The flying KR pictured above is Wes Evans' KR2, N42CW. This outstanding aircraft won the Ken Rand Memorial Award at the 1981 and 1982 El Mirage EAA Regional Fly-ins. Wes was the first one to upgrade a KR2 from VW to 0200 power.
Click a picture above to see it full sized. Click this link to pictures of the week
I have been building N52BL for a long time and have found that I enjoy building aircraft very much. One of the best things about homebuilt aircraft is the people. It takes a special kind of person to devote enough time and energy to a project like building your own aircraft and it's always a joy to be involved with special people. Along the way I have acquired many skills that I would have never learned through other hobbies. I designed and built an autopilot including etching the circuit boards. I have as many hours invested in that part of the project as the plans state it takes to build an entire KR2. After twenty years involved in working on my KR, I have decided that without definite requirements, the scope of the project will continue to expand as opportunities present themselves for learning new skills. TIG welding stainless steel for the exhaust system is an example of a skill that I have learned through the homebuilding process. To limit the fun that I am having building, I have decided to apply a little project management to my hobby. With a little more focus I can get this bird in the air and still enjoy the building process as I evolve the bird over time.
Purpose: The purpose of N52BL is to provide me the opportunity to meet and get to know interesting people, to learn a variety of complex aircraft construction techniques and to balance that activity with the other important areas of my life.
Mission: The mission of N52BL is to set the flight distance record for single engine aircraft under 100 horsepower between Atlanta, GA, USA and Saint Thomas, USVI (see flight plan). The flight plan illustrates that the mission can be accomplished with favorable winds which establishes the baseline performance requirements for N52BL. Why this mission you might ask? Because it's never been done so If I get there I get the record. Then I go on "island time mon" and rest up for the flight home!
Timeline: This requirement was added to the project in late 2001. Unfortunately job changes and startup of a new business have delayed my 2006 completion date. Therefore I have established the following time requirements for this project: The first flight of N52BL will occur on or before July 4, 2008 and the first record attempt will occur by July 4, 2009.
Budget: This area of the project is not clearly defined. However with the major components already purchased such as engine, instruments, and airframe, this section is not critical to the success of the project. The project will be considered to be critically constrained by time and the use of available funding such as it is. Here's a picture of a magnet that is on my refrigerator.
Performance: To help provide input to the various design trade offs that must be made in the project I develop a spread sheet to project aircraft performance given the many designer choices associated with building your own aircraft. The first worksheet describes the other pages in detail. Basically there are tables of data that are used to calculate aircraft performance and from these tables aircraft performance graphs are plotted. You can take a look if you have excel by clicking on this link: acperfrm.xls
Requirements: The mission and performance characteristics of N52BL set the following aircraft system requirements: Turbo-charging, oxygen, autopilot, cruise prop, 1800 NM range plus reserves, eleven hour endurance, food and water supply, over water safety gear, relief tube, redundant navigation equipment capable of searching for closest available landing site along the planned route., Day/night IFR capability, heater, cabin CO sensor.
Description: N52BL is a plans built KR2 using a Great Plains 2600cc Type IV VW engine that I have inter-cooled and turbo-charged with a custom built AirResearch turbo-charger capable of sustaining rated power to FL250. N52BL uses the stock retractable landing gear in the tail-dragger configuration. The wing is built to plans dimensions except for substitution of the AS5046 airfoil section for it's improved cruise performance. A three axis electronically controlled trim system is employed that is integrated into an autopilot capable of heading and altitude hold with yaw damping.
Flight Test: N52BL will have a formal flight test plan. That plan is currently under development. The draft plan is described in the Operational Documentation Manuals section under Flight Test. The flight test area is shown in sectional chart format as a twenty-five nautical mile radius from LZU, Gwinnet County, in Lawrenceville, GA.
Objective: The objective of this project is to use my avocation for aviation to develop skills in managing extremely complex projects and balancing the difficult choices required to make progress in all areas of my life.
Mission: The mission of N52BL is to set the single engine under 100HP record for a flight from Atlanta, Georgia, USA to Saint Thomas, USVI. This requires a range of 1755 sm. and an endurance of over 11 hours.
Equipment List: The following list of equipment is mandated by the mission of N52BL: Autopilot, Turbocharged engine, Wing Tanks, IFR equipped, In Flight Adjustable Prop, Relief Tube, Three Axis Adjustable Trim. Oxygen, Over Water Emergency Equipment
Performance: In order to develop the requirements for N52BL a spread sheet was designed that calculates performance across a wide range of airspeeds and altitudes. The spread sheet has a switch that determines if the engine is turbocharged or normally aspirated. The resulting data is graphed to provide: R/C, Angle of Climb, Power, Fuel Flow, Range, Glide Distance from Altitude, Lift over Drag, Endurance, Miles Per Gallon, Thrust Required vs Thrust Available vs Altitude, and a VN diagram. Download acperfrm.xls
Design: N52BL is a plans built KR2 using the stock retract gear system, an AS5046 wing, and a Great Plains Aircraft Supply 2600cc VW type IV engine that is turbo-normalized.
