Photograph:
Tri-R Industries Kis TR-1 VH-AIG (c/n Q055) at Wedderburn, NSW in February 2012 (David C Eyre)
Country of origin:
United States of America
Description:
Two-seat sport monoplane
Power Plant:
One 93 kw (125 hp) Continental IO-240 four-cylinder horizontally-opposed air-cooled engine
Specifications:
- Wingspan: 7.01 m (23 ft)
- Length: 6.7 m (22 ft)
- Height: 1.82 m (6 ft)
- Wing area: 8.17 m² (88 sq ft)
- Max speed: 314 km/h (195 mph)
- Cruising speed: 273 km/h 170 mph
- Rate of climb: 335 m/min (1,100 ft/min)
- Service ceiling: 5,181 m (17,000 ft)
- Stalling speed: 88 km/h (55 mph)
- Range: 1,207 km (750 miles)
- Take-off roll: 229 m (750 ft)
- Landing roll: 335 m (1,100 ft)
- Fuel capacity: 129 litres (28 imp gals)
- Empty weight: 385 kg (850 lb)
- Loaded weight: 658 kg (1,450 lb)
History:
Designed by Richard Trickle and Vance Jaqua, and first flown in 1991, the KIS is a two-seat all-composite amateur-built aircraft sold in kit form, the name KIS being an abbreviation of “keep it simple”. Marketed by Tri-R Technologies of Oxnard, California, it could be completed in tricycle (TR-1) or tailwheel (TD) configuration. Construction was pre-moulded fuselage and wings moulded in high temperature epoxy pre-impregnated fibreglass and carbon fibre with either Divinyall foam or honeycomb core cured under pressure at 121 degrees celsius (250 degrees Farenheight). Pre-welded metal parts were supplied to lessen the workload of the builder. The wing was detachable for transportation.
Basic variants of the KIS were fitted with the 60 kw (80 hp) Limbach engine; the KIS Super with the 90 kw (120 hp) Continental IO-240, later known as the TR-1; and the KIS TD with an 88 kw (118 hp) Continental O-235-C1B engine. In later times a new variant was released, the KIS TR-4 Cruiser, a four-seat variant fitted with the Lycoming O-360 engine of 134 kw (180 hp). In 1999 development and production of the type was obtained by the Pulsar Aircraft Corporation of El Monte, California, and subsequently it was sold in kit form as the Pulsar Sport 150.
New models became available with a variety of power plants, including the 60 kw (80 hp) Limbach 200, 75 kw (100 hp) Continental O-200, 88 kw (118 hp) Lycoming O-235, 93 kw (125 hp) Lycoming O-320, and the 93 kw (125 hp) Continental IO-235. It could be completed with a tricycle undercarriage or with a tailwheel.
First of the type in this region was c/n Q.055 which became VH-AIG, later based at Maitland, NSW; followed by New Zealand assembled kit ZK-KIS (c/n 61) owned by Scientific Management Associates Pty Ltd; being followed in November 2006 by VH-TRI (c/n 1) based in Victoria.