Comments on: Lancair Mishaps

By: JL F

JL F — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 20:01:18 +0000

Micron CEO Steve Appleton was killed today in a firely crash in Boise Idaho. He was flying a Laincair when it caught fire in mid air accoridn to witnesses. Appleton was attempting to land when the aircraft drove into the ground at the Boise Municple airport.

Micron Corp is a wordlwide computer memory chip producer.

By: Dave T

Dave T — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 15:23:15 +0000

The reason the accident rate is so high is simple:

Lancair pilots dont train on basic flying skills like gliding the machine to landing with no power (or simulated no power.)

The machines glide just fine by the way. Saying they glide like a brick is just more stupidity that actually contributes to the problem.

Not one single person on the above posts has recognized this. Conclusion: They will continue to go down at the same rate they have been doing.

By: J Singleton

J Singleton — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 02:38:07 +0000

2000 hrs in a Mooney, 300 in my IVP. This is not complicated folks- get the training that is required, maintain the plane like your life depends on it, and don’t push your luck. Failing this, the IV’s and IVP’s will kill you. Simple as that.

By: Sung Hanlon

Sung Hanlon — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 20:15:42 +0000

Let me start by saying nice page. Im not sure if it has been addressed, but when using Explorer I can never get the entire page to load without refreshing many times. Maybe just my computer. Appreciate your work

By: R Fleck

R Fleck — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 22:17:38 +0000

A Lancair just went down a few hundred yards from our ranch. No survivors. I heard their engine cut out, a couple of backfires, a very short interval, then the unmistakable impact sound.

The pilot was way under FAA ceiling, not uncommon around here where looky lous like to get down way too close to the deck to see the pretty horsies and green pastures. Expensive scenery, as it turned out.

It’s 103 fahrenheit here today.

By: Jim Bradburn

Jim Bradburn — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 15:03:50 +0000

I had a Lancair IVPT. Lost the engine at 26,000 feet over the mountains of Utah. Lost pressurization immediately. Emergency descent to 13,000, then feathered the prop. I can tell you that the plane can glide!! We were shot back in our seats with a descent rate around 600 fpm. Landed on a short, high altituded field, high and a little hot and was unable to get it stopped before crashing off the end of the runway through a fence and ditch. The cause of the engine failure is still unclear. The most prevalent thinking is that the air vents iced on climb out preventing fuel from getting to the belly tank (there was no precipitation in the area and no ice on the wings). One attempted restart was unsuccesful. I am personally aware of 3 other engine failures in IV P’s, one just after lift off, and two on climb out. I can tell you that there is a problem with fuel getting to the engine in some of these aircraft. John Cook has apparently figured this out, but I am not aware of how he is modifying the engines. My wife and I are grateful to be alive, and we now fly a King Air.

By: John

John — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 04:03:08 +0000

I have a Lancair 360 MK II that I purchased completed 3 yrs ago.
I am a current corporate pilot typed in the Cessna Citation and routinely fly the Kingair 200, 300 and Cessna 414. I am a CFII MEI ATP and have found the Lancair to be a great plane to fly. As stated in the previous blogs it is fast and slippery. I fly very conservatively, mine is strickly VFR no fancy bells or whistles. It is a joy to fly. I have instructed other pilots to learn to fly Lancair 320′s and 360′s safely. They do have a better glide ratio than a brick. Energy management, training and currency is the key. They are as safe as the pilot that flies them. Poor decisions have poor results no matter what you fly. They do require additional training for those pilots that are low time or unfamiliar with the flight characteristics of this aircraft. I started out after training flying only to those local airports with longer paved strips, until I was comfortable and familiar with my Lancair. After that as my experience increased so did my confidence. This is a great airplane. I use it to commute to and from my corporate job when the weather is right, it is fast and economical.

By: John Boogaert

John Boogaert — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 19:51:32 +0000

I have 6500+ hours in almost anything with one engine. I have owned four planes over 35 years of flying – most recently before the Lancair a T206) I have owned/flown a Lancair 360 with a big tail, (N460JB) for 4+ years. What an amazing aircraft. It is, undoubtedly a great performer. However, this plane also deserves a good bit of respect. I took the required 5 hours of instruction on the plane but it only brought me to the place where I was ready to fly it in a very conservative fashion. I now have about 300+ hours on it and I still treat it with a great deal of care not to get close to max/min performance numbers. I have found that my 360 is both reliable and predictable in flight. While I have an IFR rating but I don’t fly it IFR as it is just too easy to over speed or stall if you leave the autopilot on and encounter much up and down weather and take even a quick look at paperwork or a map. I would certainly recommend that a prudent pilot would avoid any hard IFR or T storms. Having flown it this way has brought me hours of pleasurable flying without mishap.

I did not build my plane. My 360 was built by a very skilled professional builder – Emerald Aircrafters in Troutdale, Oregon. If you do not build the plane yourself be SURE that the person that did was either a professional builder or one with documented extensive, quality building experience. Poor construction can cause unending headaches. Be sure you know the history of the plane you buy from day one. (Actually, I think this is good when you are thinking about buying any plane)

Please note that I have no experience with the Legacy, IVP, IVPJ or the other Lancair models – just the 360 with a big tail. These are the “high performance” big brothers of an already high performance aircraft. They may be excellent aircraft for tougher applications. I do understand from Legacy builders/owners that the Legacy is an excellent IFR platform if you don’t mind the consequences of a static “shock to the avionics” on occasion.

My advice regarding a 360 would be: fly by the numbers, take it easy, get good training, take it to a first class mechanic and enjoy one of the fastest and most efficient aircraft ever built. You can make this plane a consistent pleasure to fly or a moderately hazardous experience – it’s really up to you not the plane.

By: George Welch

George Welch — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 05:51:33 +0000

I have owned 3 Lancairs in the past 6 years. A 360, a IV, and currently fly a IVP. They have all been great flying airplanes if you follow the rules. As you can see from the many comments, don’t go slow, stay out of ice, keep clear of thunderstorms, and have good maintenance. I don’t know that I agree with the comments about a great glide ratio. My IVP POH says 7.75-1. I personally know one pilot who successfully dead sticked a IVP onto a highway, and he said it came down like a rock. I don’t have a full feathering prop, and I’m sure that would help a lot. As for stalls, I stalled each plane one time and simply see no need to keep going there asking for trouble. For anyone thinking of owning a Lancair, if you love speed and feel really comfortable with it, get some training and go for it. It is hard to beat as a cross country airplane, and is a real pleasure to fly.

By: Louis Lyon

Louis Lyon — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 04:58:35 +0000

2004 to ’08 400 hours in a Legacy. Prior experience was 325 hours in a 172. 4 hours of factory training for myself and a friend instructor. Then 8 hours of dual and learn, learn, etc. No, I did not build this extraordinary airplane. If your starting to fly a Legacy read John Halle’s 7-14 comments and stay alive. He’s very accurate and correct on stalls and speeds. fly smart and safe.