The nose gear strut, that I obtained from NV Aero, broke about half inch
beyond the firewall attachment bracket on November 6, 2019. This strut was
made of 4130 steel and bent to get the two angles for nose wheel attachment
and tracking. I think the strut was made by Diehl Aeronautical, but no
Excellent post, Larry.
I managed to get 5 flights in my KR-2 before the nose strut broke and
destroyed the airplane. FAA FSDO determined the strut was defective
(cracked) before I installed it; end of story.
I still cherish that brief time in KR flight. The years of building allowed
me to hel
Larry,
The sender units on my KR-2 wing tanks have a circular bolt pattern, but the
5 screws are offset slightly so that there is only one orientation for the
sender. Floats are fussy about that.
I made a circular aluminum ring with the same pattern required for each
sender plate. Installed f
I used the Nyrod system from cockpit to the elevator trim tab on my KR-2.
This system is a type of plastic Bowden cable. Both ends of the sheath must
be firmly anchored to the fixed structure of the aircraft or the trim tab
will not function properly. The anchor point on the sheath at the
hor
Pete,
The idea for the larger opening size is to accommodate the increased air
volume due to engine heating. However, the exit methodology is particularly
critical to the overall efficiency for getting the cooling air overboard and
back into the airstream. Simply cutting a big hole in the bottom
is 90 degrees to the air flow
past the outlet Is my assumption correct? tnx jw
-------------
On Feb 25, 2017, at 18:12, Sid Wood via KRnet
wrote:
Pete,
The idea for the larger opening size is to accommodate the increased air
volume due to engine heating.
Nice looking KR. Looks like the flat plate nose bowl with the sharp edges
may be less than optimum for drag reduction.
Sid Wood
Tri-gear KR-2 N6242
Mechanicsville, MD, USA
---
From: jean paul GLOTIN
https://youtu.be/gW3VhDuIBss
_
My hangar is at 2W6, St. Mary's County Airport. 2W6 is about 40 miles south
east of Washington DC, 6 miles outside the Class B ring (big deal on what
you can do, when and how.) The airport has many styles of hangars: gravel
floor T with push-open sliding doors, concrete floors with bi-fold ele
I have a set of molds for a VW fiberglass cooling shroud. These have
cut-outs for spark plugs and air routing for the low profile VW oil cooler
and carb alternate air.
Free to a good home. Pickup or meet you at Oshkosh or you pay shipping.
https://s3.amazonaws.com/expercraft/sidwood/1314179485
Bob,
Molds are in shipping to Mark Langford. He indicated that anyone could
borrow the molds when he is done with them.
Thanks for all the inquiries off Net.
On N6242 I used a set of VW replacement steel cooling shrouds obtained from
a local VW speed shop. I modified these a little by cuttin
I was given a boat stage KR-2 project. The glue used is unknown. The boat
fell apart when I tried to move it. Most of the Sitka Spruce kit is still
in the original wooden shipping box. Also have a Rand Robinson KR-2 rudder
pedal set and a single control stick. All of this material is at least
Hydraulic brake fluid 5606 will congeal to a thick gooey mess when left
exposed to open air for some time. Don't know if something evaporates or
oxidizes or both. The military does not use 5606 anymore because of that
characteristic. If you are looking for a substitute for 5606, be very
care
7x19 strand is much more flexible and will last much longer going around
pulleys. Keep the cable lightly oiled to allow the internal strands to
slide past each other going around pulleys.
A frayed elevator cable jamming between the pulley and the cable keeper just
ahead of the elevator bell cra
Bob,
Put the already built outer wings on the airplane. Whatever it takes: build
the stub wing profile to exactly match the outer wing profile. Yes, there
will be a crease where the dihedral starts; fare that in best you can.
Trailing edge of the stub wing should match the aileron. Leave acc
This control rod reversal bell crank is an adaption of the aileron bell
crank called out in the KR-2 construction manual. This has been in N6242
for at least 10 years.
https://s3.amazonaws.com/expercraft/sidwood/18464794504710108747c58.jpg
Sid Wood
Tri-gear KR-2 N6242
Mechanicsville, MD, USA
I have used spiral wrap many locations for wiring, fuel lines, Bowden cable
cushion and brake lines on my KR-2.
