Lancair IV-P - CAFE Foundation

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installation developed by Brent Regan anddescribed here in the pages of SportAviation in December 1996.Basically, Brent modified the LycomingTIO-540, which is a rear mount engine, tocomply with the bed mount design thatLancair incorporated for the standardContinental TSIO-550-B. Although comparablein power, the Lycoming has a largerdiameter crankshaft which is beneficialfor running at high power. The enginecompression ratio is also increased to8.5:1, permitting less boost pressure forthe same or better performance.All of these changes required that Brentdesign and build a custom engine oil sumpthat puts the engine mounts and propellerthrust line in the same place. The entirealuminum induction and stainless steelexhaust systems were redesigned andhandcrafted by Brent to include Garret turbochargers,intercoolers and associatedplumbing. He also designed a snazzy carbonfiber plenum chamber which reducesengine operating temps while minimizingcooling drag. In addition, the entire electricaland ignition systems were alsoredesigned. Brent contributed many othermodifications to both his own and Derek’splanes.SUBJECTIVEEVALUATIONLancair IV-P, N114LBY C.J. StephensFirst ImpressionThe Lancair IV-P stands tall on its tubular,low drag landing gear. Noticeablyabsent are the landing gear doors that arenormally attached to the landing gear legs.This gives the airplane an almost spindlyappearance. The sleek, and sturdy steellegs, with the gear doors flush to the fuselage(except during the retraction/extensioncycle) adds to the flowing clean linesof the airplane. I found the operation of themain gear doors to be both innovative andsimple. The doors are held firmly shutwith springs and a tension strap. The doorsare held closed with springs and a tensionstrap that the gear leg engages when thegear is up. On extension, the gear legopens the door by pushing against a wearstrip in the door and a small elliptical holein the front of the door allows the doors toclose again with the gear down and locked.On retraction it all works in reverse.The next impression of the airplanecomes from the smooth flowing, high rise,contour of the fuselage. All of the externalsurfaces blend with each other and are finishedperfe c t l ysmooth. Thepaint isblemish freeand regardlessof theamount ofsearchingthere is nota singleimperfectionnoted inthe constructionor finish. This Lancair is largerthan most other homebuilt aircraft, butthen, this is no ordinary homebuilt.OverallLocated on each side of the front cockpitis a side-stick for control of the aileronsand elevators. Both sticks are cantedinboard to match a natural grasp of thepilot’s hand. It pivots at the base and haslight and equal motion of about three inchesin all directions.As reported in the CAFE’s Cozy article(April 1999 issue of Sport Aviation,) thereare many advantages of the side stickflight control. Wrist motion controls operationrather than upper arm movement asin most stick controlled aircraft. Thisallows precise but small motion to beexerted on the controls. It may not be at allfair to measure and compare the stickforces of this type of control with those inconventional center stick (arm movement)since they involve such different leverages.We have, however, measured andreported the stick forces later in this reportfor general information and comparison.An electric motor and pump provideshydraulic pressure to operate the landinggear and flaps. No parking brake isinstalled on the self-contained hydraulicLarry Fordtoe brakes. Ninety-four gallons of fuel iscontained in the wing and selectable by aleft/right/off valve on the lower centerconsole. All 94 gallons of fuel are usable.Ground HandlingEven with the hefty empty weight of2212.5 lbs it is possible for one person topush or pull the airplane, although itrequires a pretty good shove and a smoothlevel surface to do so. Getting into thecockpit requires either a knee to get up onthe wing, or to sit on the leading edge andthen stand up. There is no anti-skid “wingwalk” which added to the good lookingsmooth surface, however it also necessitatesthe placement of a protective pad onthe wing to keep from scratching the paint.Once on the wing it is easy to step directlyonto the floor of the cabin without steppingon the upholstery of the seat. Theerect seats put all occupants in a conventionalupright sitting position. All fourseats are comfortably padded withTemperfoam which is most appreciated onlong high altitude flights.The ignition system on N114L is a conventionaldual magneto set up. Therewould be little advantage to be gained withthe installation of electronic ignitions sincesea level manifold pressures are nearlyalways attainable, negating some of theadvantages of ignition advance. The injectedTIO-540 Regan/Lycoming engine has apurge valve installed to purge any air outof the injector lines prior to start. This wasvery effective during those difficult hotstarts. To operate the purge system, oneonly needs to turn on the low boost pumpfor about 20 seconds with the purge knobpulled out. This circulates cool fuelthrough the injector lines, purging the airand vapor out. The fast spinning starteralso aids in the quick start of a hot engine.Taxi operation is very easy with toe
