I bought my first KR1 kit from Joe Wallace (list member) in 1988 one year after getting my ticket and after researching the options, and with no place to build it. This was pre-internet, and Joe gave me a ring binder with all the newsletters in it and I read them often. I had been in communication with the now-late Bill Reents who gave me a lot of KR knowledge from his building and flying experience. But before I could find a place to build, an opportunity fell in my lap to buy a Grumman AA1 with new engine, for short money, so i sold the kit. The AA1 was a BLAST, and even had the autogas stc $1.35 for fuel IIRC (but it really needed the O-320 update!) eventually selling it.
A few years later I bought a partially finished KR1 and that was in my one room apartment when I met my wife. But then came buying a house that needed everything, and other priorities and projects, and the project got shelved. Eventually I had someone look over the project and it was not made well, so I parted it out. In 2007 I purchased an Avid Flyer on the west coast and toured the country bringing it back, and flew it/ worked on it for a few years before selling that to look for a KR (this time for SURE, as Bullwinkle says). And in 2016 found a very well made boat section for very short money. It was started by Fairchild aircraft manufacture techs in the 1970's and stored in a hanger there ever since. Really looks good. The one part that I broke moving it took wood grain off so the glue is still stronger than the wood it seems. I'm in my mid 50s now but God willing there still should be time to get after this. I make no promises to myself or anyone else to actually finish and fly this. But I do promise to START this time. After that, we'll see. BTW, as I recall, Dan Diehl (whose wing skins I bought in 1988 IIRC) built a KR in I think 3 months. The guys at the EAA chapter who sold me the current KR1 said "you could finish this in six months if you stay on it". I envision purchasing wing skins and a revmaster FWF, which should considerably reduce the labor hours (from a gazillion, down to a quintillion). So just maybe this will get done. Maybe. And I will add that Rob's ride he gave me at the '16 gathering which was my first ever actual KR ride, was very motivating. So thank you again Rob! On Fri, Nov 17, 2017 at 8:35 AM, Mark Langford via KRnet <krnet@list.krnet.org> wrote: > > KRnetHeads, > > The other day I said "You need to finish that plane before you get too > old to fly it". This observation comes from watching so many KR > builders spend incredible amounts of time and effort to create a > masterpiece airplane, that often times is sold or parted out before the > builder ever gets to fly it, _______________________________________________ Search the KRnet Archives at https://www.mail-archive.com/krnet@list.krnet.org/. Please see LIST RULES and KRnet info at http://www.krnet.org/info.html. see http://list.krnet.org/mailman/listinfo/krnet_list.krnet.org to change options. To UNsubscribe from KRnet, send a message to krnet-le...@list.krnet.org
