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 material ...

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 wings. A monoplane has inherently the highest efficiency and lowest drag of any wing con ...

s powered by a Continental TSIO-550

twin-turbocharged Twin-turbo is a type of turbo layout in which two turbochargers are used to compress the intake fuel/air mixture (or intake air, in the case of a Direct fuel injection, direct-injection engine). The most common layout features two identical or mir ...

piston engine A reciprocating engine, more often known as a piston engine, is a heat engine that uses one or more Reciprocating motion, reciprocating pistons to convert high temperature and high pressure into a Circular motion, rotating motion. This article ...

.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 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 The Lancair Evolution is an American Pressurization, pressurized, low wing, four-place, single engine light aircraft, made from carbon fiber composite, developed by Lancair and supplied as an Homebuilt aircraft, amateur-built kit by Evolution ...

instead. Once the transition was complete, the company changed its name to the

Evolution Aircraft Company The Evolution Aircraft Company is an American aircraft manufacturer based in Redmond, Oregon. The company specializes in the design and manufacture of light aircraft in the form of kits for amateur construction. Bob Wolstenholme is the presid ...

. The buyer of the old lines of aircraft continued in business as

Lancair International, LLC Lancair International, Inc. (pronounced ''"lance-air"'') is a United States, U.S. manufacturer of general aviation aircraft kits. They are well known for their series of high-performance single-engine aircraft that offer cruise speeds that ...

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 Municipal home rule, home rule city and the county seat, borough seat of the Fairbanks North Star Borough, Alaska, United States. Fairbanks is the largest city in the Interior Alaska, interior region of Alaska and the second la ...

Kinston, North Carolina Kinston is a city in Lenoir County, North Carolina, United States, with a population of 19,900 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It has been the county seat of Lenoir County since its formation in 1791. Kinston is located in the ...

. The aircraft was modified to hold of fuel.

Philippine Aerospace Development Corporation The Philippine Aerospace Development Corporation (PADC) is a state-owned aerospace and defense technological development corporation integrated to the Department of National Defense through Executive Order No. 78, s. 2019. As of 2021, PADC is u ...

produced 2 units.

Variants

;Lancair IV :Unpressurized four seat kit-plane, powered by a Continental TSIO-550 engine ;Lancair IV-P :

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

four seat kit-plane, powered by a Continental TSIO-550 engine ; Lancair Propjet :

four seat kit-plane, powered by either a

Walter Walter may refer to: People and fictional characters * Walter (name), including a list of people and fictional and mythical characters with the given name or surname * Little Walter, American blues harmonica player Marion Walter Jacobs (1930–19 ...

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 upd ...

Pratt & Whitney

turboprop A turboprop is a Gas turbine, gas turbine engine that drives an aircraft Propeller (aeronautics), propeller. A turboprop consists of an intake, reduction drive, reduction gearbox, gas compressor, compressor, combustor, turbine, and a propellin ...

, 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 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

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 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 inc ...

Aviation Accident Database recorded 20 crashes involving 18 fatalities across all IV variants. On February 3, 2012,

Steve Appleton Steven R. Appleton (March 31, 1960 – February 3, 2012) was an American business executive, the CEO of Micron Technology, based in Boise, Idaho. Born and raised in Southern California, Appleton attended Boise State University and played tennis ...

, 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 in Idaho, south of downtown Boise in Ada County. The airport is operated by the city of Boise Department of Aviation, overseen ...

Boise, Idaho Boise ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities in Idaho, most populous city of the U.S. state of Idaho. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, there were 235,685 people residing in the city. Loca ...

, 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 Aircraft with retractable tricycle landing gear Single-engined piston aircraft