By
Alton K. Marsh
The Lancair kitplane known, as
Evolution, a blazingly fast form of transportation, first flew last year with a
turbine engine, but now itıs flown with a piston engine.
The piston-powered Evolution flew for the first time in June and will become
the demonstration platform for Lycomingıs iE2 series of muscle piston engines once it completes 10
hours of flight. It needs 10 hours not because itıs a new airplane, but because
it needs to complete an aerodynamic profile before the iE2 can be mounted on
the airframe. The engine is run by a computer, and these tests are telling the
computer exactly how the airplane performs. Data is transmitted from the
Lancair electronically for Lycoming engineers to view.
The first 10 hours will be done with the present Lycoming O-540 engine. The iE2
engine, capable of generating continuous power of 350 hp or 400 hp during
takeoff and climb, is already waiting at the Lancair plant in Redmond, Ore.
Lancair will install it and test fly it a total of 40 hours, a requirement for
an aircraft that is experimental and powered by an experimental engine. The
engine is currently available only for advanced experimental aircraft. After 40
hours, passengers may be carried.
The agreement between Lancair and Lycoming calls for the aircraft to become a
Lycoming demonstrator for three years. Although Lycoming doesnıt refer to the
engine as FADEC (full authority digital engine controls), thatıs basically what
it is. Thereıs just a push button to start, a single lever to go fast or slow,
and a key switch to turn the engine off.
Just how fast does it go? Speeds claimed by the manufacturer are 240 KIAS with
a fuel burn of 17 gph, or 250 to 260 KTAS with a fuel burn of 22 gph. The
company also reports a speed if you just want to shove the power lever all the
way forward, and thatıs 270 KTAS. You can actually do that without concern for
damaging the engine, because the computer monitors and manages each cylinder
individually. By comparison, the turbine-powered Evolution goes 300 KTAS to 330
KTAS depending on which model of turbine engine you install.
Yes, you have to build part of it by yourself. Construction begins with a
two-week stint at the factory during which most of the difficult work is
completed. Following that, it can take six months of 40-hour weeks to complete
the aircraft, but mechanics are allowed to help under kit building FAA rules.
What you canıt do is turn your back on the hangar and return months later to
find a completed aircraft.
By the time the piston-engine Evolution is completed, youıll have about
$600,000 in the project. For the turbine engine Evolution, the total will be
between $700,000 to $1 million. A new turbine engine can cost as much as
$435,000, but less expensive used engines are available.