Guys, you don't know how good that discussion on weight makes me feel! Because, you see, last time I did a mass and balance on my KR2, it weighted 321 kg empty, and that is 707 lb. And I found that was definitely on the heavy side, and I was running short on easy ideas on how to make it lighter. Now, I will rather concentrate on convincing my airworthiness authorities on increasing the MTOW!
This being said, I still consider three relatively easy ways to save weight, namely: 1 - Carving the wings leading edge It is made of solid expanded polystyrene, low density, and I suspect that if I rotate a large PVC pipe through it, I might be able to dig out maybe 1 kg each side?. Inconvenient: I have to make a jig to align the pipe. 2 - Making lightening holes in the engine spacers My engine is offset forward by about 2 inches. This is done with very large pieces of solid aluminum (they are U-channels that are about 10mm thick!) (0.39"). I could drill plenty lightening holes in them, and maybe shed another kg? Inconvenient: I have to remove the engine. 3 - Changing the alternator Currently, it is a car type alternator, which looks very heavy, and could be replaced with, say, one from a motorized lawnmower. Another 1.5 kg? Inconvenient: I will have to redo the pulleys and the bracket. There is another option, favoured by my wife: put the pilot on a diet. Inconvenients: This is going to put me in a very bad mood! Serge Vidal KR2 "Kilimanjaro Cloud" Paris, France
