Netters, I am going to echo Dana's comments, but from other aircraft experience. And as a side note, this has been the motivation for my comments to new netters and low hour pilots in reference to buying and owning a KR. I am a CFI with over 1000 hours and both taildragger and high performance endorsements, single and multi-engine. I have flown 2 different aircraft that are billed as being great performers, the Commander 114, and the Mooney M20J. Both are very exciting to takeoff, as they great acceleration and exciting level speeds. Like the KR the Mooney accelerates in the flat very quickly to over 150KIAS, and you have to plan ahead as the geography zips by very quickly! While transitioning into this aircraft, and the Commander it is required that you be familiar with the entire flight regime. Power off stalls in both aircraft never really happen, except to produce very mushy controls, and a suprisingly high rate of descent. This is alarming and uncomfortable for the unknowing due to the fact that one who is unfamiliar could have engine trouble and be attempting to extend their glide, not paying close attention to airspeed, causing a much shorter emergency glide than published. From the NTSB reports of KRs that I read from Mark Langford's site, this same charcteristic is true of the KR. In performing power on stalls, the higher horsepower allowed for a much more severe pitch attitude, as in Dana's case, and consequently a very dramatic pitch down followed by significant altitude loss, of 300-400 feet! I attempted these stalls several times, even with restricted power settings of less than full power, but with the same results. I have read of several reports of the KR where pilots lost their engine on takeoff or on approach, and did not manage their airspeed well resulting in stalls low to the ground. Reports are that the KR is wonderful to fly, and I can't wait. I have flown these others and can report that they are a blast to fly, just respect their design. High performance planes are not designed for the beginner to cut his teeth in, due to their unforgiving nature when one makes mistakes. Owning one as a low hour pilot means that you have to do everything by the book, don't experiment where you are blind, and get additional training to enhance your knowledge and skill, then begin to experiment in a very logical and planned way. You will live longer and have more fun. Changing what is already successful, unless you have the expertise and their desire to spend years proving it, seems to be a waste to me. To quote William Wynne from an article he wrote in the Experimenter Magazine, "...what have you (the new designer, in this case you) discovered that all the other aerodynamic engineers for the last 100 years have missed." Just my opinion.... Oh one more thing, the FAA website has the Part 43 D ( I think D) approved assembly and construction methods advisory circular free of charge, for a builder to be able to download. It contains all the approved methods of construction for metal, wood, and composites from the FAA, for those who need a resource to consult while building, especially if the KR manual is lacking details.
Colin & Bev Rainey KR2(td) N96TA Sanford, FL crain...@cfl.rr.com