Comes in different sizes.
http://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/elpages/spiralwrap.php?clickkey=5026
Sid Wood
Tri-gear KR-2 N6242
Mechanicsville, MD, USA
-
Lots of traffic on the KRnet the past two days regarding fuel flow
calculations. I did not see any traffic on actual ground measurements to
verify the fuel flow capacity. In the USA you need to have those numbers
for an airworthiness certificate inspection. The measurements are supposed
to b
Will be arriving the Saturday before opening and remain the entire week,
volunteering at the Builder Education Center doing the Composites Forum
morning and afternoon sessions. Will be driving, so can provide ground
transportation if needed for KR pilots and passengers.Camping at Camp
Scho
The level line on the digital phone will only show the local level, not an
artificial horizon. So, might be used as a turn coordinator.
The magnetic compass works ok. My iPhone darkens the display after a few
seconds to conserve internal battery power.
Sid Wood
Tri-gear KR-2 N6242
California,
I completed my BasicMed course today: 1) Down loaded the forms. 2) Got a
physical from my doctor. 3) Took the AOPA training course on-line and
passed the exam. 4) Registered with the FAA. 5) Printed the certificates.
Still need to do a BFR. Then, maybe, ready to fly my KR.
You do not need to
This past Wednesday I went with a friend to look at a KR-2 project he was
interested in at Cambridge, MD, CGE. The owner/builder is in a nursing home
with early Alzheimer's. Friends are trying to sell the project for him.
This KR-2 is a retract tail dragger. Looks to be sitting about ten year
I have a fuel flow sensor in my KR-2 for a Grand Rapids EIS. The sensor was
given to me. Don't know if it works: GR wants $184 to pay for the
activation code to make the GR display pay attention to the sensor. If
anyone has a use for the Grand Rapids fuel flow sensor, let me know and I
will
My surplus Grand Rapids fuel flow sensor is spoken for.
Arrangements are underway to ship it to a good home.
Sid Wood
Tri-gear KR-2 N6242
California, MD, USA
___
Search the KRnet Archives at https://www.mail-archive.com/krnet@list.krnet.org/.
Please
My cabin heater is the bottom mount Revmaster oil cooler. I made a shroud
that blocks off one third of the oil cooler air exhaust. The shroud has a
SCAT tube going to a A/C Spruce 2-inch air flap valve, mounted on the fire
wall. The off position vents overboard to the back of the cowl. The
v
Wow! 154 KRs. Now I know why the two FAA FSDO inspectors were arm wrestling
to see who would get to inspect my KR-2 for Airworthiness Inspection. Both
of them came out. They had never seen a KR until I sent the three-view
pictures as part of the inspection request.
Sid Wood
Tri-gear KR-2 N6
I used the Nyrod trim tab system per the plans. On the take-off run on my
first flight the system failed and put in full nose up trim just as I nudged
the stick to lift the nose. Estimate the speed was about 65 knots at that
point. The aircraft immediately pitched vertical. I over corrected
My Great Plains 2180 VW has single ignition from a Compufire unit. I use
automotive spark plugs and high voltage un-shielded automotive spark wires.
The Compufire ignition is rated at 40,000 volts; most magnetos run 15,000 to
20,000 volts. The Compufire will fire the ignition at 0 RPM; just mo
I used the RR panel and forward deck for my KR-2. On the back face of the
instrument panel is a aluminum sheet 0.040 to strengthen the fiberglass and
make an electrical ground for all the instruments and radios. All holes for
instruments and screws are match-drilled through the fiberglass, alumi
I had a local sign shop make these vinyl trim strips; put them on myself.
This is over vinyl acrylic house paint from Lowes. The paint does advertise
having UV protection.
The sign shop owner said he could wrap the entire airplane in any color or
design I wanted and have his crew come out to th
The Type K Thermocouple is a low voltage system; typically a few millivolts.
