I saw one KR-2 design where the owner built the plane with a small weight in the tail cone, designed to be easily moved forward as needed. As long as you had a bombproof method of attaching it (and an idiot-proof way to remind you where it was), this could be very useful.
Mike Taglieri On Thu, May 13, 2021, 12:40 AM Dr. Feng Hsu <fenghs...@gmail.com> wrote: > Thanks Mike for your invaluable input on the CG issues when two people are > in the KR2 cockpit for training.... I believe it is much easier to resolve > the tail-heavy CG issue rather than dealing with the inherently narrow CG > envelope issue from the standard KR2 design, correct? I am wondering if > there is any quick & easy solution to check on CG balance or adequacy after > people & stuffs and fuel are loaded prior to heading to the runways?! > > Safety is always #1 priority! > > Dr. Hsu > > > On Mon, May 10, 2021, 4:05 AM MS <propbala...@att.net> wrote: > > > I very much agree with the idea of not stuffing two people in a KR for > > training purposes. My previous standard KR was WAY out of CG with just > two > > normal-sized people in it and my KR wasn't badly built - an engineer with > > McDonnell Douglas built it - built three of them in fact - and had the > > added weight of the Maloof prop out front but was still very tail heavy > > with two people. Most early KR's tended to go tail heavy with two > people. > > Trying to develop familiarity with a plane that has such a tendency > toward > > aft CG doesn't sound like a good idea. Not to mention, two people each > > with heads canted toward the center because the canopy had such poor > > headroom made for an unpleasant ride for both pilot and passenger, quite > > aside from trying to do any flight familiarization. > > > > With the many improvements that have been made to the standard design - > > wider cockpits, longer fuselages, problems the original design had with > two > > up have been eliminated of course but still . . . with two people and > > marginal horsepower seems asking for trouble. It's never been a > two-place > > plane . . . really. It's a very cool one person plane. Long runway to > > eliminate concern of running off the end, either with an abort or with a > > long landing, plus no controller distracting things . . . if a person has > > any skill at all at flying, the KR is not quirky or difficult. 90% of > > newbie problems are simply from trying to touch down while the plane > still > > wants to fly. That ends up with bent nosewheel struts and broken props > . . > > . happens all the time, not just with KR's. Speed control is so > important > > and finding that comfortable spot with a new plane is always a bit > > nervewracking. It takes a lot of self-discipline those first few > flights > > while getting a feel for where the approach speed should be. This isn't > > just with KR's. I think everyone, flying a new plane for the first time, > > has a hard time keeping their approach speed down. > > > > Slow flight with a few stalls is a great thing to do on that first > > flight. Neither of my KR's did anything in the stall except mush. > It's a > > gentle wing (if built correctly and nothing is out of whack) with no bad > > habits. Generations of KR builders/flyers have gone through this and > > gained the benefit of true stick and rudder skills with this forgiving > > airplane. There's no need to treat the KR like it requires some special > > training. It's about as honest an airplane as any of us will ever fly. > > Just slow down before the wheels. If you have to wait for it to slow > down, > > just wait. That's exactly the reason to use an extra long runway while > in > > the familiarization phase. > > > > Putting two people in a KR for training purposes seems a recipe for an > > unpleasant experience . . . although, come to think of it. > familiarization > > flying with Jim Morehead was not uncomfortable at all . . . so I'm all > > wet. Depends on the plane I guess. Jim's tri-gear plane was just as > > comfortable with the two of us in it as a Piper Cherokee 140. > > I sure had some unpleasant experiences with my first (standard design) KR > > when I had another person in the cockpit though. With such an aft CG, if > > one doesn't die first, one learns to become a pretty good pilot. > > > > MikeKSEE > > ________________________________ > > -Please see LIST RULES and KRnet info at http://www.krnet.org/info.html > > -Change list delivery options at > > https://list.krnet.org/list/krnet.list.krnet.org/ Affinity List Info > Board > > -Search recent KRnet Archives at > > https://list.krnet.org/empathy/list/krnet.list.krnet.org/ > > -Search < > https://list.krnet.org/empathy/list/krnet.list.krnet.org/-Search> > > John Boyea's decades of archive at > > https://www.mail-archive.com/krnet@list.krnet.org/ > ________________________________ > -Please see LIST RULES and KRnet info at http://www.krnet.org/info.html > -Change list delivery options at > https://list.krnet.org/list/krnet.list.krnet.org/ Affinity List Info Board > -Search recent KRnet Archives at > https://list.krnet.org/empathy/list/krnet.list.krnet.org/ > -Search <https://list.krnet.org/empathy/list/krnet.list.krnet.org/-Search> > John Bouyea's decades of archive at > https://www.mail-archive.com/krnet@list.krnet.org/ > ________________________________ -Please see LIST RULES and KRnet info at http://www.krnet.org/info.html -Change list delivery options at https://list.krnet.org/list/krnet.list.krnet.org/ Affinity List Info Board -Search recent KRnet Archives at https://list.krnet.org/empathy/list/krnet.list.krnet.org/ -Search John Bouyea's decades of archive at https://www.mail-archive.com/krnet@list.krnet.org/
