Jeanette Rand continues to make the popular KR-2 easier and quicker to build. The latest version, the KR-2S (for "stretched"), still has the simple wood primary structure, but molded composite wing skins and upper fuselage skins are now available. The skins are made of epoxy prepreg and high temperature foam cores and are vacuum bagged and oven cured. Rand-Robinson Engineering offers drawings for installing just the new components so that existing holders of KR-2 plans can add them to their own planes without having to buy a complete set of new plans.

"Stretched," incidentally, refers to a lengthening of the standard KR-2 fuselage from 14.6 ft. to 16 ft. - thus, the KR-2S. At Sun 'n Fun '93 Wayne Heisler of Ft. Myers Beach, FL had his partially completed project on display in the Rand Robinson area as an example of the new KR-2S. It has the new tri-cycle gear option, all the premolded skins ... and a bunch of his own modifications, the most significant of which is the installation of a Subaru EA82 auto engine with a Ross 2.17 to 1 planetary reduction drive and custom intake manifold... and Formula Power electronic fuel Injection. A full size Volkswagen Rabbit radiator is mounted upright in the fuselage just aft of the seats and will be fed cooling air through a flush NACA scoop in the belly. Cooling air will be exhausted through gills located at the base of the vertical fin. A marine hose that is supposed to last 20 years in salt water will carry the coolant between the engine and radiator.

All the molded upper fuselage decking will be mounted with piano hinges for quick removal and complete access to the 20 gallon fuselage fuel tank and aft mounted radiator. Cables run all the way back to a hard mounting point in the aft end of the fuselage to carry the loads of the shoulder harnesses ... the instrument panel is removable in about 10 minutes.., and additional wing walk reinforcement has been built in. Wayne Heisler and his wife, Cynthia, are originally from Chicago and operate a photo business in Ft. Myers Beach. Wayne learned to fly 8 years ago at the Michigan City, IN airport. He currently has about 1,000 hours in his KR-2S project, much of which is in his own modifications.

For more information on the new KR-2S, contact Rand-Robinson Engineering, Inc., 15641 Product Lane, Suite A-5, Huntington Beach, CA 92649, phone: 714/898-3811.