SORRY, MY LAST POST APPEARED. HERE IS THE TEXT OF A PREVIOUS POST: The brigadier may have been misguided and have approached the project bass-ackward, but Sport Plane regulations are coming, and, like it or not, foreign-manufactured aircraft (completed, not kits) are coming. In fact, I am now working with a Ukrainian manufacturer who is looking to get his two-place taildragger approved for import when the SP regulations are implemented.
For the same reasons that the members of this group have chosen the KR design, foreign manufacturers looking for a popular design to convert to assembly-line production methods will probably consider the KR as well as other present "homebuilt" designs. The appeal of an aircraft for a manufacturer lies in its lines and performance, not in its construction material or methods, which, in any case, would be radically altered in the process of tooling up for volume manufacturing. There are a number of advanced techniques gaining acceptance among manufacturers of lightweight, high-power vehicles, including vacuum-bagging and automated panel-lamination. Advances in injection molding--and particularly in strength-of-materials for non-fiber-reinforced plastics--will probably allow, in the near future, for non-labor-intensive construction of molded fuselage panels and perhaps even wings and control surfaces. Although the tooling and start-up costs for this kind of manufacturing will probably always be beyond the reach of homebuilders, they do make sense for manufacturers. Such advances, and the advantages of pre-tooling and computer-controlled cutting, may even make the production aircraft lighter and more accurately built than the average homebuilt KR. Further, the lines of the KR-2/2S appear suitable to such techniques, being relatively clean and free of protrubrances. The questions of quality control and commitment to safety are properly answered by examining the corporate philosophy of the manufacturer and his technical and financial resources. There are many Russian and Ukrainian aircraft, for example, that have stood the test of time and have proven safe and reliable aircraft, all (gasp!) without FAA intervention or regulation. Certainly there is nothing improper in a prospective manufacturer exploring the possibilities of taking advantage of the new sport-plane regulations by investigating existing designs before reinventing the wheel, as long as he makes the proper arrangements with the owner of any design he decides to use. It's just that he should bring aircraft manufacturing expertise to the project, and not alienate those in a position to help him by showing his lack of knowledge, i.e., by pronouncing an intention to put a fixed O2 system in a low-altitude aircraft. Max Hardberger Admiralty Associates LLC (877) 732-5298 tel. (562) 684-4539 fax