Larry FordJo DempseyMain gear, emptyNosewheel, emptyPilot, front seatPassenger, front seatPassenger(s), rear seatsFuel, wing tanks fullOil, included 6.5 qt.Baggage, aft limit 140 lbTOTALSDatum = a pt. fwd of firewallc.g., inchesc.g., % aft of fwd limitGross weight, lbGross weight, landing, lbEmpty weight, lbUseful load, lbPayload, lb, full fuelFuel capacity, gallons*Empty weight c.g., inchesc.g. range, inches*as determined by CAFEWeight, lb1606.5606.0170.0170.080.2564.30.00.03200.090.8855%3200.02900.02215.5984.5420.294.0587.5386.5-94.5Larry FordLancair IVP N114L, Sample c.g.Arm107.6334.2598.0098.00129.0094.800.00140.00brakes located on the rudder pedals forsteering and stopping control. The planemoves easily, and comfortably holds normaltaxi speed with about 1,000 rpm. Anexcellent laminated checklist is providedby Derek which is easy to follow.Prior to take off an important item is tolock the one entry door located on theleft side of the fuselage. The door isheld in place with two hinges and eightsturdy latches and is operated by twolever type handles that snapped overcenter with a positive locking motion.The outward forces on the door aretremendous once the 5.2 psi cabin pressureis reached at flight altitude. All ofthe mechanisms holding the door inplace during flight appeared to be builtstrong enough to do the job without fail.A flat door seal, to help maintain cabinpressure, is mounted in the channel thatmates with the door and is inflatedpneumatically prior to takeoff. Thisplane was pressure-tested on the groundat 7.5 psi to verify a good safety margin.A light on the enunciator panel notifiesthe pilot if the baggage door is notproperly locked. This seems like a goodidea since it is not visible from the cabinand could be overlooked until aftereveryone is strapped in for flight. Thebaggage compartment is eye level andspacious but un-pressurized.Take off and climbA flap setting of 10 degrees, as notedby a paint stripe on the flap hinge or bythe flap indicator, is used for take off.The boost pump needs to be on at thelow setting until reaching 1,000 feet ofaltitude. Full throttle holds 35 inches ofmanifold pressure, 2700 rpm, and a fuelflow of 40 gallons per hour. The airplanetracks straight down the center of therunway with only light rudder pressurerequired to maintain directionalcontrol. Moderate rotation producesa nice liftoff which quicklyMoment turns into a substantial climb rate.172894 After becoming safely airborne20757 the landing gear and flaps are16660 raised, followed by a power16660 reduction to 32”/2500 rpm which10346 reduces the fuel flow to 25 gph. A53496 waste gate holds manifold pressureconstant during the climb; a00 nice feature that keeps the pilot290813 workload to a minimum. Since themanifold pressure holds constantduring the climb, it eliminates therequirement of constantly addingthrottle or leaning the mixture.The next necessary adjustment ofthe throttle or mixture is at leveloff.Cabin PressurizationSystemThe Lancair received an extrameasure of design engineering in order tomake it a safe pressurized airplane forflights at higher altitudes. By using airpressure from the turbo-charger, a pressurizationdump valve (regulated to 5.2 psimaximum), installing sturdy latches tohold the cabin entry door against the outwardpressure, and an inflatable rubberdoor seal to minimize leaks, this airplaneis able to produce a comfortable environmentfor the occupants. It eliminates therequirement of wearing oxygen masks duringflights at high altitude provided thesystem operates normally. Emergencydescent oxygen and masks are availableshould a situation occur that caused cabinpressure loss. The added material requiredfor pressurization and the lack of air noisefrom the air-sealed cabin contributed to anoticeably lower noise level than would beexpected.A flapper valve located above the rearseat automatically activates during thetransition between pressurized and non-ABOUT THE BUILDERDerek Hine is the talentedowner/builder of the Lancair IV-P featuredin this article. Derek began hiscareer in aviation at the early age of16 as an aeronautical engineerapprentice at Armstrong WhitworthAircraft, Ltd. in Coventry, England.He attended college at the same timeearning the equivalent of a bachelor’sdegree in Aeronautical Engineeringand his master’s in MechanicalEngineering. He has worked for overthirty years in mechanical engineeringand management involving aerospace,vehicles, lasers and semiconductors.Included in his accomplishments isthe design and construction ofNASA’s Mobility Test Article details,a vehicle designed to simulate themoon’s gravity and give astronauts“driver’s training”.Derek has logged about 3000hours of single and multi-engine flying.He chose the Lancair IV-P tobuild based on the aircraft’s performance.Getting places fast is high onhis list! He also needed a four-placecabin and the pressurization optioncapped off his decision process. He isdelighted with the results whichearned him an award for outstandingworkmanship at Oshkosh ‘98.His advice to builders is that theplane will go together the way themanual suggests it will. And, that abuilder can finish the project in thetime suggested by the factory, ifyou’ve built a plane before; but if it’sa hobby, then you’re likely to put inextra time anyway.
Page 1: AIRCRAFT PERFORMANCE REPORTSponsore
Page 6 and 7: Larry Ford photoscabin pressurizati
Page 8 and 9: LANCAIR IVP, N114L, SPECIFICATIONSE
Page 10: Cruise data, mphConfig./flight #DAD

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