I own a 1992 F33A and have a desire to add another "fun" airplane to the fleet. I have an itch for a Lancair 320 or 360.

Do or have any other folks on here owned a Lancair 320/360? If so, what are your impressions of the aircraft? Hard to fly? I have read that they have a high accident rate, which concerns me. Seems to be on takeoff and landing where a higher than typical number of fatalities occur.

Any thoughts or concerns about the airframe or otherwise welcomed.

Best,

Russ

Lancair 360

-- great plane, very fast for a 180 hp engine

-- relatively high stall speed, making landing misadventures more dangerous

Other Experimentals may not be as fast but can surely be as much fun (like an RV-6 or -7 or -8)...

What mission do you hope to accomplish with this?

I love everything about the Lancairs except the stall speed... If the fire goes out and you have to put it on a road or in a field, it could be a bad day....

The 360 is a fun plane. The Glasair III is 3x the fun and is a better plane IMO. The cockpit in the 360 is tiny. Any of the high wing loaded / high performance wing designs have excessive sink rates when slow. With the gear down in my Glasair and power off it is a 4000 ft per minute sink rate at 120 knots indicated. With the gear up it is closer to 1500 FPM.

You learn not to fly them slow. There is never a reason to be slow in these planes unless you want to permanently retire your flying career. They also require you keep the ball centered when maneuvering for landing. They are not as forgiving as your Bonanza.

With that said, I find the Glasair III extremely easy to fly and is by far the best handling plane I have ever flown and that includes my TS-11 Iskra that was nearly twice as fast. It is hard to describe the handling.

I had a 360 kit before my bonanza. Flew in a few of them as well.

Things i like.
-Its one of the sexiest airplanes ever built
-They are built like brick $#!*houses
-Very fast speed for the engine and fuel burn.

Things I don't like.
-Expensive to insure
-Not extremely crash worthy. They stay together but the occupants die of rapid deceleration, they don't crush and absorb energy.
-Can be cramped on long trips
-Many have header tanks, i don't want to arrive to the accident with gas in my lap.
-Parts at Lancair will only become more difficult to get (they quit making them in 98, but you can build most of anything you need)
-Unless you have the outback landing gear option, grass strips are pretty much out.


I miss her from time to time, but it just didnt fit my mission... I had one of six carbon fiber kits ever built.

The 360 stall speed is published at something like 63mph. A lot less than a lot of other piston planes.

I would like to have a 360 with 200 + hp and a chute if it's possible

Russ, I have a Lancair 320 (and it is for sale) that I love to fly. It is fast and for me comfortable. True it is a small plane but I usually fly alone. I have flown from Oregon to Gary Indiana, Arizona, and southern California. What is being said about stall is true. You don't buy these planes to go slow. Down wind at 95 knots and over the fence at 70 knots. My plane is kit number 5 so it has the small tail. Don't let people scare you away from this. Like everything else with proper training it will be a safe plane. I transitioned from a Mooney and have never looked back. The only reason I am sell is because my mission has changed and I need more seats. Insurance is also affordable. I have an O320, 430WASS but no auto pilot. I like to hand fly this thing.

The little tails will do just fine. The MKII tail was only to satisfy a certification overseas, I want to say Australia. Heck, I have a friend that races at reno on a small tail 360!!!

Here is a Lancair Super ES for sale in my area.

What mission do I hope to accomplish? What a great question. I'd like to use the Lancair as a more fun, slightly faster, more economical than my Debonair, means of transportation on the days where the weather is perfect and I just need to carry myself.

It seems to me that the Lancair is perfect for the above mission. Have I missed something?

Steven, why are you selling the airplane? And can I take a look at photos? Perhaps I am interested.

Russ, those are excellent reasons to own one. Keep in mind that a Lancair valued at 1/2 of your Bonanza will still cost 2x more in insurance.

They are great planes. I would suggest riding in a Lancair Legacy, SX300, or Glasair III before making your decision, though. Although you may be flying single, the bigger cabin makes a huge difference and there are some technology changes in the better/newer models.

Thank you. I do not have my heart set on any particular type, and will actively seek to find a Legacy, Glasair III, etc. to go for a ride in, in addition to a Lancair 320/360.

I did go for a ride this morning in a Lancair 360, and all that I can say is wow. I have never flown a fighter jet, but if I had, I think I'd consider this to be a piston version, mini fighter jet! Talk about responsive in pitch!! The owner let me do a few takeoffs and landings. I don't quite see where the tricky part is, as long as the airplane is flown by the numbers.

Thank you. I do not have my heart set on any particular type, and will actively seek to find a Legacy, Glasair III, etc. to go for a ride in, in addition to a Lancair 320/360.

I did go for a ride this morning in a Lancair 360, and all that I can say is wow. I have never flown a fighter jet, but if I had, I think I'd consider this to be a piston version, mini fighter jet! Talk about responsive in pitch!! The owner let me do a few takeoffs and landings. I don't quite see where the tricky part is, as long as the airplane is flown by the numbers.

Russ I think I sent you a PM. If not PM me for pictures