I resemble that remark about MG Midgets! I personally would not have a problem with driving an MG Midget everywhere I went, as long as there was someone on the other end to winch me out of the car when I arrived at my destination! One doesn't get out of the Midget (having owned a 1973 model) but rather "rolls" out to exit. Much the same way one typically doesn't step out of a KR but rather "extricates" or climbs out similar to exiting a fighter plane, NOT walking out like a commercial flight or sliding the seat back and stepping out of the ubiquitous C172! BUT, this is the appeal of the plane. To have a fun little airplane that is nimble like a fighter, if CG is managed stable for its weight and size, fast and economical to operate, and tailored to exactly what the builder desires. If one builds carefully, and manages the CG well, the KR makes a great cross country plane solo. The tight confines make remaining comfortable with 2 on board a challenge for long hours. My opinion is that if you are looking to travel to the opposite coast quickly, you are cheaper to just buy tickets and fly commercially, than having your own plane no matter what model. The idea to me is to enjoy the flight along the way at altitudes that one can see the ground and watch the land change, and see what has not been seen before, or has changed since the last season, an exploration. NO general aviation plane that I have flown that flies fast can be flown without some small monitoring attention, including the KR at speed. If you want this, fly commercially and let someone else do the flying. As WW says we do this because we are making a statement to the world of what kind of adventurer we are, and our love of flying. I would NOT want to fly our KR to Canada if I needed to be there in 2-3 days rush. But I DO fully intend to fly the COMPLETE U.S. at some point in our KR in the manner described because it is a perfect platform for that kind of exploration.
There is no better joy to me than to have 20 degrees bank on final into the wind, manage my descent to the threshold, feel the plane following my every command, round out smoothly and confidently, and while training wheel pilots are going around asking for the runway into the wind and porpoising like a home sick dolphin in ground effect, feel our KR kiss the runway on her mains, and rollout tail high on the centerline, students gawking at the hold short line, and gently set the tail down and turn off onto the taxiway assigned, and laughing all the way back to the tie down at the tri-gears S'ing on the taxiway due to improper wind correction, while I do so merely to be able to see over the nose, my vision blurred through tears of joy and laughing! RV grin my spruce..... KR YEEEEEEHAAAWWWWWW!!!!!!!! Any questions? (grounded with a sinus infection with 9 hours remaining in test period....) Colin & Beverly Rainey Apex Lending, Inc. www.eloan2004cr.com crai...@apexlending.com 407-323-6960
