Steve Trentman's Turbine Powered KR2T


Steve Trentman's Turbine Powered KR2T


This is Steve Trentman's Turbine powered KR2T. He emailed me these pictures. This is what he has to say about it:

It isn't the most fuel economic KR around, with fuel burn between 9 and 18 gallons per hour, before I put on the NSI prop and the larger intakes I would cruse around 150 at 12gph I haven't as of yet found the settings to use for cruse yet. I do know it will have to cruse at high altitudes for any cross countries (10,000 feet) Last time I was up there fuel burn dropped around 2 gph more then lower altitudes.

It does climb pretty well, I don't know exactly at what it pegs the 2,000 foot vsi that I have, I haven't been to 10,000 with the NSI prop but before it would still climb around 1500 fpm at 10,000 on partial power around 90percent.

Landings now are lots of fun with the NSI prop, The engine being a free turbine I can control the N1 rpm (power) and the N2 rpm (prop speed) Throttle controls N1 and the prop varies in pitch from 20 deg beta to 33 deg alfa. I can now set rate of decent with the prop, before I used a belly board that now may be removed. Setting the prop to 10 deg and throttle to idle and maintaining 70 mph indicated gives me around 750fpm and I can still use throttle to climb with this setting. I can use down to 0 deg (tip of blade) and decent pretty good without picking up speed.

Over the fence at 65 throttle to idle and as wheels touch put the prop to beta idle and no brakes needed except to keep direction brings it to a nice stop.

It idles at 0 thrust at 1900 to 2000 rpm so I use the prop to control taxi and that really gets attention for it sounds like (a hanger friend told me) Half a KingAir.

I had a really fun thing happen when I went to Ponca City with it the first time. The FBO manager came running out of his office when he saw a line person pull the JetA truck up in front of the KR, (he only saw it from behind) he slowed down a little when he saw the exhaust pipe. I won the Stan Dezic mem. award trophy at Oshkosh in 96 with this plane, they parked me next to the Legend and the Stewart 51, (what a great first Oshkosh!!!!).

But I would like to set some records for turbo prop under 1200 lbs,(it is blank still as far as I know) before the pending sell to a gentleman in Australia. I hate to sell but I have an Allison C-18 engine in my garauge,(140lbs 317hp) I would like to get flying.

I live in Tulsa, OK and the plane is hangered at Tom and Dan Diehl's hanger.