The Lake Buccaneer is an American four-seat, light amphibious aircraft derived from the
Colonial C-2 Skimmer, itself a development of the three-seat
Colonial C-1 Skimmer.
Development
The Colonial Aircraft of Sanford, Maine developed the C-2 Skimmer in the 1950s as a four-seat variant of the earlier three-seat C-1 Skimmer. The name was changed to Lake in 1959, along with some design improvements. Produced until 1970, this version was designated as the Lake LA-4 Amphibian.
[Plane and Pilot: ''1978 Aircraft Directory'', pages 48-49. Werner & Werner Corp, Santa Monica CA, 1977. ]
From 1969-1972 the company sold some LA-4s modified under a
Supplemental Type Certificate as
flying boats, without landing gear, but with removable beaching wheels, under the name Lake LA-4S Seaplane.
In 1970 a fuel injected
Lycoming IO-360
The Lycoming O-360 is a family of four-cylinder, direct-drive, horizontally opposed, air-cooled, piston aircraft engines. Engines in the O-360 series produce between 145 and 225 horsepower (109 to 168 kW), with the basic O-360 producing ...
engine was fitted and the resulting aircraft named the Buccaneer. This model replaced both the LA-4 and Seaplane in production and has a higher cruise speed as well as increased gross weight. Fuel tanks were also added to the wing pontoons, with per side, taking fuel capacity from to .
A six-seat development in 1982, with a lengthened hull was named
Renegade
Renegade or The Renegade may refer to:
Aircraft
*Lake Renegade, an American amphibious aircraft design
*Murphy Renegade, a Canadian ultralight biplane design
*Southern Aeronautical Renegade, an American racing aircraft design
Games
*'' Comman ...
, this had either a or a
turbocharged engine. A military version was called the
Seawolf.
Design
The LA-4 is a cantilever,
shoulder-wing
A monoplane is a fixed-wing aircraft configuration with a single mainplane, in contrast to a biplane or other types of multiplanes, which have multiple planes.
A monoplane has inherently the highest efficiency and lowest drag of any wing con ...
monoplane amphibian with a single-step all-metal hull with retractable
tricycle landing gear
Tricycle gear is a type of aircraft undercarriage, or ''landing gear'', arranged in a tricycle fashion. The tricycle arrangement has a single nose wheel in the front, and two or more main wheels slightly aft of the center of gravity. Tricycle g ...
. It is powered by an
Lycoming O-360
The Lycoming O-360 is a family of four-cylinder, direct-drive, horizontally opposed, air-cooled, piston aircraft engines. Engines in the O-360 series produce between 145 and 225 horsepower (109 to 168 kW), with the basic O-360 producing ...
piston engine in pusher configuration, pylon-mounted above the hull.
Variants
;LA-4 Amphibian
:Production version with a Lycoming O-360 A1A , type certified 26 July 1960. This differed from the Colonial C-2 in having four foot greater span, revised nose, doors, higher gross weight and reinforcement of the wing and wing-to-fuselage carry-through structure.
;LA-4A
:Shorter bow from the Colonial C-2, only two built. Type certified 1 June 1960.
;LA-4P
:LA-4
prototype, one only built. Type certified 21 June 1960.
;LA-4S Seaplane
:Version without wheeled landing gear, produced 1969-72 under
STC SA781EA approved 8 July 1969 and amended 28 November 1969, issued to Revo, Inc.
;LA-4T
:
Turbocharged version with Lycoming O-360 A1D engine and Rayjay turbocharger. Not produced.
;LA-4-200 Buccaneer
:Lycoming IO-360 A1B
;LA-4-200EP "Lake EP"
:Lycoming IO-360 A1B6 Standard fuel floats
Specifications (LA-4-200 Buccaneer)
See also
References
*
*
External links
*
Private Flight Team Test No 19 Lake - LA-4-200 BuccaneerFAA Type Certificate Data Sheet 1A13{{Lake Aircraft
1950s United States civil utility aircraft
Single-engined pusher aircraft
Buccaneer
Buccaneers were a kind of privateers or free sailors particular to the Caribbean Sea during the 17th and 18th centuries. First established on northern Hispaniola as early as 1625, their heyday was from the Restoration in 1660 until about 168 ...
Amphibious aircraft
Cruciform tail aircraft
Shoulder-wing aircraft
Flying boats