30 Lancair Planes To Decend On Scottsdale March 31st-April 3rd

On Thursday, March 31st, 2005, owners of more than thirty Lancair Columbia airplanes will descend on the Scottsdale Airport for the annual Lancair Owners Pilot Association (LOPA) fly-in. Hosting the event is Lancair Certified Southwest, the local dealership which moved to Scottsdale in 2001.

“It’s amazing to me that our customers are so satisfied with our planes that they formed their organization and web site devoted to flying the Lancair Columbia”, said J.B. Lauchner, owner of the local dealership. “There is no greater testimonial and we’re proud to be a part of it.”

The new Columbia 400 is now ranked as the world’s fastest certified piston powered aircraft in its class. It is the Lancair Company’s third certified aircraft, following Columbia 300 and 350. With its 310-horsepower turbocharged Continental TSIO 550 engine, the 400 speeds through the air at 265 miles per hour. That kind of performance makes the Columbia 400 the fastest certified piston powered aircraft in production today – single or twin, fixed gear or retractable.

In 2002, Charles Lindbergh’s grandson dubbed the Lancair Columbia “The New Spirit of St. Louis” when he successfully used it to duplicate the historic flight from New York to Paris.

”The Columbia 400 is fast, but that’s only part of what makes it such a special aircraft”, said Lancair Southwest Sales Manager John Cooke, “It is also one of the safest planes on the market today, at a lower price than other planes which do not perform nearly as well.”

”With the Columbia 400, a 1,000-mile non-stop trip is only around four hours long”, Cooke said, “and given the longer waits at commercial airports -- combined with cancellations and delays -- owning and flying your own aircraft is definitely an option worth considering. When you take a good look at all the costs involved, it can easily be one of the most inexpensive forms of transportation.”

The LOPA Fly-In schedule of events includes:

• Over thirty Lancair Columbia’s descending on Scottsdale Airport on Thursday, March 31st.
• Five seminars from Factory representatives and LOPA members throughout the weekend.
• A thirty-plane flight to Sedona on Saturday, April 2nd.

The Lancair Certified Southwest dealership in Scottsdale covers the entire Southwest territory, including Arizona, Southern California, Nevada, and New Mexico. It is located in the Scottsdale Airpark.

FMI: www.lancairsw.com