a XC somewhere. I’ve heard of some builders set their gross weight to 980 lbs, and some as high as 1200 lbs. On the other hand, while the gross weight is fairly forgiving, the center of gravity is not. If you do purchase a KR, make sure you know EXACTLY (and I mean exactly) where the center of gravity is when empty, and when full. When you start getting into the aft 2” of the CG envelope, the plane gets very squirrels, and even the most skilled pilots have trouble in this configuration. I won’t elaborate too much right now, but CG is very important in this airplane. Mark Langford has several terrific articles on this subject (and virtually everything else as well). But assuming you have done everything correctly (which I have no doubt you will), once you are up in the air, oh this plane is so fun to fly. While it is not really a true “hands off” airplane (when compared to a Cessna/Piper), it does fly very smooth In calm air. It doesn’t take turbulence too well, since it is so light and the wing loading is fairly minimal, but if you’re like me and are an adrenaline junkie, I love the roller coaster ride! In regard to roll/pitch, the controls I feel are crisp, but not too sensitive. The bubble canopy, and the crisp controls also almost give the feel of a small tactical jet, just not nearly as fast, which is unfortunate. You could find nearly a million engine choices for this airframe, but the two most common seem to be Volkswagen variants (Revmaster, and Great Plains), and Corvair 6 cylinder engines. Long story short, both are great choices and there is a lot of information on this forum regarding both engines. I am running a Revmaster 2100D with electronic ignition, 94mm cylinders, and a CB2232 Camshaft. It produces about 80HP. You could write an entire novel about these airplanes given enough time, so I’ll stop here for now, but please feel free to reach out to myself, or virtually any other person on here if you want more info; we’re always eager to discuss our airplanes! Good luck in your search for an airplane! The KR is a solid choice! Lastly, I’m a bit far from Minnesota, but if you ever find yourself out in Washington, please let me know when/where and I can show you my airplane! V/R Sam Spanovich N6399U 74S, Anacortes WA _______________________________________________ Search the KRnet Archives at https://www.mail-archive.com/krnet@list.krnet.org/. Please see LIST RULES and KRnet info at http://www.krnet.org/info.html. see http://list.krnet.org/mailman/listinfo/krnet_list.krnet.org to change options. To UNsubscribe from KRnet, send a message to krnet-le...@list.krnet.org _______________________________________________ Search the KRnet Archives at https://www.mail-archive.com/krnet@list.krnet.org/. Please see LIST RULES and KRnet info at http://www.krnet.org/info.html. see http://list.krnet.org/mailman/listinfo/krnet_list.krnet.org to change options. To UNsubscribe from KRnet, send a message to krnet-le...@list.krnet.org
