Pretty cool.

When will it be certified?

Why do all new planes have to be composite? Are we at an age in aviation where people will just spend $1000,000 on an airplane and throw it away a few years later?

Jason,

The Evolution, you will have to build, it is a Home built.. You buy the kit I will build it, but I get to fly it when ever I want< lol>

Uhhh...never? It's amateur built experimental.

You just have to find an amateur friend to build it.......although the FAA is reportedly cracking down on the serial builders..........my boss has a Lancair 4P Propjet.....the performance is unmatched for the dollar.....300+ knots / $750k or less.......for the proficient pilot it can't be beat for personal transportation.

The Evolution will closely match the performance of the 4P but is hopefully more forgiving in the pattern for the average pilot.

It is one of those 'experimentals' where the 'amateur built' part is defined somewhat loosely. You basically watch a professional crew put it together at the manufacturers plant while you sign the building log entries. This not a guy in his garage with a rivet gun kind of operation.

How do you know this? Are you basing this on personal knowledge or rumor? I've looked at a few Lancair builder logs. I certainly didn't see evidence of rampant fraud. I think ABE's get a bad rap. Every builder that I know has learned tons from building.

Because the company tells us as much on their website:



No doubt, building a Lancair kit is an exciting adventure, but as graduates of Lancair’s Builder’s Assist Program are discovering, it’s even more exciting when you have qualified Lancair staff doubling your productivity!


“The time saving this program offers is incredible. Builders accomplish in about five days what otherwise would likely have taken them 700 to 1000 hours,” explains Ong. “This program shaves nearly a year off the project.”

including the Firewall Fastbuild and Engine Fastbuild programs. These programs reduce the engine installation time to approximately eight hours, a sizeable 92 hour difference from the previous 100 hour average. With these kits, the builder literally needs only to bolt on the engine, hook up fuel lines, connect the wiring and install the propeller.


The idea that you can take some realtor or cosmetic dentist off the street and have him put together what amounts to a TBM or Meridian in 2 weeks while remaining within the 'component manufacture' and 'hours used' rules is utterly laughable.

Great performance, goofy looking though.

The only thing that your quoted website demonstrates is that they offer a builder assistance program and that it will save the builder time. To that I say, well no #$%@ ...

Please show me where they are saying it takes 2 weeks to build the plane. I think you may be unfairly confusing Lancair with the past Epic scandal. I believe the Lancair builder assist program has been reviewed by the FAA and given the green light for compliance.

Again I still think you are being completely unfair to ABE.

In their attached build schedule:


Lancair Evolution Build Shop Task List
Week 1

* Prepare and close wings
* Prepare and close elevators
* Prepare and close horizontal stabilizer
* Install wing wiring harness
* Assemble & install landing gear
* Fabricate & install wing hydraulics
* Fabricate & install wing fuel system
* Fabricate & install wing brake system
* Install navigation lights
* Assemble & install flap hardware and controls in wing
* Assemble & install aileron in wing

Wing, flaps, ailerons, horizontal stabilizer, and elevators are ready for body work and paint.

Week 2

* Prepare and close rudder
* Install horizontal stabilizer to fuselage
* Install rudder controls
* Install elevator & aileron controls in fuselage
* Assemble baggage door
* Install baggage door
* Assemble main door
* Install main door
* Prep co-pilot & passenger windows
* Install windows
* Install tail cap

Fuselage is ready for body work firewall aft.




...and the IRS has reviewed a number of tax returns and concluded that there is no tax evasion going on.



And I think that the combination of 'builder assist' and 'serial builders' will be the undoing of the amateur built experimental category in the US.

And no, none of this is printed in green, for a reason.

Well maybe they should hire you then.

Anyhow, I grow disinterested in this conversation, so this will be my last post on the subject. It's clear you have your mind made up, which is fine. Attached is a picture from their flyer. The caption says "airframe after 2 weeks". Certainly doesn't look done to me. Even I wouldn't try to take off in that thing. I guarantee you that the builder still has *MANY* weeks of work left after the two week builder assist.

Even though we, as free spirited aviators, might not like Forian's take on things, I think his assessment is pretty much spot on.

This is however, in my humble opinion, a symptom of much deeper and broader problems. Although the 1994 GARA was supposed to, and did to a pretty good degree, help stimulate GA by limiting unreasonable litigation against GA manufacturers. I don't want to quote the entire bill here, but it warrants mentioning that this bill in and of itself is a reflection of our broken legal system and the bureaucracy laden government... Specifically, as it relates to all of us, the FAA.

I personally applaud these manufacturers for finding ways to comply with the "letter of the law" and bring forward thinking relevant products to market. Frankly, the more competition the better.

