Well, so I am still learning how to communicate on this forum, and here goes: The KR was my choice in the late 80s for a first project, against all of my family's advise to just save more money and buy a Cessna. I didn't like the performance envelope of spam cans then, or now. Too much money for only so-so performance. And under the rules of that days FAA, just too expensive to feed and maintain.
The KR can be finished in a year, so can an RV. Either requires that you actually do something to it, daily. At least, that's my impression from all the success stories in Kitplanes, Sport Aviation, and me watching around my airport. I chose the KR because it looked easier than an RV or Thorp or Sonex, didn't require a lot of tools I didn't own and even cheaper to operate than anything else worth me having. Like any homebuilt design, they aren't perfect for every builder. I believe that the KR really has more latitude for my type of building than any metal plane. I purchased a sort-of complete boat, and in a few years had the airframe ready to rig. Life got tougher, and I had to punt that project away. Decades later, I bought another project only to learn that new wife would *feel* safer in a spam can. Got the 172 to see if she was serious, and re-learned piloting, and now ready to start back in. She's doesn't object (much). As for my project: 1) Converting to fixed gear because I'm sometimes distracted during landing. Simple airplanes should stay simple to fly, too. 2) If a KR2 goes 125-150 mph on 4 gal/hr, OR 150-175 on 5 gph, I'll take the latter. 3) I desire a range that will allow me to stay in the air with my wife for 3 hours. Don't wamt 18+ gallons that close to me, so building wing tanks. 4) Wing skins make construction a lot faster, and this project has the wings already built (too bad- the old airfoil) 5) Flaps are already on this project. IF I had chosen to start from scratch, I would head in direction of a KR2S, and plan on 2-4 years construction. I'd make it 40-42" wide in the appropriate cabin dimensions, and use the new airfoil. I can do fine without those upgrades for this build. Griff in KC -----Original Message----- From: Ryan <[email protected]> Sent: Tuesday, October 12, 2021 10:23 AM To: 'KRnet' <[email protected]> Subject: KR>Re: Common KR2 Mods and upgrades for new projects Griff, I am not new to this message board. This will be my first time to build an airplane. I have bought a KR2 to see if it is what I want to spend years to build. The answer is Yes. So now I have to make it easy to get in and out of for Young & Grey Eagles as I am one. Ergonomics is the most important, seating comfort, visibility for safety, ground handling, flight control sensitivity ect.. It takes 24 hours for me to get answers and comments from this list. I would like to have faster communication by text or phone . Please remove the message tails and change the subject line as necessary. Ryan, My Text is 858-229-4875 I am the hangar manager at EAA Chapter 14 in San Diego, CA. https://na01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.eaa14.org%2F&data=04%7C01%7C%7C902fbb419beb465db1cf08d98d94340f%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C637696489938824853%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&sdata=Aie%2BdraJrVVJKuh7JmozGjljMkGXhYJPfU67Oz4FdZU%3D&reserved=0 -----Original Message----- From: G R Pickett [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: Monday, October 11, 2021 9:52 AM To: KRnet Subject: KR>Common KR2 Mods Thought this might need a separate thread for comments from others Griff -----Original Message----- From: G R Pickett <[email protected]> Sent: Monday, October 11, 2021 11:24 AM To: KRnet <[email protected]> Subject: KR>Re: spar caps / new wing Ryan, Glad you asked, because the KR2 is not some orphan design, in fact one was at the Gathering this year, and a great one, at that! In my opinion, the KR2 sits in the same place as the original Corvettes and T-birds - it positively and forever changed the way the world thinks about homebuilts! Just as the mid-60s corvettes matured the brand, the originals are still as valid as at their introduction. You have to look way back in the newsletters to the 80s and 90s to see what was going on in the old newsletters. Because of the printed and mailed nature of what became KRnet, things advanced slower. There was a lot about Angles of Incidence, washout, and tailfeather size, pushrods vs cables, but most of that is common knowledge now. To the original KR2, the main mods were: 1) Replacement of the original KR retracts. Diehl fixed was by far the most common. 2) non-VW engine, the most common probably O-200/235 and Corvair. Big VWs are still perfectly viable, just look at N891JF 3) Fuel tank changes- moved to wings, mostly. Requires pumping system, fuel lines, etc 4) Premolded parts made construction easier and faster, and also gave a common 'look' to the design 5) Flaps and/or belly boards enhanced landings, mostly New airfoil became popular after the KR2S was established as the KR2 format. FWIW, I decided to finish my KR2, and have a backup for sale. Both have RAF48 airfoil skins. Griff P KLXT -----Original Message----- From: Ryan <[email protected]> Sent: Monday, October 11, 2021 9:05 AM To: 'KRnet' <[email protected]> Subject: KR>Re: spar caps / new wing Mark I have read the info that is on Marks website. I want info from other builders that may have gone a different route and made personal changes or improvements from the original KR2. Ryan Text 858-229-4875 N12KR TriGear ________________________________ -Please see LIST RULES and KRnet info at https://na01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.krnet.org%2Finfo.html&data=04%7C01%7C%7C902fbb419beb465db1cf08d98d94340f%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C637696489938824853%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&sdata=qbzE%2F1FxzoHXUGTk76gqq5SX2UVrIOgIltMmIRlcGmE%3D&reserved=0 -Change list delivery options at https://na01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Flist.krnet.org%2Flist%2Fkrnet.list.krnet.org%2F&data=04%7C01%7C%7C902fbb419beb465db1cf08d98d94340f%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C637696489938824853%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&sdata=Aqo8zfvNCyLdChuLb6MIShEhIx3VUnZcDcwJ7uLw7Yw%3D&reserved=0 Affinity List Info Board -Search recent KRnet Archives at https://na01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Flist.krnet.org%2Fempathy%2Flist%2Fkrnet.list.krnet.org%2F&data=04%7C01%7C%7C902fbb419beb465db1cf08d98d94340f%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C637696489938824853%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&sdata=3FyVrWQnPxHAankK19ZztvgkFn3bhPZkV0MsQ6Stvs0%3D&reserved=0 -Search John Bouyea's decades of archive at https://na01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.mail-archive.com%2Fkrnet%40list.krnet.org%2F&data=04%7C01%7C%7C902fbb419beb465db1cf08d98d94340f%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C637696489938834846%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&sdata=ovqMduRCeo6jSqJoRrdtNdVCKtq8gG3JH95i2LA88tE%3D&reserved=0 ________________________________ -Please see LIST RULES and KRnet info at http://www.krnet.org/info.html -Change list delivery options at https://list.krnet.org/list/krnet.list.krnet.org/ Affinity List Info Board -Search recent KRnet Archives at https://list.krnet.org/empathy/list/krnet.list.krnet.org/ -Search John Bouyea's decades of archive at https://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/
