Dan Freeman, great job. I had thought about doing this forever, and you did it. I added a couple of items at the end, that, from my experience, having built two of these, I find to be things that I am either glad that I did, or will do if the need ever arises to make modifications in those areas. I agree with every one of your observations. A new builder can save a lot of time and frustration if he sets his criteria from the beginning and sticks to it. My additions are at the end denoted with an *.
See N64KR at http://KRBuilder.org - Then click on the pics See you at the 2007 - KR Gathering There is a time for building and a time for FLYING and the time for Flying has begun. Daniel R. Heath - Lexington, SC -------Original Message------- From: Myron \(Dan\) Freeman A new builder/finisher of a KR aircraft might do well to consider the following. - Buy the KR-2 plans with the -S supplement and build the KR-2S, you'll be glad you did. - Obtain and use the full sized drawings of the new KR airfoils of your choice for your situation. AS5045 - AS5046 - AS5048 - Select your horizontal stabilizer incidence and/or wing angle according to the airfoil/situation you have or want. - Build the fuselage 40 inches wide at the outside of the top longeron in the shoulder area (plans show 36") and taper the width in from there to the tail post. You'll be glad you did unless you want to use the stock R/R pre-molded canopy frame and turtle deck without possibly also widening them. - Stay away from the retractable landing gear unless you just must have it, remember KISS. Fixed tail draggers with good "wheel pants" are slightly faster anyway "Diehl or Grove" brand and fixed tri-gears are easier for some pilots to handle on the ground but are slightly slower in the air. Your choice. - Build a long narrow 10" or so, wide fuel tank in each outer wing panel up against the back side of the front spar. This helps the Center of Gravity remain more constant as fuel is used and keeps the fuel as far away from you as possible. You could also use a small header tank under the forward deck with this setup if you choose. Your choice. These are choices that need to be made first before starting to build or completing a project, they are hard or impossible to change later and could hurt any resale value they might have in the future. All of the other choices like engines, tires/wheels, flaps/belly boards, props/spinners and the like are easier to change at any time you feel the need but the "hull" (Insurance speak) needs to be done right the first time. * A dual stick is a great advantage over the center stick. Plan on it from the beginning. * Insure that your headroom is sufficient. The typical turtle deck is very round. Squaring it off a little, will give you much better head room, where you need it. * The canopy choice is very important. I have built the tilt to the side, and the "gullwing" type, and feel that the tilt forward would be the best in terms of comfort, ease of access, weight, and ease of construction. * A removable forward deck can be a great advantage for maintenance and inspection.
