Netters;
I would like to respond to the statement made regarding plywood. "If
you think about it, when you hang 150+ lbs on the firewall, the fuselage sides
between the engine and the landing gear take a lot of stress. The top
longerons are being stretched (tension), and the bottom ones are trying to
buckle..."
A few years ago, I flew out to Victorville, Ca., to check out a KR-2
that was being parted out. I thought that maybe I could get a deal on some
parts. The airplane had about 50 hours on it, and was flying behind a
Revmaster.
After buying the airplane from the original builder, the new owner took it up
for his first flight. On landing, the gear collapsed and the airplane broke
in half...right in front of the main spar. Imagine if that would have happened
if he was still in the air. (The part about it breaking in half, not the
gear collapse). There would be one more black eye for homebuilders and KRs.
Indeed, the area between the front spar and the firewall undergoes a tremendous
amount of stress, as indicated by where the airplane broke when the gear
collapsed. After seeing that, I went home and installed birch plywood on the
interior of my airplane between the front spar and the firewall. In addition
to the
added strength, I plan to avoid bad landings.
RV
