I have made the nose gear conversion on my retract gear KR-2. Dan Diehl did sell the nose gear, but he was in negotiation with Brian Kraute http://www.engalt.com/ to sell the rights along with the wing skin design and molds. Check with Dan at http://www.diehlaero.com/landing.htm The Diehl nose gear bracket bolts to the front face of the fire wall and has two struts that bolt to the Great Plains VW engine mount. Any other engine or engine mount may require some welding work. Pay real close attention to where the starter and carburetor are located versus those two struts. Not so fast, just turning the brackets around to mount on the rear of the spar may require extensive rework to clear the aileron control cables or push rods, fuel lines, brake lines, electrical wires and perhaps wing walks. Drilling the holes through the spars may take some extra effort: The KR-2 spar is not as high as the KR-2S. Match drilling from the rear of the spar through the gear leg bracket may require access through the top and bottom of the stub wing and subsequent repair for the holes in the wing surface. The tail dragger version holes in the brackets are not completely symetrical; You will need to drill some new holes in the spar. The stub wing skin will intrude on the face of the spar where the gear leg bracket will need to be. For all of the above: Been there, done that. How much time to make the conversion? My log book totals are 340.6 hours. Your results may vary.
Sid Wood Tri-gear KR-2 N6242 Mechanicsville, MD, USA smw...@md.metrocast.net ---------------------------------------------------------------------- At 02:00 PM 4/9/2009, you wrote: > Supposing for the sake or argument that I buy a TD KR, and don't like >it. Is the nosegear conversion still available from Diehl? How >difficult and how much time would it take to convert to FT gear? >-Dj ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ >If you purchase a taildragger with Diehl gear you have 1/2 of the necessary components to convert to nose dragger. The main gear is relocated to the rear of the spar and a nose wheel added. It will necessitate cutting out a portion of the bottom of the wing to gain access but a bit of foam and glass work will fill the hole. I've not actually done the procedure so someone with experience might provide better advise. The nose gear assembly should be available from Diehl also. There may be info with pic's on the Diehl site for the conversion. Larry Flesner
