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]
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.[5]
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.[6]
Accidents
As of June 2014, the NTSB Aviation Accident Database records 20 crashes involving 18 fatalities across all IV variants.[7]
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.[8][9]
Specifications (Lancair IV-P)
Data from Lancair websites[10][11]
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.
- ↑ 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. |
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