How about "Don't ask, Don't tell" Virg On Mon, 23 Aug 2004 14:29:51 -0500 "Mark Langford" <n5...@hiwaay.net> writes: > Here's something I posted March 7th of this year on the KR1B that > might > help. > ----------------------- > > I guess it's obvious from my recent posts that I've been thinking > about the > KR1-B Motorglider. One of the things I asked my FSDO rep a few > weeks ago > was "what defines whether an aircraft is a motorglider or not?". He > didn't > know, but when I offered up the formula that I mentioned a few weeks > ago > (ratio of empty weight divided by wingspan squared < .62) he said > he'd never > seen it, but it sounded good to him. He also said "if the plans > maker calls > it a motorglider, that just about clinches it". Keep in mind that > the whole > point of this exercise was the fact that you don't have to have a > medical to > fly a "powered glider", which is exactly what the KR1-B Motorglider > is, by > definition. > > What got me going on this was an article about the new Sonex > motorglider in > a recent magazine, where the author says he built it purely as an > endrun > around the medical, and it worked! Dana (or somebody) mentioned > that some > kind of paperwork would almost certainly be required. I'd think > that > somebody that knows they can't get a medical, but dearly wants to > fly, would > have the determination to be the first to prove the point by doing > whatever > it takes to get a KR1-B signed off as a motorglider. > > William Wynne mentioned yesterday that two British builders had > become the > first homebuilders (or even manufacturers) to get approval to fly a > plane > with only one set of spark plugs in their country. They did the > research, > proved that it was being done elsewhere, provided the necessary > paperwork, > and accomplished their mission. I think the KR1-B could be done the > same > way, although there may not be a problem at all with it, given the > fact that > one has already been built and flown, and it was 30 years ago. Going > by > what my FSDO said, I'll bet I could build one and fly it with no > medical, no > questions asked, but you definitely ought to check with your FSDO > first. > > So, given the above info, I ordered a set of KR1-B plans myself last > month, > and got them yesterday. They are $35, plus $5 shipping from Rand > Robinson. > They include an instruction sheet and five large drawings. I've > always > wondered about the details, and found precious little information > about > them, and nobody willing to share much (more than a few words at a > time). I > also bought a set of never-used KR1 plans from Royce in South > Africa, so I > may be one of the few clowns that owns a full set of KR plans. My > 1-B plans > are number 411, which is, oddly enough, the number for > "information". > > Here's the deal. A standard KR1 is where you start. You can buy > one > already built, and just build a new set of wings for it. It's > probably > based on a 1600cc VW engine, but an 1835cc is practically the same > weight. > Spars and RAF48 airfoil are the same as the KR1's stub wings, so you > don't > have to change a thing on the KR1 except add a flap handle if it > doesn't > have one. The new wings have an 8" transition from the stub wings' > RAF48 to > the -B's GA(W)-1 airfoil, and spars that are about 120" long, but > thicker > front to back. Construction is pretty much the same, with the > exception of > huge flaps and ailerons that look a lot like the ones on my KR2S, > all > located in the outer wings. Aileron actuation is by the stock > bellcrank > system, and then an "extender" pushrod running out to the start of > the > ailerons, and a new bellcrank out there. Flap extension is almost > exactly > like what I'm doing, except there's also a piano hinge added between > the big > hinge brackets. > > The neatest thing about the KR1-B wing is the flaps. They are a > combination > of flaps and spoilers, made possible by a very simple arrangement of > the > flap hinge pivot line. It's hard to explain, but the hinge line is > at the > bottom, and the gap to the top of the airfoil surface extends way > forward, > so that when the flaps go down, the top of the flap sticks up into > the > slipstream, and spoils the lift. Sort of like an upside down Frise > aileron, > but with a sharp edge rather than a rounded nose. I just love this > concept, > and it's so easy to do! Talk about glide control! > > See the info sheet at http://www.krnet.org/kr1binfo1.pdf for a few > more > details, and note the 38 mph stall speed (with flaps). And wouldn't > that > get you into the Sport Pilot category (yes, we've beat the Sport > Pilot/medical horse already)? It should be noted that if you use > the > formula mentioned, you must keep the plane as light as humanly > possible to > keep it under .62, and in fact, I'd add a few more inches to the > span for > insurance. > > I asked Jeannette why she didn't even mention the KR1-B on her web > page, and > she said it was because it lived in a bit of a gray area and she > wasn't sure > if the FAA would look "askance" at somebody building one as a > medical > dodger. Judging from why my FSDO told me, that wouldn't be a > problem for > ME. I would think that a call to your FSDO would answer that > question for > YOU. So, you guys that are worried about your medicals, start > looking for a > used KR1 and build yourself some wings! > > Mark Langford, Huntsville, AL > N56ML at hiwaay.net > see KR2S project N56ML at http://home.hiwaay.net/~langford > > > _______________________________________ > to UNsubscribe from KRnet, send a message to krnet-le...@mylist.net > please see other KRnet info at http://www.krnet.org/info.html > >
Virgil N. Salisbury - AMSOIL www.lubedealer.com/salisbury Miami ,Fl
