Hello Gang, As an old peelot from a way back I was just wondering why the high speed taxi, sorry to be so dumb but what does this prove. I did about 1/2 hour of ground taxi and knew that I could handle it and felt why should I wear out my wheel bearings, my feeling I built this thing to fly and not run around on the ground like a kiddie car. Remember fly the airplane and don't let the airplane fly you. When something happens it is usually something you induced a while back, there is no magic to flying, it is good common sense. Happy Flying, Guys! Flame away, heee, heee! Adrian
Dan Heath wrote: > RE: If you have a moment, please say more about this. > > > > Stephen, > > > > When I started my test flights in my KR2, I had 155 hours of mostly C150 > time spread out over 9 years. I had taken a 5 hour aerobatic course in a > Citabria, which was a blast, and I have a friend who took me up in his Champ > and tried to teach me a few things. I never considered myself to be a "good" > pilot, and still don't. I just never thought that I would not be able to fly > my KR. > > > > The Little Beast started out as a retract. That gear collapsed 3 times, so > while doing repairs for the 3rd time, I decided to convert it to fixed gear. > After that, I had little trouble with it, except that I kept ground looping > as soon as the tail touched down. A friend determined that it was because > the tail wheel spring was bent and he gave me his tail wheel and I installed > it with a new spring. > > > > Now, as long as I stayed convinced to keep the tail up, until it could not > be kept up, all my landings were safe and un-eventful. In fact, I flew to > another airport for one of my biannual check rides and the instructor was so > impressed with my landing that he offered to sign me off right then. Too bad > that I was never able to repeat it. > > > > At first, I would veer to the right, quite badly, on take off, but after a > few tries, I got over that. After a while, flying the KR becomes almost too > easy. It is almost like you only have to think about what you want to do and > the KR does it. You have to be careful not to get complacent. > > > > I don't like high speed taxi testing, because of putting your plane in that > really critical spot, so many times, when you really don't know what you are > doing. My first mishap, with the retract gear, was because the plane got > airborne very quickly and I over reacted when I realized what had happened. > That gear would have broken eventually anyway, but I had no idea that the KR > would come off the ground at less than 40mph. With the retract, you are > really close to the ground and I think ground effect had a lot to do with it > > > > > Now, even though I don't like high speed taxi testing, I think there is a > lot to be learned by doing it the way that Larry did. I am sure that a lot > of his success can be credited to his being so familiar with that critical > transition area. I plan to do the same when I fly the WannaBee, but I know a > lot more going in this time, than I did then. > > > > I wish I could tell you more, but it has been almost 15 years since that > first flight. You should have been at the gathering last year, all the > pilots gave a short talk about their first flights. Maybe we will do that > again this year. > > > > Now back to sanding. > > > > See N64KR at http://KR-Builder.org - Then click on the pics > > > > Daniel R. Heath - Columbia, SC > > > > da...@kr-builder.org > > > > See you in Mt. Vernon - 2004 - KR Gathering > > > > See our EAA Chapter 242 at http://EAA242.org > > > > > _______________________________________ > to UNsubscribe from KRnet, send a message to krnet-le...@mylist.net > please see other KRnet info at http://www.krnet.org/info.html > -- Adrian VE6AFY Mailto:cart...@cuug.ab.ca http://www.cuug.ab.ca/~cartera
