hi there

Just some thoughts on flying a 4P.

FIFTY HOURS TO THE COMFORT ZONE
i have 3700 hours, most of which were in Cessna 310 & Cessna 340. Well, i thought "ah, a piece of cake; the landing numbers and pattern speeds are similar"
  well,  a Lancair 4P transition was a humbling experience. So much different, So much changed.
I spent six days in training; partially due to weather and partially due to reality.
i now have 90 hours in type in the first eight months of the airplane.
We are now friends; we tend to go the same place and in the same way at the same time.  it was past 50 hours before the airplane were in the comfort zone together. I do not take the airplane for granted; i have even greater respect for this bird.

i fly 125-200 hours a year. now being faster will not reduce my flying time because i will be using the speed more often.

              the speed is seductive.

to anyone out there. start slowly with a Homebuilt; guaranteed there will be quirks to the build; guaranteed that there will be things that need adjusting.

i purchased my plane from someone who had never flow IFR, at night or with four people in the plane. and then only about 150 hours in five years of flying.

ANNUAL FLYING
to stay current and "at peace" with the 4P i would not want to fly less than about 80 hours a year. this is a demanding airplane. transition would be a lot easier  if we trained and previously regularly flew similar airplanes. but we don't.

especially the stall characturistics. I had Len Fox test the airplane before i flew it. the post stall rotation  is approximately 110 degrees in either direction. not tame; but if every plane we flew, had those characturistics, we would be used to it, BUT, they do not and we are not.

IN CONCLUSION
My lady summed it up, when looking at her first Lancair 4, she said "Hotrod"
     then she asked me about the safety record; my answer: "Terrible"
and then i said "Very Fast"

and in many ways that sums up the Lancair 4 & 4P

peter williams