The motor glider version of the KR-1 is a project Ken Rand had on the back burner for a number of years, the concept being that a KR-1 builder could have two sets of outer wing panels -- the standard short wings for fast transportation and the long wings for motor gliding. The new outer panels provide an additional ten feet of wing span (17 feet to 27 feet) and have a different airfoil than the RAF 48 used on a standard KR-1. Each starts inboard as a GA(W)-2 and flows into a GA(W)-1 at the tip. You can see the transtion from the old center section to the new outer panel's airfoil in the photograph. The only change to the standard KR-1 airframe is a slightly larger rudder. The KR Newsletter lists the following specs for the KR-1B:

            Span .......................................  27'
            Length .................................. 12' 10"
            Empty Weight ........................... 484 Ibs.
            Gross Weight ........................... 800 Ibs.
            Engine .................................. VW 1834
            Cruise ...................... 125 mph at 3200 rpm
            Stall .... 38 mph power off; 45 mph with spoilers
            Rate of Climb .......................... 1500 fpm
            Glide Ratio .......................... 21.12 to 1
            

The aircraft should have its test time flown off by the time you are reading this and drawings for the new wings are expected early in 1980. For further information contant Rand/Robinson Engineering, Inc.