That's okay because the receiving electronic units are designed for that low
voltage. When you need an extension for the thermocouple leads, you can use
copper wire quite satisfactorily. You must keep the thermocouple
I noticed rust particles on the hangar floor under the exhaust exits on the
2180 VW. These exhaust pipes are 4130 steel and were ceramic coated inside
and outside by Jet Hot. The guaranty by Jet Hot was for life. The outside
of the ceramic coated pipes look exactly like when they were receive
At 3-4% humidity the lumber will only last 2 to 3 hundred years without
sealing. Don't know where your KR will be living; however, the environment
humidity will most likely go up somewhat and sealing will be needed to
preserve that lumber from bacterial assault. Every wood surface in contact
Trying to get back in the air after extensive mods mostly to correct aft cg
issues, convert to single place and get my eyesight up to par after cataract
surgery. The goal now is to fly to MVN for the 2018 Gathering.
Lost the bump on the cowl by moving the engine 2 inches and building a new
cowl
I have flown my KR-2 with aft cg. How much percent is unknown. Weighing
the aircraft for cg numbers does get definite numbers for cg , but knowing
the center of lift can be a guessing game. The "standard" KR-2 with RAF 48
airfoil does have an error in the published cg range; offset is about 2
The static RPM is 3150 on my Great Plains 2180 VW rated at 76 hp with an Ed
Sterba 52 x 52 prop, Compufire electronic ignition with mechanical spark
advance (32 degree max), Zenith carb and four-pipe straight Dragon Fly
exhaust.. Cruise fuel consumption is 3.7 gal per hr. Total time on this
e
Level cruise at 2000 ft. MSL and 2800 RPM had a speed of 106 Kts IAS (122
MPH). My estimate is that would be about 60 % power. No wheel fairings
installed. Have not had an opportunity to test other cruise and climb
settings.
Sid Wood
Tri-gear KR-2 N6242
California, MD, USA
-
After months of trials and try again, finally got the seat and elevator
control linkage to agree. I made a slider to go under the seat and all
moving parts are smooth operation without any interference. The fit check
with seat belts fastened, cushions in place, headset on, and canopy locked,
has 2
M Sid Wood via KRnet
wrote:
After months of trials and try again, finally got the seat and elevator
control linkage to agree. I made a slider to go under the seat and all
moving parts are smooth operation without any interference. The fit check
with seat belts fastened, cushions in place, headset on
For the first time in nearly two years I made an engine run and slow speed
taxi on the 2180 VW. I had hand-turned the prop for 30 revolutions once a
month to keep the parts lubricated. The purpose was to check, for oil leaks
after changing oil (SAE-30 automotive), check the newly moved master
When I purchased my assembled 2180 VW from Great Plains many years ago,
Steve Bennett recommended that I turn the crank 30 revolutions each month
that the engine was not being run. Before I installed the engine I had a
nyla-flow tube on the top oil gallery in place of the oil cooler connection.
Tighten the WAF bolts to their rated torque and the outer spars will not
wiggle. It is the clamping pressure at the WAF joint that does the
functional holding. Shear on the bolts is a backup. And yes, we have had
this discussion somewhere in the archives before. Lost somewhere in the
discus
I have the template I used for my KR-2 Tri-gear using the Grumman blanks.
The template is for the aft facing gear legs. Tri-gear and tail dragger
legs are not interchangeable. The Grumman blanks are 1-inch thick; you will
need to plane them down to 3/4-inch thick. A bench mounted power planer
For a Tri-gear KR-2, the main wheel axles need to be 20 inches behind the
the aft face of the main spar for the aircraft to balance with people
onboard. Otherwise it it will fall on its butt. I originally put the tail
wheel version gear legs on my tri-gear KR-2; I could not get into the plane
, if you start
off with the correct information in the beginning.
Sid Wood
Tri-gear KR-2 N6242
California, MD, USA
--
On 6/11/2018 11:43 AM, Sid Wood via KRnet wrote:
I originally put the tail wheel version gear legs on my
Mark,
Many brands of epoxies come in uses for laminating and structural purposes.
The finish resins will have a trace amount of wax added to the resin; The
wax will form on the surface to preclude moisture in the air from becoming
absorbed in the curing resin. This trace Wax in the cured resin
I assisted two builders to do Weight & Balance on their newly completed
aircraft: a Zenith 750 Cruzer and a RV-9A.
The Zenith builder had previously built a Sonex. I asked how he did the W&B
for the Sonex. He said he just copied the data from the factory data sheets.
