Staff is Down; Production is Up; Development is Bearing Fruit

Sure, you read the official press releases in yesterday's ANN; but we also have reporters at SnF, to get the "live" coverage.

Not only is the rejuvenated Lancair (certified) up and running, says President Bing Lantis (in the lower glamor shot), they're running faster. "With roughly half the production people we 'closed down' with, we're running about 20% faster production." Lancair has delivered six Columbias since the end of February; that's ahead of schedule, and even better than hoped.

Along with ramped-up deliveries on the 300, the 350 is inches away from certification (more on that later), and the 400 should be delivered by Fall.

Lancair co-founder and marketing guru Mark Cahill (right) told a group of reporters early on the first morning of SnF, that, "It's really good to be here; that about wraps it up," joking about the recent tight squeeze through which Lancair has gone -- and from which it has now emerged, solid financing in hand. After the crowd settled down, he brought us up to speed --  the new developments across the Lancair line are tested and nearly-proved.

"The new funding puts the final piece of the business plan in place," he assured us. "Now, the emphasis is on production: we're going to deliver on our promises."

"We wanted to find a model for a broad mission, and that's the Columbia. We're making several models out of that," he explained; and he added that the company is ramping up faster than anyone expected. "We've delivered six aircraft since the end of February," he revealed, and that was ahead of schedule. He added that, "Economies of scale are coming in ahead of schedule," as a result.

Certification schedule:

The Columbia 350's certification was supposed to have been the big announcement at SnF, but -- as happens when you least expect it -- an alternator failure on the final certification check ride acted as the marble in the pudding. "350 certification is imminent," he assured us. "We're working that alternator problem." The 400 could be fully-certified by sometime in July [can you say, "Oshkosh?"], provided the somewhat tricky FADEC system can get through the certification hoops.

About that alternator:

The alternator that gave the group a headache so recently is going to be a great little unit. It dynos at 8300 watts, and is rated at 7200, and it's a lightweight little beauty, that is part of the fully-redundant electrics (that also include dual batteries, a dual-bus system, dual ignition, etc). It just picked a lousy time to play prima donna...

It's likely that the earliest-delivered few 350s will employ an older-tech, heavier alternator.

New anti-icing system:

A new icing system, developed by Bob Rutherford's North Coast Technologies, employs oil and graphite, and a windscreen heater that's a bit more-conventional. Lancair President Bing Lantis is high on the system, and predicts a decent level of customer interest.

The icing system weighs just over 36 pounds, but, with that new, lighter alternator, the net weight addition is, according to Mr Lantis, "just under 30 pounds."

The ice system isn't for flight into known icing conditions, but the coverage -- wings, horizontal tail, and prop -- will be an appreciated feature, by anyone whose airplane is suddenly gaining weight. The system is modular, too, so if any additional areas appear to need attention during remaining development and testing, a low-cost, quick addition can be made.

This system is earmarked for the 400; but Bing Lantis told us it will be retrofittable on the 350s, and "probably" the 300s, too.

New Spirit of St Louis flying again

The New Spirit of St Louis, flown last year to Paris by Eric Lindberg in memory of his grandfther's flight 75 years earlier, is all back to spec, and will be flying all over the country this Summer, with Eric again at the controls.

Entegra almost ready for 350

Avidyne's cockpit enhancements are on the way, with the wonderful Entegra suite, and a slightly-different look from the already-well-known installation in the Cirrus. Tha Lancair's setup will be in "portrait" rather than "landscape" format [that's vertical, rather than horizontal], as the Columbia 350s start going into customers' hands late this Summer. Look for 400s in the Fall.

How good is "good?"

The spirit at Lancair, especially since financing became secure, has been quite high. Lantis noted that production is running fast, and smoothly: "We have half the production people we 'closed down with,' and we're going 20% faster."

FMI: www.lancair.com/certified/index.html