Bill Weir wrote: >> You had for sale ,or sold a KR2 that was described as having a retractable >> trigear undercarriage that was being converted to a taildrager. I wonder if >> you could describe how the trigear retract was done?
You guys apparently missed that I forwarded that KR2 for sale email... it wasn't MY KR2, and the guy selling it may know very little about it, as the plane was given to him by the widow of the guy that built it many years ago. The all-retractable gear setup was mentioned in several issues of the KR Newsletters, which are two thousand pages of searchable PDF files, located at http://www.krnet.org/newsletter/ . Below is an excerpt from issue number 47, in 1979. "KR-2 N24BD Bill DeFreeze was on hand to demonstrate his retractable tri-gear system to all comers. If you're looking for the least expensive, quickest to build, retractable trigear, Bill has it. He's selling plans to the system, one that utilizes many of Rand/ Robinson's existing parts. A twenty dollar bill will get you the easy to follow drawings and construction photos. I believe John Shaffer's "KR2SS" has them (or something similar) now. There are some photos of it at one of the Gatherings also, although his may be a different incarnation than the plans version. I had lunch with John at OSH this year, but I forgot to ask him if he would be at the Gathering this year. I hope so, and I know I will be. It's worth pointing out that retracts on KRs went by the wayside after Dan Diehl proved that his fixed gear, when properly faired, weighs less and has lower drag than the RR plans-built retracts, and you don't have to worry about gear-up landings! They do look cool, and you can make them pretty slippery if done right (like Don Betchan did using motorcycle forks). But still, there's that pesky gear-up thing! For those who have not discovered the KR Newsletters, reading these will keep you spellbound with KR history, innovation, improvements, and many ways to build and fly KRs, for weeks to come. Reading these will make you a lot "KR smarter"... Mark Langford ML at N56ML.com http://www.n56ml.com
