Hey the Evolution is out!

P&W PT6A-135A, max cruise 338 knots, 24,000 feet in 8 minutes!

What a hot rod.

http://www.lancair.com/

Check it out, not what I would call a back country bird. Can cover the country though.

Bub

Kit or certified? And what's it cost to build or buy? Don't know why I'm asking, can't afford to do either one. And wouldn't want to either- cruising along at FL 240 looking at the TV screens & digital readouts is not my cup of tea. But 300+ KIAS at 100' off the deck-- now you're talking!

Eric

Eric,

I didn't see the cost anywhere in the information. I would bother asking either as I couldn't afford it. I do believe it is a kit, and they offer builder assist.

I know of a Lancair IV with a twin turbo IO-550, and I thought I heard that about $450,000 was the completed price. Top of the line everything though.

I'll stick with what I have for a bit. Well equipped for my taste, and costs more than I can afford

See ya, Bub

A guy on the field built the previous generation of the turbine lanceair.

IMHO it didn't carry enough fuel and I don't know about being in a kit aircraft that high. If things go wrong in the mid flight levels they go bad very fast.

-Todd Giencke

Well last week wasn't a good one for Lancair flyers.

One down South of Albany Oreogn 3 aboard, and then a Doctor at PDX.

First knee jerk I saw came by way of a poll on KOIN.

Is small plane more dangerous than multi engine commercial planes?

Big percentage said yes. Go figure.

I'd just a soon fly all over the country in my 182 as ride the Airlines.
No offense to the Airline Pilots flying the heavy iron. I just like to see the country and have the option of "Hey let's land there".

See ya, Bub

Is small plane more dangerous than multi engine commercial planes?

My understanding from the AOPA Flight Safety course I took, is that the risk flying as a private pilot is rated the same as riding a motorcycle. That is about 18 times more dangerous than a car.

You ride cycles too don't you Bub?

complete with builder asist evolution comes to around
$1,000,000

That's allot of 0's

new lancair....$1M
new A36....$500K
ability to land in a back 40...priceless

Skystrider wrote:

Is small plane more dangerous than multi engine commercial planes?

My understanding from the AOPA Flight Safety course I took, is that the risk flying as a private pilot is rated the same as riding a motorcycle. That is about 18 times more dangerous than a car.

You ride cycles too don't you Bub?

Yikes, I do! Actually I'm a real dare devil. Ride motorcycles, fly single engine airplanes, drink barley pop, eat red meat, and been known to jay walk once in a awhile.

However I fully expect to live until I die. Which by the tone of the wifes voice, maybe anytime in the next ten mi.......n.. utes......

See ya, Bub

I Think that Id be a little hesitant of flying that high in a kit plane also, its a long way down.
I flew my Pacer from Bangor to Anchorage last summer and I'd do it again in a moment. I think I like little planes better than the Jet , but it is a blast also.
I'm also in the don't have a million dollars club for an airplane. For that matter , for anything else.
Well: fast,slow,high or low fly'en is live'n
Tom

On the portland news tonight they said something like: "Why all of the crashes with the experimental aircraft", and then they went on to talk about the Doctor from K Falls that crashed at PDX. Isn't the Columbia a production built instead of an experimental plane? I know it is the Cessna 400 now but when it was the Columbia400 it was not a kit was it? Bob

Colombia aircraft were fully FAA certified.

The Lancair's are kit airplanes designed by Lance Neibauer. He designed several planes, including the Lancair 4. Then his company took the Lancair IV kit plane and certified it. To differentiate the certified planes from the kits, they spun them off into a separate company, Columbia and called the first one the Columbia 300. They then created the 350 (all electric) and 400, more HPs.

The certified company just couldn't keep up with the Cirrus, and ran into financial trouble last year when a FREAK hailstorm dinged up several new planes sitting on their ramp awaiting delivery. As they went into bankruptcy, Cessna came along and bought them. Cessna is now offering the certified planes as the Cessna 350 and 400.

The kitplane company is still going strong. The Lancair 4 was also offered as a -P (pressurized) and -PT (Pressurized, TURBINE). It is a true rocketship, but was very limited in range. It was a typical "4" place airplane: carry 4 people and a little gas or 2 people and more gas or 2 skinny guys like me and full gas.

The Evolution is touted as a True 4 person airplane. They claim you can carry 4 full-sized adults, baggage, and FULL fuel and still be within weight and cg limits. The full fuel payload is 814 pounds! Rate of climb is FOUR THOUSAND FPM!!! Fast-build kit is $250,000...so triple that cost and add some and you get the idea. Here's the link:

http://www.lancair.com/Main/evo.html

The Lanairs are what brought me into the world of experimental aviation. I saw a Columbia 300 on the ramp at a fly-in I went to in a Cherokee 180. I thought it was the coolest, sexiest plane I had ever seen. The salesman told me that if I couldn't afford to buy the certified 300, just build the -4. I didn't even know what a kit plane was! Ever since then I've looked and lusted. But the reality is that I'd rather go slower and land shorter, than fly higher and faster. I do enough of that in my day job.

tgiencke wrote:A guy on the field built the previous generation of the turbine lanceair.

IMHO it didn't carry enough fuel and I don't know about being in a kit aircraft that high. If things go wrong in the mid flight levels they go bad very fast.

-Todd Giencke

For that matter, if you're falling, what's the difference between 200' and 20,000' except the time to impact? The outcome will be the same.
Might as well experience and enjoy all we have available for whatever time we're allowed.