Lancair IV
| Lancair IV | |
|---|---|
 | |
| A Lancair IV-P, with a non-standard four-bladed propeller | |
| Role | Homebuilt aircraft |
| Manufacturer | Lancair |
| Status | Production completed 2012 |
| Produced | 360 (2011)[1] |
| Unit cost | |
| Variants | Lancair Propjet Lancair Tigress |
The Lancair IV and IV-P are a family of four-seat low-wing retractable-gear composite monoplanes powered by a 550 cubic inch Continental turbo-normalised piston engine.[1][2][3]
Production of the aircraft kit was ended in 2012.[4]
Development
The Lancair IV and IV-P were designed by Lancair around the Continental TSIO-550 - a twin turbocharged engine that is capable of developing 350 hp (261 kW) at sea level and capable of operating altitudes as high as 29,000 feet.[1][3]
By the fall of 2011 110 Lancair IVs and 250 IV-Ps had been completed and were flying.[1]
In July 2016 the company announced it would be selling the older Lancair lines of aircraft to concentrate on the Lancair Evolution instead. Once the transition is complete the company will change its name to the Evolution Aircraft Company.[5]
Operational history
In 2014, Bill Harrelson piloted a Lancair IV setting a world speed record for solo flight between the earth's poles for an aircraft under 3,000 kilograms (6,600 lb) in a 175-hour-long series of flights. The flight also broke a record from Fairbanks, Alaska to Kinston, North Carolina. The aircraft was modified to hold 361 U.S. gallons (1,370 L; 301 imp gal) of fuel.[6]
Variants
- Lancair IV
- Unpressurized four seat kit-plane, powered by a 350 hp (261 kW) Continental TSIO-550 engine[1][3]
- Lancair IV-P
- Pressurized four seat kit-plane, powered by a 350 hp (261 kW) Continental TSIO-550 engine[1][3]
- Lancair Propjet
- Pressurized four seat kit-plane, powered by either a Walter or a PT6 Pratt & Whitney turboprop, that can achieve cruise speeds in excess of 300 knots (556 km/h) at altitudes up to 30,000 feet (9,140 m).
- Lancair Tigress
- A proposed pressurized version using the 600 hp (447 kW) Orenda OE600 V-8 engine, giving it a cruise speed of 405 mph (652 km/h). The engine was later cancelled and consequently only prototypes of the aircraft were completed.[7]
Accidents
As of June 2014, the NTSB Aviation Accident Database records 20 crashes involving 18 fatalities across all IV variants.[8]
On February 3, 2012, Steve Appleton, CEO of Micron Technology, Inc., was killed while attempting an emergency landing in a Lancair IV-PT turboprop at the Boise Airport in Boise, Idaho, moments after takeoff. He had aborted a take off a few minutes earlier.[9][10]
Specifications (Lancair IV-P)
Data from Lancair websites[11][12]
General characteristics
- Crew: one
- Capacity: three passengers
- Length: 25 ft 0 in (7.62 m)
- Wingspan: 35 ft 6 in (10.82 m)
- Wing area: 98 sq ft (9.1 m2)
- Aspect ratio: 9:1
- Empty weight: 2,200 lb (998 kg)
- Gross weight: 3,550 lb (1,610 kg)
- Fuel capacity: 90 U.S. gallons (340 L; 75 imp gal), 110 U.S. gallons (420 L; 92 imp gal) with extended tanks
- Powerplant: 1 × Continental TSIO-550 six cylinder, horizontally opposed piston engine, 350 hp (260 kW)
- Propellers: 3-bladed Hartzell PHC-H3YF-1RF, constant speed, 6.33 ft 76 in (3.86 m) diameter
Performance
- Cruising speed: 253 mph; 407 km/h (220 kn) at 24,000 feet
- Stall speed: 70 mph; 113 km/h (61 kn) in landing configuration
- Never exceed speed: 315 mph; 507 km/h (274 kn)
- Range: 1,550 mi (1,347 nmi; 2,494 km) with reserves at 8000 feet
- Endurance: 6.0 hours
- G limits: +4.4/-2.2 (utility category), +3.8/-2.0 (normal category)
- Rate of climb: 1,500 ft/min (7.6 m/s) at 3550 lbs gross weight
- Wing loading: 36.2 lb/sq ft (177 kg/m2) without winglets
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Vandermeullen, Richard: 2011 Kit Aircraft Buyer's Guide, Kitplanes, Volume 28, Number 12, December 2011, page 59. Belvoir Publications. ISSN 0891-1851
- ↑ Kitplanes Staff: 2008 Kit Aircraft Directory, page 59, Kitplanes Magazine December 2007 Volume 24, Number 12, Belvior Publications, Aviation Publishing Group LLC.
- 1 2 3 4 Bayerl, Robby; Martin Berkemeier; et al: World Directory of Leisure Aviation 2011-12, page 106. WDLA UK, Lancaster UK, 2011. ISSN 1368-485X
- ↑ Lancair (2012). "Our Aircraft". Retrieved 15 November 2012.
- ↑ "Lancair To Sell Legacy Assets In Favor Of Evolution Series - AVweb flash Article". avweb.com. Retrieved 30 July 2016.
- ↑ Dan Namowitz, Dave Hirschman (March 2015). "Over the poles". AOPA Pilot: 43.
- ↑ Purdy, Don: AeroCrafter - Homebuilt Aircraft Sourcebook, Fifth Edition, page 190. BAI Communications, 15 July 1998. ISBN 0-9636409-4-1
- ↑ "Accident Database & Synopses". National Transportation Safety Board. Retrieved 2010-03-19.
- ↑ "Steve Appleton, CEO of Micron, dies in airplane crash at Boise Airport". Idaho Statesman. 3 Feb 2012.
- ↑ "CEO of chip maker Micron dies in plane crash". CBS News. 3 Feb 2012.
- ↑ Lancair IV-P Specifications
- ↑ rts-services.com/Schaefer/LancAir/N144RT-FlightManual.doc
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Lancair IV. |