Actually, I wish I knew then, what I know now. After having built 2 KRs and having to go back and modify this one, I have learned a few things. I do enjoy working on the KR, but I do not like getting myself in long drawn out projects that keep me from flying.
So, with a center stick, why does everyone have to build an arm rest? With dual sticks you don't need to do that, giving you the room that the arm rest would have robbed you of. No, you don't need two, take the other stick out if you don't need it, but with the stick between your legs, you can steady the stick with your legs if you need both hands, and you can fly it with either hand,,, oh,,, for such things as changing freqs, and maybe using your GPS, and who knows what.... when I drive my car, the steering wheel is not in the middle of the car, and I often change hands, just cause I want to. I have flown the KR both ways, and would never go back to the center stick for any reason, nor would I fly a KR with retractable gear. Bob Muse Sr., one of the best KR pilots I ever knew, came to see me one day before my first KR was finished, with the intent of giving me some time in his plane, with him. On base, his throttle got stuck and would not go in nor would it go out. He got so focused on that problem that he forgot to put down his gear. At the last minute, he realized what had happened and tried to get it down, without success, almost losing control of the plane. Needless to say, I did not get any time IN his KR. That was not enough reason for him to switch out to the fixed gear, maybe they did not have it then, but for some reason, before he died, he was converting it to fixed gear. After all those years, I wonder why??? My first KR originally flew with Retract gear, and being the stubborn kind of person that I am, it took 3 times for it to collapse, doing considerable damage each time, before I wised up. Those are just a few of the reasons why I have such disdain for that configuration on the KR. New airfoil,,, maybe, if I could just get away with rebuilding the outer wings... Let me think on that for a while. See N64KR at http://KRBuilder.org - Then click on the pics See you at the 2011 - KR Gathering in Mt. Vernon, Il - MVN There is a time for building and it never seems to end. Daniel R. Heath - Lexington, SC -----Original Message----- Dan said, >"the first thing I would do, would be to get rid of that retract gear, and the next thing would be to put in dual sticks." And then once you'd done that, you'd decide to put in a different engine or wings with the new airfoil. Face it Dan, you'd rather take these things apart and put them back together than fly them. Why dual sticks? Do you fly with a hand on each stick?
