send them on Serge, I love to see pics of the only KR that I have ever flown in! Dene Collett KR2S-RT builder Port Elizabeth South Africa mailto: dene.coll...@telkomsa.net P.S: checkout www.whisperaircraft.com
----- Original Message ----- From: "Serge F. Vidal" <serge.vi...@ate-international.com> To: "'KRnet'" <kr...@mylist.net> Sent: Friday, April 16, 2004 11:34 AM Subject: KR> Updated story and pics of ZS-WEC > Some of you may remember the story of my South African registered KR2, which > transited through Tunisia (where I now live, and where aircraft are > apparentlyt not welcome!), before ending up in Orleans, France. > Well, last month, I did a trip to France in order to unpack the aircraft, > prepare it for future inspection, and start the negotiation with the local > airworthiness authorities. > First job was to unpack the aircraft. Second job was to become a member of > the local homebuilder's club, and to move the aircraft from my friend's > pivate hangar to the club's hangar. Third job was to look for damages, and > fix them. > I was much concerned about the aircraft condition, since she went through > two moves by container, and six months storage in a bad hangar at the Tunis > harbor. > Well, I found the damage to be fairly limited. Apart from the deeply > encrusted pigeon sh**, that is. The tires were flat. I found a few corroded > nuts and bolts, rusted disk brakes, rusted propeller hub. I inspected the > inside of the engine cylinders, using a bore-scope that I had bought from > Aircraft Spruce and had delivered directly to France. (I recommend that > stuff. It's called Pro-Vision; it is a cheap fiber-optics bore-scope, that > goes for about $250, depending on length and accessories, and works like a > dream). Although I am no expert on engines, I found what I thought was only > minor cylinder walls corrosion (even, and not too deep. I then sprayed > liberally some WD-40 oil in the cylinders, turned the prop by hand many, > many times over two days, then started the engine again. Works fine, sounds > good. > I also fitted the new throttle (this you may also remember), only to find > that the cable does not fit anymore, and would have to be redone. > Part of the plan was to drill inspection holes in the spars (another story > you perhaps remember). Alas, my specially built long drill bits were lost by > the airline, so, maybe next time... > The French airworthiness inspectors were very helpful. We agreed on an > inspection plan together, and I think there is good chance that I will be > able to register that machine in France one day. > Before I left, I preserved the engine again, spraying some more WD-40 in the > cylinders, plugging all the holes, and fitting preservation spark plugs. > These are home-made: I just fitted a tube to some spark plugs that I had > emptied, then filled the tube with the best dessicant I could find (rice!), > then plugged the tube. Then, somebody came along, asked a question about the > ignition, so to show how the ignition works, I turned the prop... and the > compression popped a tube open, and even popped the exhaust plugs! > Compressions are still OK, then! > Another job was to remove the South African registration marks. These being > painted on, that proved to be a mission. But the local club is well > equipped, so I could borrow an orbital sander, and it worked fine. But it is > now obvious that I will have to repaint the bird. > >From now on, until it gets a new registration, I will refer to my KR2 as > "Kilimanjaro Cloud", the name my wife chose for her. French registrations > for homebuilts are F-P***, and you can choose the last three letters. I hope > F-PLAY has not been taken yet! > Anyway, to those interested, I have plenty pictures of the aircraft, the > most interesting ones being of the engine, the interior, and the instrument > panel. > > Serge Vidal > KR2 ZS-WEC > - Taildragger, VW powered (2.4 liter, dual electronic ignition) > - Total aircraft time: 390h > - Aircraft hangared at: Orleans, France > - Pilot moaning in: Tunis, Tunisia > E-mail: serge.vi...@ate-international.com > <mailto:serge.vi...@ate-international.com> > > > _______________________________________ > to UNsubscribe from KRnet, send a message to krnet-le...@mylist.net > please see other KRnet info at http://www.krnet.org/info.html >
