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N41768 - The
Beginning
I began to think about building
my KR2S in 2003 when I had had enough of
paying for rental planes. I could only
afford to keep up with my biannual and a couple
short hops in a 152 at the time and was itching to
fly more. Having owned and flown my
dad's KR2 N2CC a few years earlier I knew the
design well and was comfortable with the idea of
building one. I had looked into a couple
other kits but always came back to the KR2.
The "S" model was out and after I had done some
exploring on the internet I came across the new
design parameters on Mark Langford's
website. I searched around and soon
found a project KR2S in Michigan for the right
price. I now had the beginnings of an
airplane!
It was during
this time that I had made many decisions about
how I wanted to build the airplane. It was
to be simple, easy to maintain, improvable, and
most of all, Corvair powered. My goal was
to collect parts and necessary funds to begin building
it after the KR Gathering in 2003 and fly it
to the Gathering in 2004. One year to build
and fly. I shut off the internet and the
TV and started building. I decided against
premolded parts or making my own molds since
that takes time. But certain parts are removable
on the plane that can become molded later.
There were some very important items I
wanted on the plane. First, the front deck had
to be removable to gain acccess to the header tank,
instruments, wiring and pedals. The next
was a solid fiberglass seat and wing walk so I
could get in without pulling a muscle or learning
gymnastics. I chose a bigger canopy
for better visability and interior room.
The bigger baggage areas have also been
a real improvement. The wing tanks were made
out of 4" PVC to make installation inexpensive
and easy. Yes, they may hav
weighed a little bit more that I had hoped but the
simplicity was nice.
The engine is a
2700cc standard Corvair conversion built IAW
William Wynne's Corvair Conversion Manual. I
had attended a couple corvair colleges and found
the engine to be perfect for my needs. By
being frugal I built the engine for about 2500.00
and had a dependable 100 HP engine.
This engine has been the real secret to the
airplane's success and I owe William Wynne and
those at FLYCORVAIR.com a lot for their
help.
Progress
continued to go well on the plane
during 2003. Winter in southern Georgia
is not harsh so I was able to work on glass
and sanding without delay. I spent about
four hours a day and somedays spent up to 14 hours
working on the plane. Being a bodyworking
guru due to my auto business I did not
find all the sanding so tedious. There are
many areas on the plane that are rough to me
but I can always touch up later. One of
the main secrets to finishing a KR is to work on
it a little every day and at the end of the week
you can look back and see a lot of
progress.
Again I stuck with the K.I.S.S. principle and
built the wings in the common hand layup and I
stayed away from flaps. A simple belly
board would be added to the bottom of the fuselage
for a drag device.
VFR - Although
I'm IFR rated I did not want to fly this
airplane in bad weather, besides, I don't enjoy
it. I really dont mind getting stuck
and have learned to try to not be in a hurry when
I fly. I truly believe that the
flying I do should be enjoyable as much as
possible, so I chose a simple VFR
panel. It also costs a lot less.
I have less than $1000 invested in radios and
instrumentation and I have been
able to do a lot of
flying.
Success!
Yes,
I was able to finish the airplane in time for my
goal. First flight of N41768 was August
26th, 2004. It was towards dusk that I
lined up on 36 at Valdosta, Georgia airport
and took off. A smooth as glass takoff,
pattern, and a squeeker landing ended that first
flight. I put the airplane away. I
had flying work to do now. I only
had a few days to fly off the 40 test period before
the KR Gathering in Mt. Vernon, IL.
It was only a couple days before the Gathering
that I finished the testing.
Elaine and I loaded up and fly to Illinois
and arrived only 3.8 hours later - nonstop
- 720 miles. I could not believe it.
We averaged about 198 MPH along the way (nice
tailwind). I was really pleased with the
airplane now. It had been a lot
of work but N41768 had helped me achieve the
goal I had set. One year of building and a
few months of scrounging parts had brought into
being a nice flying, quick
airplane for less than 8000.00. I
was elated.
N41768 has brought me many adventures and new
friends. It is had to thank a object
for such things but I think in this case I
can. The people involved in these
pursuits have been an inspiration and
encouragement to me. It has made the time
and money invested more than
worthwhile.
Look
for a more complete section about the building of
N41768 later
on........
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