He was having trouble with
Stef
On my first flight landing I managed to use most of the paved 4200 foot
runway at K2W6 and bend the nose strut; approach to fast. Second flight
landing ran off the right side due to failed left brake. Third flight
landing ran off the end of the runway; touched down long. Fourth flight
Mark,
Any plan to put in access panels in the stub wings for annual Condition
Inspections? Looks like moving parts and cables in there.
Sid Wood
Tri-gear KR-2 N6242
California, MD, USA
Hello All,
Follow this link and you can see what I h
My wife keeps telling me to "Hurry up and finish that airplane before you
get to old to fly it." And yes, the race is getting quite close.
Sid Wood
Tri-gear KR-2 N6242
California MD, USA
Mark J wrote-
My wife even told me to stay in the shop
My pick is neither exhaust valve or carb. Nothing wrong with the prop; you
need to match the operating conditions to your new configuration. The new
prop is requiring more torque than your engine can deliver at the low air
speed and operating altitude. Take the airplane to 5,000 feet and chec
I have hangar space to share with my KR-2 at K2W6, California, MD, about 40
miles southeast of Washington, DC, 6 miles outside of the Mode C veil
outside the Washington, DC, SFRA. Airspace to the Northeast and to the
Southwest is unrestricted. Patuxent River restricted airspace 4007 is to
the
Not much of a bet there. 2020 is a doable do. Mark, you got this.
Next question: Any bets on me flying my KR-2 to the 2020 Gathering?
Clue: 3 years ago I got 1 hour total spread over 4 flights into Phase I
testing.
Sid Wood
Tri-gear KR-2 N6242
California, MD, USA
---
KR-2 Wood Kit available free to a good home. You pick up or pay freight. I
have most of the kit. Some pieces were used by the original owner to make
the boat, but the glue for that was substandard. I have the used pieces
also. Contact me off net:
smw...@md.metrocast.net
Sid Wood
Tri-gear
Pete,
Put together a test plan for each and every planned flight. No long drawn
out tome; just a check off page to clip to your knee board to make a note or
enter a number so you don't forget what you were supposed to be doing when
you were doing it.
Consult with your EAA Chapter Flight Advis
All lumber surfaces exposed to air need to be sealed, including bolt holes
and the cavities inside the spars.
You can use the same type epoxy that was used to build the wooden parts.
After mixing the two A and B parts, thin with a small amount of Acetone and
paint the mixture on with a disposabl
The engine driven fuel pump on my 2180 VW will only flow fuel if the engine
is running. That's a safety feature of the pump originally designed for the
automobile installation. To get fuel to the engine for starting, I put a
check valve in parallel with the engine fuel pump; this bypasses the
'...been waiting 4 years for this appointment...' is outrageously
ridiculous. The VA has got to do better than this.
Sid Wood
Tri-gear KR-2 N6242
California, MD, USA
--
The VA made me an appointment in Chicago on Monday. I'v
Luis,
I have a similar problem, except I have 4 flights on my KR-2, but likely
will not have flown the 40-hour test period mandated by the FAA. The four
flights were three years ago. In the that time I have made so many mods
that I will have to treat the next flight as a first flight.
That sa
FB has some pluses, but you got to have some thick tough skin sometimes.
The monster does come well equipped with seemly endless barbs and political
un-correctness.
Sid Wood
Tri-gear KR-2 N6242
California, MD, USA
-
Looks like there's another KR
I have my eyes fixed; got 20/15 with glasses. Perhaps sometime I can tell
you about that life adventure over some root beer. I have the KR-2 flying,
but need to complete the Phase 1 flight testing. So, it's not ready for the
Gathering. And too far for me to drive. Perhaps 2020 will be the y
Mark Langford asked for input for the Question and Answer Session at the
Gathering. Since I won't be there in person, here is my input:
Pilot name? Sid Wood
KR-2 Where from? California, Maryland
From scratch. Anything else: Converted from retract tail wheel to tri-gear
before first flight.
Mark,
I had a similar head room issue with my standard KR-2. I made a new
fiberglass seat bottom one inch thick and clears the fuselage bottom by
3/8". To clear the elevator control link, I cut a channel in the middle of
the seat pan and closed this cutout top with 0.030" aluminum sheet secur
I have most parts of a KR-2 Spruce wood kit available free to a good home.
