Fri, Aug 01, 2003
Lancair Offering Even Cooler Columbias By End Of
AirVenture
The Lancair Company is
in the final stages of gaining FAA sign off on a new cabin climate
management system for the Lancair Columbia 350 and upcoming,
turbocharged Columbia 400 certified aircraft and expects to have
the process completed by August 1st (today!).
“This is much more than just the air conditioning
piston-powered aircraft pilots are used to,” said Lancair
Vice President of Strategic Projects Tom Bowen. “It’s a
complete, automatic cabin climate management system similar to what
you find in today’s luxury automobiles. You just set a
desired cabin temperature and the electronics do the
rest.”
Hot air from the system comes from a traditional engine heat
exchanger while the air conditioning originates from a belt-driven
compressor. Conditioned air is passed through a fan-cooled
condenser located in the tail cone and then finally fan-fed through
an evaporator that supplies air to a flood duct for rapid cabin
cooling even on the hottest days. Precise airflow control is also
possible through individual service ducts throughout the cabin and
temperature control is handled through a digital touch pad on the
control panel.
“I believe that this is the first application of such a
sophisticated climate control system in a pistonpowered
aircraft,” Bowen said. “People who drive to the airport
in their Lexus or BMW will feel right at home in the cabin of the
Columbia 350 or 400.”
The automatic cabin climate management system will be certified
for both take off and landing as well as cruise and will be an
option on all new Columbia 300s and 400s. According to Bowen,
Lancair is also evaluating the possibility of a retrofit kit to
Lancair Columbia 300s already in service.
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