- a little trivia about Lancair building in Europe -

Life in Europe is great!
We have snow every once in a decade, sun at least once every 2 months and rain 300 days a year (which is very nice if you happen to care a lot for flowers!), avgas at $ 4.90 / gl. and 180% tax on cars ( + 25% v.a.t., also on the tax, of course), on cars.
On top of all these goodies we have the CAA (Civil Aviation Arrogants), who happens to take great pleasure in securing our safety, which means experimental aircraft are not allowed to overfly densely populated areas (camp grounds included) and, because of this, are not allowed to fly IFR.
You might ask yourself  "who the H#&@ would want to build a Lancair in Europe", but the answer is simple: Because it is good fun to be restricted to VFR only and to pay double operating costs! - and don´t forget the safety factor!
As for composite aircraft, the builder is not able to guarantee that the factory did not forget a ply of carbon or to add hardener to the resin used in the main spar, so, in the interest of his safety, a wing loading test has to be carried out. In my case I would have liked to test the wings to +9G (+6G x 1.5 safety factor), but this insane idea was (perhaps in the interest of my safety?) immediately prohibited by the CAA. I could (and had to!) test to + 3.8G no more, no less, because 3.8G is the std. procedure for non-aerobatic aircraft ( and mine is very certainly non-aerobatic, otherwise I will have to pay 25% v.a.t. of the estimated value of the aircraft!).
So, guys, stop whining about California sales tax, increasing fuel prices, bad weather and endless paperwork for the FAA, in our eyes you will always be amateurs in these regimes! Instead, enjoy this photo of a real european CAA wing loading test (to 3.8G only, obviously!) on a 360.

The scientific part, in case anyone cares,  is:
1027 kg. (2,300.48 lb) on each wing (meticulously placed according to a precalculated wing loading scheme, of course)
Wing bending (measured at the tips): 9,9 cm. (( 3.8976377") - will you guys ever learn to use the metric system???)
- and the most interesting part: The micro that was bonding the stub wing skin to the outboard wing (I have not had the RH wing detached from the fuselage after filling/sanding the this area) broke at around 3G!!!
- so, guys, if I can only make the CAA lower the test limit to 2.9G, I might finally be able to convince them that main spars are pure dead weight, carried by sissys only!!!

- once again; enjoy the photo (no it is not micro in those bags, it is cement!!!)

Tim Jorgensen
360  /  35.5 %