Some pieces were used by the original owner to build the boat, which fell
apart when we moved it to my hangar. (I suspect he was using Elmer's Glue.)
You pick it up or pay freight. Contact me off net for more details.
Good news and bad news: After standing down for three and a half years for
medical issues, those are done; BasicMed cleared to fly. During that time I
installed mods to correct CG issues, RevMaster oil cooler, fuel pump and oil
pump, new main gear legs, wheel fairings, electric flaps, welded a
After wrecking my KR-2, Global Aerospace says it is totaled. FAA says it
was an incident due to material failure: Rusty little crack at the failure
point on the nose wheel strut. FAA inspector says I should go fly more. I
readily agreed. So now what?
I have crossed over to the dark side. Ye
Larry, you are describing an aircraft with an aft cg issue.
As to the oil canning, seems that is characteristic of the flat bottom
Zenith types. The KR-2 would tend to do that also, except for the 5/8"
stiffeners and plywood construction.
Sid Wood
California, MD, USA
I cracked the Plexiglas on the edge while cutting with a Dremel abrasive
disc for my KR-2. A touch drop of Acetone at the edge welded the crack
shut. No further problems.
Be sure to polish the entire cut edge smooth so you don't have any stress
risers to propagate when you get vibrations in fl
Before my first flight our EAA Chapter Flight Adviser said to get lots of
recent time in a number of different aircraft. So he got flights for me in
a Cherokee with 180 hp engine, Yankee, RV-8, Citabria and 6 hours in a
Pulsar XP. The closest KR available to me was 300 miles away. His
philo
Our EAA Chapter has a member who is also a DAR. He charges $500 per
inspection visit and usually takes 3 visits.
Sid Wood
Tri-gear KR-2 N6242
Mechanicsville, MD, USA
---
When I finished my KR I called the FAA for an in
Before my KR-2 airworthiness inspection, I had an A&P do a "practice"
inspection. He found a few minor things and I fixed these before he left.
He never charged me anything. He just wanted to crawl around a KR-2 for a
nostalgia trip. He had built a KR-2 some years ago.
I used the Washington F
Was planning for some air-to-air photos of N6242 this Spring. An EAA
Chapter member said he could fly the photo ship using his Tri-Pacer. On
January 28, 2017, while attempting to return from a lunch fly-out at GED,
Georgetown, DE, he had an in-flight fire seconds after leaving the runway.
He
Lead can be melted with direct application of a propane torch. That does
tend to oxidize the lead, so you do get more slag. Solder is a mixture of
lead and tin. These will oxidize at different rates under the torch flame.
That could change the mixture ratio of the solder. Maybe not a big dea
I had to rebuild my Zenith carb on my 2180 VW after the seals got messed up
with alcohol in the auto fuel. (Never again!) The kit cost $32 from a
Zenith dealer (free shipping). Zenith does not sell retail. They make
thousands of carb models for all manner of engines; mine would fit on a
Farm
Put one of these under the leading edge of the left wing outside the prop
blast. The pitot tube opening must face forward and be in undisturbed air.
Static opening will be sideways to the air flow. (But, you already know
that.)
http://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/inpages/pitot15144.php?clic
Nice panel! Like the Mixture Meter.
Sid Wood
smwood at md.metrocast.net
Tri-gear KR-2 N6242
Mechanicsville, MD, USA
--
I towed N891JF it out to the airport late Friday (see
http://www.n56ml.com/n891jf/140524_028m2.jpg ), by replacing the ta
Took my KR-2 from home back to the airport, K2W6, today. No traffic backups
or incidents. Used the same boat trailer that I used to take the fuselage
to AirVenture for a homebuilders work shop many years ago. While my wife
and I were unloading the KR-2, Art Nalls was doing the first run-up th
Made the first ground engine run after: the engine re-location (to adjust
CG), installing new RevMaster oil cooler, oil pump (to control high oil
temps), moving the fuel pump (to fix vapor lock) and adjusting the Zenith
carb. After an eight-month stand-down the 2180 VW fired off on the fourth
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