The Lancair IV and IV-P are a family of four-seat, low-wing, retractable-gear,

composite Composite or compositing may refer to: Materials * Composite material, a material that is made from several different substances ** Metal matrix composite, composed of metal and other parts ** Cermet, a composite of ceramic and metallic materials ...

monoplane 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 confi ...

s powered by a 550 cubic inch

Continental TSIO-550 The Continental IO-550 engine is a large family of 9 liter fuel injected six-cylinder, horizontally opposed, air-cooled aircraft engines that were developed for use in light aircraft by Teledyne Continental Motors. The first IO-550 was deliver ...

twin-turbocharged Twin-turbo (not to be confused with a twincharger setup, which is a combination of a supercharger and a turbocharger) refers to an engine in which two turbochargers work in tandem to compress the intake fuel/air mixture (or intake air, in the case ...

piston engine A reciprocating engine, also often known as a piston engine, is typically a heat engine that uses one or more reciprocating pistons to convert high temperature and high pressure into a rotating motion. This article describes the common featu ...

.Vandermeullen, Richard: ''2011 Kit Aircraft Buyer's Guide'', Kitplanes, Volume 28, Number 12, December 2011, page 59. Belvoir Publications. ISSN 0891-1851Kitplanes Staff: ''2008 Kit Aircraft Directory'', page 59, Kitplanes Magazine December 2007 Volume 24, Number 12, Belvior Publications, Aviation Publishing Group LLC.Bayerl, Robby; Martin Berkemeier; et al: ''World Directory of Leisure Aviation 2011-12'', page 106. WDLA UK, Lancaster UK, 2011. ISSN 1368-485X Production of the aircraft kit was ended in 2012.

Development

The Lancair IV and IV-P were designed by Lancair around the

— a twin turbocharged engine that is capable of developing at sea level, and capable of operating at altitudes as high as 29,000 feet. 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 The Lancair Evolution is an American pressurized, low wing, four-place, single engine light aircraft, made from carbon fiber composite, developed by Lancair and supplied as an amateur-built kit by Evolution Aircraft.Vandermeullen, Richard: ''2 ...

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.

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 Fairbanks is a home rule city and the borough seat of the Fairbanks North Star Borough in the U.S. state of Alaska. Fairbanks is the largest city in the Interior region of Alaska and the second largest in the state. The 2020 Census put the po ...

Kinston, North Carolina Kinston is a city in Lenoir County, North Carolina, United States, with a population of 21,677 as of the 2010 census. It has been the county seat of Lenoir County since its formation in 1791. Kinston is located in the coastal plains region of e ...

. The aircraft was modified to hold of fuel.

Variants

;Lancair IV :Unpressurized four seat kit-plane, powered by a

engine ;Lancair IV-P :

Pressurized {{Wiktionary Pressurization or pressurisation is the application of pressure in a given situation or environment. Industrial Industrial equipment is often maintained at pressures above or below atmospheric. Atmospheric This is the process by ...

four seat kit-plane, powered by a

engine ;

Lancair Propjet The Lancair Propjet is a four-seat, pressurized, composite aircraft powered by a 750-hp Walter M601E turboprop engine. The aircraft is based on Lancair Lancair International, Inc. (pronounced ''"lance-air"'') is a U.S. manufacturer of g ...

four seat kit-plane, powered by either a

Walter Walter may refer to: People * Walter (name), both a surname and a given name * Little Walter, American blues harmonica player Marion Walter Jacobs (1930–1968) * Gunther (wrestler), Austrian professional wrestler and trainer Walter Hahn (born 19 ...

or a

PT6 The Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6 is a turboprop aircraft engine produced by Pratt & Whitney Canada. Its design was started in 1958, it first ran in February 1960, first flew on 30 May 1961, entered service in 1964 and has been continuously up ...

Pratt & Whitney

turboprop A turboprop is a turbine engine that drives an aircraft propeller. A turboprop consists of an intake, reduction gearbox, compressor, combustor, turbine, and a propelling nozzle. Air enters the intake and is compressed by the compressor. Fuel ...

, 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

Orenda OE600 The Orenda OE600 was a 600 hp-class liquid-cooled 8-cylinder V engine, V-block aircraft engine intended to re-introduce piston power to aircraft normally powered by the famous Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6 turboprop. The piston engine offers m ...

V-8 engine, giving it a cruise speed of . The engine was later cancelled, and consequently, only prototypes of the aircraft were completed.Purdy, Don: ''AeroCrafter - Homebuilt Aircraft Sourcebook, Fifth Edition'', page 190. BAI Communications, 15 July 1998. ;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.

Accidents

As of June 2014, the

NTSB The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is an independent U.S. government investigative agency responsible for civil transportation accident investigation. In this role, the NTSB investigates and reports on aviation accidents and incid ...

Aviation Accident Database recorded 20 crashes involving 18 fatalities across all IV variants. 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 Boise Airport (Boise Air Terminal or Gowen Field) is a joint civil-military airport in the western United States, south of downtown Boise in Ada County, Idaho. The airport is operated by the city of Boise Department of Aviation and is overseen ...

Boise, Idaho Boise (, , ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Idaho and is the county seat of Ada County. On the Boise River in southwestern Idaho, it is east of the Oregon border and north of the Nevada border. The downtown are ...

, moments after takeoff. He had aborted a take off a few minutes earlier.

Specifications (Lancair IV-P)

References

External links

Official website
{{Lancair Homebuilt aircraft 1990s United States civil utility aircraft IV Single-engined tractor aircraft Low-wing aircraft