If you want to see how strong the airframe/wing is on the Columbia check out the link and scroll down till you see the pics of the collapsed hanger.


http://austinmeyer.com/blog/?s=lancair

I mfg the seals and ducts for all models

300-350-400

Since 1996 doing these..

GB

These seem like incredible machines. It's a shame they are out of production. I wonder why.

Seems I've asked you this before, but I can't remember. Is yours the pressurized ES?

I've seen some with TKS and some with ThermaWing. Is one considered better than another on these planes? Is there a speed penalty of one vs the other?

I'm assuming there haven't been engine issues with the turbocharged version?

Gerry

The Thermawing version has an additional alternator dedicated to the deice if I recall correctly. I have not seen any reports on issues - but carry an extra alternator all the time for the times you need deice vice fill the TKS for the times you need deice?

To me the real problem is the (relatively) low UL of 1000 or less for a plane with FF of 600+ lbs. Makes it a great 2 place plane for long trips but 500 miles is likely not doable with 4 FAA normal size folks - unlike the Cirrus. I do wonder why it was certified in the utility category and wonder if more UL was in the jar if same plane could be cert to normal category.

I think the COL400/Ttx is a great plane - but wish it had another 150lbs UL. The Thermawing alternator cannot help in that world.

RAS

These seem like incredible machines. It's a shame they are out of production. I wonder why.

Gerry

The Thermawing version has an additional alternator dedicated to the deice if I recall correctly. I have not seen any reports on issues - but carry an extra alternator all the time for the times you need deice vice fill the TKS for the times you need deice?

To me the real problem is the (relatively) low UL of 1000 or less for a plane with FF of 600+ lbs. Makes it a great 2 place plane for long trips but 500 miles is likely not doable with 4 FAA normal size folks - unlike the Cirrus. I do wonder why it was certified in the utility category and wonder if more UL was in the jar if same plane could be cert to normal category.

I think the COL400/Ttx is a great plane - but wish it had another 150lbs UL. The Thermawing alternator cannot help in that world.

RAS

These seem like incredible machines. It's a shame they are out of production. I wonder why.

That is absolutely correct on both counts and very often overlooked.

I owned a Legacy Columbia 300 and it had decent useful. We actually flew it one year from Paris to Corfu, 4 POB + baggage, 1,000NM , non-stop, in exactly 6 hours . Had well over 1 hour reserve on landing. Best 4 place tourer I've ever owned !

Currently I'm re-building a Corvalis 400 that suffered a landing incident. The NW and right MW were ripped off, prop destroyed, but the fuselage structure didn't budge one iota . I have bought Cirrus that were completely destroyed fromm much less.

I bought my 2007 Columbia 400 in 2016 and have greatly enjoyed owning it.

Zipping back and forth between our homes in Silicon Valley and Las Vegas at +200kts and plenty of comfort for my wife and I on an economical 15gph. So far, it has proven to be a great traveling machine, fast, thrifty with plenty of useful load for me. (mine lacks air conditioning which is about 40lbs). My normal flights are in the mid-teens on the nose-hose. The flexibility to venture up to FL250 is a nice thing.

Pressurization would be the next step up for me.

On why did it stop?

Don't forget the double whammy that Columbia got in 2007-2008.

1. The global economic meltdown.

2. A freak hail storm that destroyed 60+ brand new aircraft on the ground in Bend that were waiting delivery to customers.

Cessna bought the company in 2008 and instituted some good quality controls and know how. The 2008 probably the best year of the Columbia 400

But then Textron dropped the ball afterward. They made very few in 2009 and 2010, then they made NONE for several years because of how they managed things.

Textron moved composite production to Mexico, then had a wing debonding problem that triggered an emergency AD, which only affected aircraft that were still on the production line. That effectively shutdown the entire line for a couple of years while they figured out what went wrong and convinced the FAA they could fix it. So nada, no airplanes at all for a couple of years.

Then came the re-imagined Columbia 400, the TTx or "T240" They poured a bunch of money "improving" it but only managed to get TKS FIKI certified, some new LED landing lights, a snazzy new interior and the G2000. Oh yeah, and that snazzy new green paint scheme. While I like the TTx a lot (jet style autopilot on top the the panel and big screens) it didn't really address the things people were wanting, like improved load and possibly the CAPS system.

That and Textron didn't seem to learn anything from Cirrus on how to sell the thing effectively and get people upgrading on a regular basis. I'll hand it to Cirrus, they got that customer thing and market rotation down. Many, many returning customers to get the latest SR22 and trade in their 3 year old one. Then there is a big line of people waiting for the SF50 Jet.

Flying the Citation M2 having flown the TTx was eerily similar. It just felt the same and was an easy transition. I would think Textron could have made that stepping stone work for them. But I guess it isn't their thing. The Mustang was the "owner flown" jet. The M2, kinda, but still feels like it was made for the back seat owner.

Personally, the CAPS thing doesn't sway me much. It's a nice thing to have, but at big cost, ongoing maintenance and useful load and the space to put it.

Totally love my 400. Not sure what I'd go into afterward.

I will put my 2 cents worth in here. As many know I had a Piaggio Avanti II for a year and loved it - but my business and mission changed rendering the need for a long range aircraft nil. Looked and looked around for something that would fulfill my new mission (300 nm 5 - 6 times a month) and I ended up with a 2015 Cessna TTx. I must say I have been thrilled so far with my purchase. Although it takes about 30 minutes longer than my previous ride the fuel cost is 1/6 and the fun factor has not been lost whatsoever. I had forgotten what it was like to push an airplane out of the hangar myself and be preflighted and gone in 10 minutes vs 20/30 or so in the Avanti (and Mustang previous to that). There is a LOT to be said to VFR flying direct and not bothering with radios (other than XM!) until you land.

I may go back to a larger airplane one day, but on the other hand I may not. I no longer worry about expensive annual inspections, 40,000 dollar brake jobs and 80,000 dollar windows. A 10K annual is peanuts comparatively. Not to mention the G2000 blows the Collins ProLine crap out of the window in reliability, usability and cost.

The TTX (Columbia 400) is the finest single engine airplane I have ever owned. Bar none.

+1 !

That is absolutely correct on both counts and very often overlooked.

I owned a Legacy Columbia 300 and it had decent useful. We actually flew it one year from Paris to Corfu, 4 POB + baggage, 1,000NM , non-stop, in exactly 6 hours . Had well over 1 hour reserve on landing. Best 4 place tourer I've ever owned !

Currently I'm re-building a Corvalis 400 that suffered a landing incident. The NW and right MW were ripped off, prop destroyed, but the fuselage structure didn't budge one iota . I have bought Cirrus that were completely destroyed fromm much less.