Last night the sound of spinning wheels struck the inside of my cranium like so much black rubber on a gravel road. Rocks and dust flying every where, with plenty of fun to be had, but the vehicle was just doing doughnuts.
I was spending so much time analyzing airplane plans and budget accommodations and calendaring out my training schedule that the goal was obscured by a very low ceiling of dust. So, early this morning I pulled up my list of craft, combined it with the list from the EAA's Sport Pilot E-LSA list and made three choices:
- My initial craft of choice is the Rand KR-2 or the KR-2S. They are both wood and composite construction, sturdy, have side-by-side seating in an enclosed cockpit, enjoy a large active following of builders and pilots, can utilize several flavors of VW powerplants and is relatively inexpensive. There are some drawbacks: neither match the E-LSA requirements because of their higher clean stall speed; and it is reported that the real build time can be three years or more. There are active discussions on-line about making the KR-2 E-LSA compliant, and several builders have managed to get the stall to within 10 MPH of the LSA required 45 MPH.
- I need something sooner than two or three years. If all goes well, I will have my Private Pilot's License before the end of the year. There is NO desire to pay $100 + per hour to rent a Cessna or Piper to maintain my abilities until my KR is done, so I need something else. I need a small, simple one seater to fly. Speed does not matter and neither does construction. So, this weekend, I will locate something that matches these requirements.
- Just one hour ago I joined the EAA. Almost every builder who is a member seems to say that the $40 to join is worth ten times that.
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