Columbia 350 About Ready To Do The Electronic Bugaloo...

The Lancair Company’s not only making airplanes; they’re also certifying new models. The company opened up Sun’n Fun 2003 with the announcement that certification of an all electric version of the normally aspirated Lancair Columbia, dubbed the Columbia 350, is due any day.

The program is down to the final reports and details,” said Lancair Vice President Ron Wright. “We expect to have it wrapped within the next several days and will deliver the first customer Columbia 350 shortly thereafter.”

“2002 was a challenging year for The Lancair Company,” said company President Bing Lantis. “It’s a great pleasure to kick off the official beginning of the flying season with this announcement. The technology incorporated in the Columbia 350 is a significant step forward for safety and reliability for general aviation aircraft. We look forward to several more announcements this year of certification and delivery of innovative, modern designs that will greatly enhance the experience of aircraft ownership and piloting. Expect Lancair to continue to be the technology, performance, and value leader.”

The Lancair Columbia 350 is an all-electric, dual-bus version of the normally aspirated, 310 horsepower Columbia 300. Performance of the aircraft is identical, though the Columbia 350 jettisons traditional vacuum pumps in favor of a dual-bus electrical system. The benefit is a more reliable electrical system capable of driving the growing selection of modern and sophisticated avionics systems finding their way into piston-engine aircraft.

The Columbia 350 incorporates other improvements, including an improved heating and ventilation system which can deliver nearly twice the volume of air to the passengers, new interior components which improve fit and finish, and provisions for future options like deice and air conditioning systems.

Turbocharged Columbia 400 Certification 'On Sked'

The Lancair Company has confirmed that the certification program for the turbocharged Lancair Columbia 400 is moving ahead and is scheduled for completion by late July of this year. The Columbia 400 is powered by a 310-horsepower, turbocharged Continental TSIO-550. Preliminary flight testing reports indicate that the aircraft should cruise in excess of 230 KTAS at 17,000 feet with speeds of more than 240 KTAS at 24,000 feet. At that performance, the Lancair Columbia 400 will be the fastest certified, piston-powered, four-place aircraft on the market – fixed gear or retractable, single-engine or twin.

“With its speed and excellent range and useful load, the Columbia 400 is a fantastic cross country aircraft,” said Lancair Vice President of Sales and Marketing Mark Cahill. “You could easily fly from Seattle, Washington to San Francisco, California in two and a half hours. You can’t do that with anything else anywhere close to price of the Columbia 400.” The Lancair Company expects to announce certification of the Columbia 400 at Oshkosh in early August and will deliver the first customer aircraft this fall.

“The Columbia 400 is the airplane a lot of people have been waiting for,” Cahill continued. “It incorporates the latest technology and safety advances available in general aviation. It’s very fast, but still easy to handle at slow speeds. And it can climb up over weather and take you where you want to go. It really is a great airplane.”

Final performance figures and pricing for the Columbia 400 are now being finalized as are avionics configurations and options. The Lancair Company will release this information as it becomes available.

FMI: www.lancair.com/certified