Hello Netters, I thought a few may be able to learn from my experience. I sent this to a friend of mine and he thought I should share it as a learning tool...so at the risk of being embarrassed, here goes...
I took a trip to Arizona in the KR back in December. I wanted to leave early but it was overcast. I called for weather and the briefer gave me tops at 4000'. I had to wait a couple hours but the clouds finally broke over Corona. I figured I could get clearance from March AFB and climb through the broken area to go VFR over the top to the Banning pass. From there out is was supposed to be clear. Then good 'old "Murphy" shows up. I was trying a new GPS and it seemed to be working ok. As I was climbing , 4000, 5000, 6000, still cloudy. I kept thinking, I should be clear soon. Finally the clouds closed in around me. I was in the soup and the KR has nothing for IFR. I though maybe I could climb through to maybe 7000' and I would break through.NOPE! I started losing power and couldn't hold altitude. At this point I am flying the ball on my electric turn and bank trying to keep right side up. I call March and tell them I am at 6000' and in the soup without IFR instruments and losing power. I asked for a vector out and the guy comes back with, " I really don't know what to tell yaw". Jerk. At least he could have let me know if I had obstacles ahead. I did figure since I was still in his airspace there wasn't anything too close. Anyway, I am looking at my GPS and the screen hasn't changed since I left Corona. It wasn't working.crap! So, I'm descending, trying to stay level, and finally break through at about 4800'. The upper cloud layer was at 4800' and the lowers were at about 4200'. My engine smoothed out which was a relief. I pulled my trusty handheld GPS (Garmin 12XL) out of my flight bag and booted it up. I get my bearings and can see the Banning pass so I make a run for it. March tower comes back with, "are you going back to Corona?". From my point of view, it is pretty black back that way and I don't see any terrain. I tell them I have Banning in sight and will be continuing. I figure at the worst, if I have any more engine issues I have Banning, the "Stumps", and Palm Springs to land at. March then asks me for weather conditions? Whatever! I get through the pass and the weather is beautiful! Blue skies and calm as can be. I turned on the Ipod and selected some mellow music to try and relax a bit. I scan my panel and realize I never turned on my electric T&B. Oh Brother! I get to my "destination" which was supposed to be Parker, AZ. and start looking for the airport. Either the airport is REALLY small or I'm in the wrong location. The coordinates in the 12XL were taken out of an older AOPA book. After about 10 minutes of looking for the airport I start trying to figure out what the deal is with the new GPS. Turns out the power adapter came unplugged. Now I'm back in business. I pull up Parker and it shows I am about 68 miles off course, AAUGGH!!!! What next!? I finally make it to Parker and have a nice visit with friends. I top off the KR and head back. I stopped in Palm Springs to see my parents and check weather. If conditions were the same, I would stay overnight at my Parents. Weather briefer indicated the front has moved through and it is clear below 12000'. Cool. After lunch we say our goodbyes and I take off. I get through the Banning pass and the haze is almost worse than the clouds. March tower doesn't respond for transition request so I have to skirt between their airspace and Ontario. I ended up having to descend to about 2000' just to have terrain reference. I flew IFR (I follow Roads) from San Bernardino all the way back to Corona. I didn't have any more engine problems throughout my trip but wanted to find out what the deal was with the loss of power. When I checked my valves, they were really tight. The valves on 2 cylinders didn't seem to be closing completely. The best I can figure is, all the moisture from the clouds affected the combustion since I have ram air. I did use my carb heat but it really didn't have any effect during the loss of power. I re-adjusted the valves and changed the oil. My compression was definitely better and it has run fine ever since. Moral of the story is, (at least for me), never fly the KR when weather is questionable. Never believe the weather briefer.verify everything. Always, always, always, perform your scheduled maintenance and check regularly. It had been over 30 hours since I last adjusted the valves. Use your checklists! Regards, Steve Glover KR-2 N902G Rancho Santa Margarita, Ca. kr...@earthlink.net
