Date: Sat, 19 Dec 1998 21:01:00 -0500
To: <lancair.list@olsusa.com>
From: "Lorn H. Olsen" <lorn@mich.com>
Subject: Service Ceiling
X-Mailing-List: lancair.list@olsusa.com

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>Curtis Krouse,
>     I am not sure what the exact definition of "service ceiling" is.  I
>think it is something like "the altitude at which your rate of climb at
>full power is reduced to xxx feet per second"  but I don't know what the
>>numbers are.  Anyway, I have flown my L320 with a O320-D1F engine to
>17,999 feet (VFR) and she was still climbing at a very slow rate.  I
>hope this helps.
>Bob Jude
>N65BJ

The "service ceiling" is the altitude at which the aircraft's climb, under
full power, is reduced to 100 fpm. At Laincair's web sight, the L320 and
L360(non turbo charged) are listed as having a service ceiling of 18,000
feet at their gross weight of 1,685 lbs.

I bought my 320 in Carson City NV(KCXP). My flight back to Detroit was on
Thursday, July 16, 1998. The temperature was about 100° F on the ground
when I left.

My first stop would be in Pueblo, CO(KPUB), 700 km away.

I climbed to 17,500 ft to top the mountains. It was still bumpy at that
altitude. I stayed there for maybe 1.5 hours. I then climbed to 19,500. The
flight smoothed out at that altitude.

N31161 is powered by an O320-D1F. N31161 weighs 1,157, I weigh 250 and had
60 lbs of baggage. Taking off 9x6 lbs of fuel would leave 43x6 - 9x6 = 204
lbs of fuel. The total weight would then be: 1157+250+60+204 = 1,671 lbs.
The airplane was flying right at gross wieght. The engine is certifed to
fly at 2,700 RPM for an unlimited amount of time. I was flying at 2,450. I
could have had even more power.

The temperature at 19,500 was 0° C. This made my density altitude 22,500
ft. The L320(N31161) indicated 122 kts at that altitude. The true airspeed
was 174 kts or 200 mph. I had not yet reached the aircraft's service
ceiling. I was still climbing at about 400 fpm. I am sure that the plane
would have flown over 25,000 ft.

If I hadn't of seen it, I wouldn't of believed it! I had to take pictures
of the instruments to verify my readings when I finally got back to Earth.

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