Netters,
I got in 2.5 hours of flying on the KR today and WHAT A BLAST!!!
I did a few climb checks but I'll need to re-run them again and
I'll post some speed and FPM rates. The only one I'm comfortable
with right now is at 95 indicated I was getting right at 1000 fpm.
It took 1min and 4 sec to climb from 1500 to 2500. I had the
airspeed pretty much nailed on that run.
(Most of these numbers where with the following conditions:
AC empty wt. 765 pounds
pilot 200
fuel 15 -20 gal on board {90 to 120 pounds}
temp 0 degrees C altimiter 30.46)
As for the air brake. I made two decents from 2500 to 2000 feet.
I started about 200 feet high and was stabilized when passing
through 2500 feet with the power at idle both times. Using a
stop watch it took 48 seconds to decend the 500 feet with the
speed brake full up for a rate of 625 fpm. Not bad for a heavy
KR with standard wings and a 4" tip instead of an 8" tip, and
a 60" prop at idle speed.
Same thing with the speed brake at near 90 degrees and that
time the 500 foot decent took only 31 seconds for a rate of 970 fpm.
My speed brake is 9" X 30", lowers to near 90 degrees, and is
lined with 3/4" or 1" holes. It is mounted to the floor just behind
the aft spar. There is a slight airframe buffeting when deployed
but there seems to be no effect on controlability. I think it helps
to kill the float in the flare also but I can't prove that because I've
never landed without the brake being full down.
When deploying the brake I get a noticable decrease in air speed
of about 10 mph, I feel the need to add a bit of power, and the
nose is pitched down a bit for a good over-the-nose visibility.
I'm able to carry a touch of power down to very near the flare
and it seems to help stabilize the approach. Bottom line, I'd
hate to be without it. It makes the handling mirror the Tripacer
when doing a no flaps landing or a full flaps and touch of power
landing.
I still can't get over how smoothly the KR flares, hovers above
the runway and then just kisses the pavement. IT'S AWSOME!!
I even managed to get in a couple of 170mph close in passes
at about 100 feet for the boys at an out of the way airport.
A 20 degree bank and modest pull up as I passed the hangars
had them grinning from ear to ear. I also borrowed a remote
sensing tach while I was there and it turns out my tach is
about 40 to 70 rpm low between 2300 and 2500. I'm actually
getting 2570 in cruise (full throttle) when the tach indicates
2500 and 2340 at 90mph on climbout when the tach reads 2300.
I'll try to post some more accurate numbers with further tests.
Larry Flesner
