X-Virus-Scanned: clean according to Sophos on Logan.com Return-Path: Sender: To: lml@lancaironline.net Date: Sat, 05 Jul 2008 18:19:22 -0400 Message-ID: X-Original-Return-Path: Received: from imo-m28.mx.aol.com ([64.12.137.9] verified) by logan.com (CommuniGate Pro SMTP 5.2.5) with ESMTP id 3012988 for lml@lancaironline.net; Sat, 05 Jul 2008 16:25:21 -0400 Received: from RWolf99@aol.com by imo-m28.mx.aol.com (mail_out_v38_r9.4.) id q.c5a.354a02b3 (37032) for ; Sat, 5 Jul 2008 16:25:18 -0400 (EDT) Received: from webmail-nb04 (webmail-nb04.sim.aol.com [207.200.69.196]) by cia-db02.mx.aol.com (v121.5) with ESMTP id MAILCIADB022-90a8486fd8ad1d6; Sat, 05 Jul 2008 16:25:18 -0400 X-Original-To: lml@lancaironline.net Subject: Lancair 360 X-Original-Date: Sat, 05 Jul 2008 16:25:17 -0400 X-MB-Message-Source: WebUI X-AOL-IP: 72.19.171.41 X-MB-Message-Type: User MIME-Version: 1.0 From: rwolf99@aol.com Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary="--------MB_8CAACF45FA09347_CD0_DFB7_webmail-nb04.sysops.aol.com" X-Mailer: AOL Webmail 37563-STANDARD Received: from 72.19.171.41 by webmail-nb04.sysops.aol.com (207.200.69.196) with HTTP (WebMailUI); Sat, 05 Jul 2008 16:25:17 -0400 X-Original-Message-Id: <8CAACF45F7CD01F-CD0-7007@webmail-nb04.sysops.aol.com> X-Spam-Flag:NO ----------MB_8CAACF45FA09347_CD0_DFB7_webmail-nb04.sysops.aol.com Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" I'm not sure exactly what Gary Fitzgerald was referring to about sitting next to me at the OSH banquet last year.? I recall we were commiserating as 360 builders about being the bastard children of the Lancair builder community.? Even Vern Pifer call us "the last of a dying breed" and that was several years ago!? I do remember telling Gary that you could not buy a used Lancair when I started building mine (1994), but today I would be flying faster and for less money if my garage burned down and I took the insurance money and bought a flying airplane.? I also mentioned that since I have an attached garage, I could not actually implement this plan.? Besides, imagine the embarrassing questions.? (How coincidental that *all* your avionics, except for your poor LORAN, were actually in the basement closet next to your new engine...)? No, this plan won't work.? (Guys, you know I'm just joking, right?? I wouldn't commit insurance fraud.) Anyway, about builder support of an older product.? All of my technical info comes from this email forum.? I don't call Lancair for any technical answers anymore;?I have not done that for years and years.? So that's not a factor.? Second, when Glasair went belly-up about 7 years ago, I drove up to Oregon for the annual barbeque and drove home with every single part and option that was only available through Lancair.? I recommend that anyone buying a legacy product (that's legacy with a small l, not Legacy with a capital L) do the same thing.? I could not even buy a replacement $35 stainless nose gear firewall boot from Lancair this summer.? I does seem to me that if the part is not used on the newer airplanes, you probably won't get it from Lancair.? (Wait for Joe or Robert Williams to chime in here.? I have probably severely overstated the problem.) Having said that, I'm sure that Lancair does have *some* stuff available for the older airplanes.? The parts that wear out, especially.? But mine was probably the first request for a stainless firewall boot in five or ten years, so I'm not surprised that they are no longer available.? Fiberglass parts?? Those took a ong time to get even when they were in current production, as they were made in batches.? I doubt that I could even buy a new wing or cowling even if I wanted to. Long story short -- buy a IV kit even if it is discontinued (or about to be).? The Lancair kits are great products, but nobody can stay in business stocking *all* of the parts for kits that have not been sold for 20 years.? (Can you get parts for a Pinto from Ford anymore?)? But protect yourself and get *everything* that you can't buy from Vans or Aircraf Spruce at the same time. - Rob Wolf ----------MB_8CAACF45FA09347_CD0_DFB7_webmail-nb04.sysops.aol.com Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Content-Type: text/html; charset="us-ascii" I'm not sure exactly what Gary Fitzgerald was referring to about sitting next to me at the OSH banquet last year.  I recall we were commiserating as 360 builders about being the bastard children of the Lancair builder community.  Even Vern Pifer call us "the last of a dying breed" and that was several years ago! 

I do remember telling Gary that you could not buy a used Lancair when I started building mine (1994), but today I would be flying faster and for less money if my garage burned down and I took the insurance money and bought a flying airplane.  I also mentioned that since I have an attached garage, I could not actually implement this plan.  Besides, imagine the embarrassing questions.  (How coincidental that *all* your avionics, except for your poor LORAN, were actually in the basement closet next to your new engine...)  No, this plan won't work.  (Guys, you know I'm just joking, right?  I wouldn't commit insurance fraud.)

Anyway, about builder support of an older product.  All of my technical info comes from this email forum.  I don't call Lancair for any technical answers anymore; I have not done that for years and years.  So that's not a factor.  Second, when Glasair went belly-up about 7 years ago, I drove up to Oregon for the annual barbeque and drove home with every single part and option that was only available through Lancair.  I recommend that anyone buying a legacy product (that's legacy with a small l, not Legacy with a capital L) do the same thing.  I could not even buy a replacement $35 stainless nose gear firewall boot from Lancair this summer.  I does seem to me that if the part is not used on the newer airplanes, you probably won't get it from Lancair.  (Wait for Joe or Robert Williams to chime in here.  I have probably severely overstated the problem.)

Having said that, I'm sure that Lancair does have *some* stuff available for the older airplanes.  The parts that wear out, especially.  But mine was probably the first request for a stainless firewall boot in five or ten years, so I'm not surprised that they are no longer available.  Fiberglass parts?  Those took a ong time to get even when they were in current production, as they were made in batches.  I doubt that I could even buy a new wing or cowling even if I wanted to.

Long story short -- buy a IV kit even if it is discontinued (or about to be).  The Lancair kits are great products, but nobody can stay in business stocking *all* of the parts for kits that have not been sold for 20 years.  (Can you get parts for a Pinto from Ford anymore?)  But protect yourself and get *everything* that you can't buy from Vans or Aircraf Spruce at the same time.

- Rob Wolf ----------MB_8CAACF45FA09347_CD0_DFB7_webmail-nb04.sysops.aol.com--