It has been a while since I posted a update on the KR. It is now flying! This is a plans built KR-2 with a VW 2180. Took its first flight in late October 2013. No surprises. I have the original Rand fixed gear that looks very close to the Grove gear. Visibility over the nose on the ground in nonexistent, but ground handling is good as well as handling in flight. I biased the cg toward the front to keep it stable and plus it is easy to correct a nose heavy aircraft. My cg is around 1.5 inches in front of the center of lift with me in the plane and low fuel. Of course the pilot has shed around 30 lbs since then, so it has move a little further forward.
The aircraft seems straight, with the elevator trimmed, if I let go of the controls I get a very gentile turn to the right. When the power is pulled back and the stock flaps are extended to descend, the nose gets very heavy, but the plane is stable and easy to land. The only real problem I have is getting the Revflow carburetor to work properly. It keeps trying to kill me or at least keep my heart rate up. I have talked to Joe Horvath he is going grind a needle with a different taper on it to see can get to settle in. I have a Tillotson HD that I am about ready to try. I also still have the Zenith I used on my old KR that worked very well for the twenty years I flew it. I hope to get some wheel pants and a coarser prop on the plane soon and get it ready to make the gathering this year. I currently have an old Sterba Prop, (54x46) that I have had as a spare for many years. It came with an engine I purchased in 1987 and does a great job flying around the valley here in Grand Junction, but the engine needs more pitch on the prop. With the Rand fixed gear I have plenty of ground clearance for a longer prop. With the 54 inch prop, and in a level attitude I have 14 inches of ground clearance but I am not sure what combination of pitch and length will work best. Its Great to be back in the air. These little planes will keep you grinning. Roger Bulla rbulla2 at wic.net
