Steve Andersen's KR2S Project


Steve Andersen's KR2S Project

created July 12, 2002

Below are some pictures I took of Steve Andersen's KR2S during a June 2002 visit with Gene Knight in Gulf Shores, Alabama. Steve and Gene built what will surely become an award winning Lancair IVP, which was good practice for the KR2S shown below. His workmanship is nothing short of outstanding. Steve has been a life-long A&P, specializing in composite repair on bizjets. Steve started his airplane at a time when I was posting details of my airplane, split flaps, and that sort of thing, and that I'd make my plane a little longer next time around. This KR2S is essentially an extra 24" longer than a KR2, so it's about an extra bay longer. Any similarity to Larry Flesner's plane is not coincidental...they are the same length, and both have gull-wing doors.


This is the plug, from which the mold, from which the gullwing canopy was made.


Here's the flat wrapped windshield, with carbon fiber frame. The tinted stuff is backing material, not tinted plexiglas.


The gullwings are complete, having been laid up in the female mold (half of which is shown on the left). Steve told me that Troy Petteway's gull-wing door was also made from these same molds.


This is one very sharp looking tailwheel, which could be faired in very easily. Tail spring is hand-laid 1/4" thick carbon fiber. I think I've got tailwheel envy...


Fuel tank, upside down, before completion.



Nice split flap. This guy's a genius!


Rand Robinson flap handle.



There's your access panel for elevator bellcrank inspection. Made of carbon fiber, no less.



Carbon fiber seat pan spans between the spars, and is very light.



Rudder is removable, and has three hinges.


Notice the oilite bushings.


Fine detail work. This guy makes me look like a slob!


MAC trim servo location on rudder.


Aileron (wing's upside down).


Stub wing to outer wing gap is built into the wings...no need for gap seals.


This is what they painted the Lancair with, and Gene's winglet KR2S.

Fast forward to late 2011...I needed an airplane to tide me over until I could build the plane I'd been planning on building for years, since N56ML was damaged, and I didn't want to spend the time to repair it...rather I'd put that time into the "next generation" airplane. It just so happened that Steve had finally realized that he wasn't going to finish his KR2S during his lifetime, so he put it up for sale on Barnstormers. Larry Flesner called me a short time later and told me about this very nice plane for sale right here in Huntsville, and that I should go check it out. I thought it might be just the ticket to get back in the air quickly, and immediately recognized it as Steve Anderson's KR2S from Gulf Shores. I thought (and still do) that about 200-300 hours would have it flying, and almost everything needed was included...all instruments, transponder, radio, MAC servos, you name it. It just needed the body work done and "finishing up". So I bought it.

I was in the middle of a life-consuming job at work, and a year went by without me so much as touching the thing. That's when I decided I needed a "turn-key" airplane that I could simply buy and fly, so I bought N891JF. I was wrong about the "turn-key" part, but I do have 1JF flying reliably now, and am ready to start my next airplane. So this one is up for sale for what I paid for it, $9k. I have full photo albums of the constructions, receipts, all that stuff, so registering it as Experimental will be easy as clearly more than 50% is amateur-built. This allows the builder to obtain the Repairman's Certificate for the plane, so you can do your own annual condition inspection. This plane is at a perfect stage to choose your own paint scheme. See below for more details...


Looks a lot like Larry Flesner's plane, as they are the same length (a 24" stretch longer than the stock KR2 plans, or 8" longer than a KR2S). Airfoil is the RAF48, like Larry's.




Engine is a VW Type 4, 2400cc (Corvairs are typically 2700cc), with Force One hub and bearing. The carb is a new Aerocarb. Note twin coated exhaust pipes, which I believe are "Cermachromed" inside and out. These engines are a big improvement over the Type 1 Beetle engine, the same as was installed in the Porsche 914 (except this one's bored even bigger).


Brakes are new Groves, almost Cleveland knockoffs with the same design, piston diameter, and stopping rating.


All baffling is done and tightly fitted, as well as cowling.


Gear legs have carbon fiber inspection plates as well, and would facilitate a longer gear upgrade if desired. Black linkage to the left is the split flap bellcrank.


Instrument panel includes an electric artificial horizon. Note how it's angled in for better pilot view, and each sector is screwed in place and is easily removed. The frame is entirely carbon fiber, and the removable inserts are aluminum. Radio is a 2.25" Flightline FL-760, installed on the left next to the intercom and Hobbs meter. ASI indicates true airspeed directly. MGL EGT/CHT box is on the right side. Four EGT and four CHT probes are installed and wired to this unit. The instrument panel is not installed at the moment...it's mounted with only a few screws, and Molex quick disconnects make it easy.


Cowling is complete already.


Elevator is two-piece, and removable.


Sticks were mounted, and pivot in these bearings.


Aft deck, with carbon fiber roll bar.


Elevator cables built and run already.


Here I was weighing the plane, with just about everything in it (panel, seat, etc), but missing wings and cowling. The electronic scale read 274 pounds, and the bathroom scale on the other side would presumably read about the same. Wings are about 55 each, and cowling is something like 15 pounds, so that's a total of about 670 pounds. That's about right, as the Type 4 is lighter than a Corvair, and mine weighed in at 760 when it was finished. Weight on the tailwheel is almost nothing, given that the wings are removed. I have lead weights on the tail to keep it from nosing over right now, which is typical for no wings.


Cylinders are drilled for dual plugs, and a new Slick 4316 mag is mounted and wired to the main plugs, although a secondary ignition system is not installed (or provided).


Best I can tell, the engine has not been run. Electric primer solenoid is installed and plumbed, and it looks like it would fire up and run. Battery is an Odyssey 680 AGM. Alternator is internal to the Diehl case.


Oil cooler is a "real airplane" cooler with plenty of fin area. Inlet hose connects to a hose from a NACA duct on the cowling, for positive airflow.





Gull wing door is held up with an air-strut. The window is missing from this one, but all molds are included with the plane, so it's easy to make another one that fits perfectly.


Note rivnuts for the wing gap seals, which are already made from carbon fiber. There are interior wall panels already made and fitted, made from carbon fiber (not shown anywhere, unfortunately, but they're done and exist). The bottoms of the wings are made of honeycomb material for high strength and light weight.


Dual fuel pumps. Some tie-wraps are in order, but everything is there. The tank is a single header tank. I'm not sure of the volume, but it's pretty big. Rudder pedal welds are masterful, and tubing is thick-wall.


Here are the wings, which are KR2S length. Note submerged aileron counterweights to reduce drag. Cowling appears to be a modified Revmaster cowling, with nicely aerodynamic shape. Pitot tube is midway out on the wing, nicely done.

Again, I paid $9000 for it and considered it a bargain. First $9k buys it...


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