On Sat, 5 Feb 2005 17:58:41 -0700 "KM Urban" <kmur...@sprintmail.com> writes: > Dear List, > I am new to the list and I have been poking around the KR Net and > have found answers to alot of questions so I will try to keep this > short.Just as a point of interest, I grew up in So Cal and I used to > ride my bike (as a kid) over to Meadowlark and I would stop by the > KR factory once in awhile.I got to meet Ken when he was alive and he > always had a minute for me. When I tried to buy the plans with paper > route money, he told me to come by with my parents and he would sell > plans with their blessing. Well that was the end of that! Here I am > years down the road, and I still like the KR planes. > My questions are: How does the plane do at high density altitudes? I > live in the Salt Lake area, and it gets pretty hot in the summer. > Has any one found this to be a problem? Is it realistic to use the > 2S as a traveling machine for two people. What about a Jabaru > engine? Has it been tried? Last but not least, some know it all at > Oshcosh last year was explaining to me all the "Inherent Problems" > with the KR and he said the airframe will not last long due to > cracks between the wood and composite material in the airframe. > Sounded hoaky, but I am wondering what is the highest time airframe > anyone has seen? Thanks > Kirk > kmur...@sprintmail.com
Kirk, I live in Los Alamos, NM. Airport Altitude is 7172' ASL. I just turned over 495 hours on my KR this evening. My KR had a Continental C-85 on it for the first 350 hours, and is now flying behind an O-200. Mid summer, roughly 1100 gross, my rate of climb is still over 200 fpm at 15,500'. We see days with density altitudes well over 9000'. Take off performance has never been an issue flying behind either engine. Ken Thomas of Jasper, AL has the six cyl Jabaru on his KR. Check out the photos of the 2004 gathering. My recommendations for engines for high altitude, C-85, O-200, Jabaru, Corvair. Any of them will perform well out of Salt Lake. The are all good powerplants. It's all according to your budget and what engine happens to find you at the right time. The VWs may do OK, but are a bit anemic for high altitude flying unless you add a turbo, which can significantly complicate things. Your Oshkosh expert must be an RV assembler. (Sorry Dana. It's a cheap shot, but I had to take it!) As someone said earlier, today's KRs are not your father's KRs. Much of it through the KRNet, but also various other builders along the way have created vast improvements in stability, handling, performance and looks. Many have donated their building skills and flying time to create and validate numerous improvements to the plane. The KRs being finished today have got a generation's worth of improvements incorporated over mine, which was finished less than 8 years ago. -Jeff