Don't get me wrong gang, I don't think any of us want "death traps" being sold to the aviation community. But let's face it... Flying, in and of itself, is inherently dangerous and definitely not for everyone. It seems that, we as a community, have been steadily losing ground. All in the guise of making things safer for us and the public at large. Where does it end. Taken to the extreme we should just stop flying all together and leave that dangerous stuff to the professionals.

This may come as a surprise to some of you, probably not, but I think there's way too much interference from the Nanny State in our lives.

When you think about it, with all the advancements we've seen in computers, technology, optics, displays, robotics, manufacturing etc... the product offerings we have in GA are pretty limited. I dig the G1000's and don't want to take away anything from those here who have them. But you can't tell me that the systems being offered by folks like Dynon

http://www.dynonavionics.com/docs/SkyView_intro.html

and others for the LSA and home built markets wouldn't work just fine in our older Bo's. I would dare say that they would probably be as dependable as the 45 year old steam guages I'm currently using, and offer better situational awareness to boot. It's ludicrous, really, that the antiquated stringent requirements placed on "Certified" aircraft are still on the books. (think tort reform)

As always, ymmv, not intended for internal use, results not typical, your experience may vary, if you experience an ___________ that last's more than 4 hours see your doctor immediately, this product not approved by the fda (or faa for that matter) certain restrictions may apply, use of this product will not prevent std's, This product is meant for educational purposes only. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead is purely coincidental. Void where prohibited. Some assembly required. List each check separately by bank number. Two feet good 4 feet bad. Batteries not included. Contents may settle during shipment. Use only as directed. No other warranty expressed or implied. Do not use while operating a motor vehicle or heavy equipment. Postage will be paid by addressee. Subject to approval. This is not an offer to sell securities. Apply only to affected area. May be too intense for some viewers. Do not stamp. Use other side for additional listings. Who is John Galt. For recreational use only. Do not disturb. All models over 18 years of age. If condition persists, consult your physician. No user-serviceable parts inside. Freshest if eaten before date on carton. Subject to change without notice. Times approximate. Simulated picture. No postage necessary if mailed in the United States. Breaking seal constitutes acceptance of agreement. For off-road use only. As seen on TV. One size fits all. Many suitcases look alike. Contains a substantial amount of non-tobacco ingredients. Colors may, in time, fade. We have sent the forms which seem to be right for you. Slippery when wet. Only the government is big enough to fix these problems. For office use only. Not affiliated with the American Red Cross. Drop in any mailbox. Edited for television. Keep cool; process promptly. Post office will not deliver without postage. List was current at time of printing. Return to sender, no forwarding order on file, unable to forward. Not responsible for direct, indirect, incidental or consequential damages resulting from any defect, error or failure to perform. At participating locations only. Not the Beatles. Penalty for private use. See label for sequence. Substantial penalty for early withdrawal. Do not write below this line. Falling rock. Lost ticket pays maximum rate. Your cancelled check is your receipt. Add toner. Place stamp here. Avoid contact with skin. Sanitized for your protection. Be sure each item is properly endorsed. Sign here without admitting guilt. Slightly higher west of the Mississippi. Employees and their families are not eligible. Beware of dog. Contestants have been briefed on some questions before the show. Limited time offer, call now to insure prompt delivery. You must be present to win. No passes accepted for this engagement. No purchase necessary. Processed at location stamped in code at top of carton. Shading within a garment may occur. Use only in well-ventilated area. Keep away from fire or flame. Replace with same type. Approved for veterans. Booths for two or more. Check here if tax deductible. Some equipment shown is optional. Price does not include taxes. No Canadian coins. Not recommended for children. Prerecorded for this time zone. Reproduction strictly prohibited. No solicitors. No alcohol, dogs, or horses. No anchovies unless otherwise specified. Restaurant package, not for resale. List at least two alternate dates. First pull up, then pull down. Call toll free before digging. Driver does not carry cash. Some of the trademarks mentioned in this product appear for identification purposes only. Record additional transactions on back of previous stub. Decision of judges is final.

This supersedes all previous notices.

The design process to get a certified aircraft on the market is regulated and has to be documented to the FAAs (or another civil aviation authority that they license by reciprocity) liking every step of the way. Most experimentals do not have that depth of documentation, even though the end result may well be equivalent or better to many of the certified airframes out there. When the people around lancair set out to certify the Columbia series of planes, they noticed that there is a big difference and went broke over it about 3 times.

Maybe there should be a 'self-certified' category of experimental aircraft. Built by professionals with the owner basically assuming responsibility for the safety of the end product. Just drop the requirements and formalize the process.