Lancair IV explained

The Lancair IV and IV-P are a family of four-seat, low-wing, retractable-gear, composite monoplanes powered by a 550in3 Continental TSIO-550 twin-turbocharged 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 at sea level, and capable of operating at altitudes as high as .

By the fall of 2011, 110 Lancair IVs and 250 IV-Ps had been completed and were flying.

In July 2016, the company announced it would sell the older Lancair lines of aircraft, including the Lancair IV, to concentrate on the Lancair Evolution instead. Once the transition was complete, the company changed its name to the Evolution Aircraft Company. The buyer of the old lines of aircraft continued in business as Lancair International, LLC.[5]

Operational history

In 2014, Bill Harrelson piloted a Lancair IV, and set a world speed record for solo flight between the earth's poles for an aircraft under 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 of fuel.[6]

Variants

Lancair IV
  • Unpressurized four seat kit-plane, powered by a 3500NaN0 Continental TSIO-550 engine
    Lancair IV-P
  • Pressurized four seat kit-plane, powered by a 3500NaN0 Continental TSIO-550 engine
    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 6000NaN0 Orenda OE600 V-8 engine, giving it a cruise speed of 4050NaN0. The engine was later cancelled, and consequently, only prototypes of the aircraft were completed.[7]
    RDD Enterprises LX7
  • A re-manufactured version that converted an existing IV-P by replacing the wing with one with a new airfoil to reduce stall speed, a new fuel system, new interior, and avionics.[8]

    Accidents

    On November 11, 2023 a Lancair IV-P overran the runway at Aero Country Airport (T31) in McKinney, TX.

    As of June 2014, the NTSB Aviation Accident Database recorded 20 crashes involving 18 fatalities across all IV variants.[9]

    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.[10] [11]

    External links

    Notes and References

    1. Vandermeullen, Richard: 2011 Kit Aircraft Buyer's Guide, Kitplanes, Volume 28, Number 12, December 2011, page 59. Belvoir Publications. ISSN 0891-1851
    2. Kitplanes Staff: 2008 Kit Aircraft Directory, page 59, Kitplanes Magazine December 2007 Volume 24, Number 12, Belvior Publications, Aviation Publishing Group LLC.
    3. Bayerl, Robby; Martin Berkemeier; et al: World Directory of Leisure Aviation 2011-12, page 106. WDLA UK, Lancaster UK, 2011. ISSN 1368-485X
    4. Web site: Our Aircraft. 15 November 2012. Lancair. Lancair. 2012.
    5. Web site: Lancair To Sell Legacy Assets In Favor Of Evolution Series - AVweb flash Article. avweb.com. 30 July 2016.
    6. AOPA Pilot. Over the poles. Dan Namowitz, Dave Hirschman. March 2015. 43.
    7. Purdy, Don: AeroCrafter - Homebuilt Aircraft Sourcebook, Fifth Edition, page 190. BAI Communications, 15 July 1998.
    8. Web site: LX7: A Thoroughly Reworked Lancair IV-P. 15 July 2019. Cook. Marc. AVweb. 23 July 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190725003834/https://www.avweb.com/aviation-news/lx7-a-thoroughly-reworked-lancair-iv-p/. 25 July 2019.
    9. Web site: Accident Database & Synopses . National Transportation Safety Board . 2010-03-19.
    10. Web site: Idaho Statesman . Steve Appleton, CEO of Micron, dies in airplane crash at Boise Airport . 3 Feb 2012.
    11. Web site: CEO of chip maker Micron dies in plane crash . CBS News . 3 Feb 2012 .

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