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Date: Sat, 12 Jan 2013 13:17:48 -0500
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From: Randylsnarr <randylsnarr@yahoo.com>
Subject: Re: [LML] Re: Purchase Advice LNC2 another 235/320 story...

Dan,=20
Excellent story...

Here is another one ( condensed version)
On July July 26, 2009 I flew from Provo Utah to Oskosh WI. With rain at OSH w=
e opted to divert to Portage C47.=20

Total distance traveled 1100 nautical miles
Fuel burned 39 gallons=20
Average tail wind at 11,500 9 knots ( wished I had 02 the whole way)
Average speed 157 knots
Flight time 7 hours
Carrying 705 lbs of souls, gear and fuel
reserve fuel at destination 7 gallons ( 1 hr)

Oh, almost forgot.. This was also nonstop...

The return flight was not as efficient as I was heavier on the way back. The=
 gold Lindy they handed me as I was headed out the door weighed 5 lbs...

Not bad for a lowly 235...

Randy Snarr
N694RS

Sent from my iPad

On Jan 12, 2013, at 5:40 AM, "Dan Schaefer" <dfs155@roadrunner.com> wrote:

> Ok, listers, here's an original 235 builder/flyer responding to the sugges=
tion that maybe we ought chime in re: Our 235 lawn darts - so here goes.
>=20
> I built mine starting in about '86 - '87 (I think) when Lance was still in=
 LA, before the company moved to Santa Paula and before Don Goetz started tr=
ying to squeeze a 320 into the airframe. This was in the days when the build=
 manual was still partly in draft and corrections were arriving in the mail e=
very week. First flight was in '93 done utilizing the then factory service o=
f having an experienced factory pilot (Mike DeHate) do the first flight, exp=
lore the envelope and check me out. I'm still flying N235SP and have over 10=
00 hours on it. (That doesn't sound like a lot since '93 but work kept me ou=
t of country a bunch and after retirement to the north country, I don't fly m=
uch in the winters up here).
>=20
> I have used the airplane for simply boring holes, learning to fly formatio=
n with an ex-Navy carrier fighter pilot, and many of the requisite "$100 dol=
lar hamburger runs". But also on quite a few reasonably long trips such as: C=
oeur d'Alene, ID (the town to which I retired) to LA, LA to Yellowstone, LA t=
o Redmond, Or, etc. I run a Lyc. O-235-L2C with the Lycoming "helicopter" pi=
stons (moderatly high-compression yielding maybe 120 to 125 HP) and run a tw=
o bladed electric MT C/S prop. On long trips, the airplane likes about 9,500=
 to 10,500 ft and for years I have averaged 164 knots in cruise. On the trip=
s to Jellystone from LA I always carried a passenger (who ran to about 200 l=
bs), fishing gear and baggage for two guys for the week (limiting the baggag=
e to a total of 50 lbs for structural reasons in the baggage bay). Of course=
, with that loading, takeoffs took more runway but once on cruise, there is v=
ery little difference in the speed or the handling.
>=20
> When I built the airplane, I had a partner who was 6' 1" and weighed about=
 205 lbs. to accomodate his size, we cut some of the passenger bottom seat-p=
an away (a factory suggestion), lowering his head by about two inches. His o=
nly comment was that he always had to be sure that he put on his headset wit=
h the mic towards the inside or it would hit the canopy side. My partner cou=
ldn't get his medical so we left the pilot's seat pan alone and I have to do=
 the same too, but it's not a big deal.
>=20
> Like Grayhawk, after flying for a year or so, I arbitrarily moved my prefe=
rred cg range slightly forward - reason? - back in the mid '90's, there was a=
lso much talk about the airplane's probable spin recovery problems and I wan=
ted as much rudder arm as plssible, just in case. I doubt if that reduces my=
 cruise speed much due to elevator down-force as the airplane requires nose-=
down trim when going into reflex anyway, so the forward cg abets that requir=
ement. To be factual, I did need to install slightly stronger pitch trim spr=
ings to have full trim authority at the flare for landing.
>=20
> My fuel tanks in the wings (11 gal each - header 11 gal as well) are locat=
ed between the front and rear spars and between the inboard close-out rib an=
d the second rib, which was moved a couple of inches outboard (with blessing=
s from the factory). This was done for several reasons: First and foremost, I=
 didn't like the idea of the inertia of the fuel all the way out to the wing=
tips as was designed. In a spin, centrifugal force would likely force all th=
e wing fuel toward the tips exacerbating recovery difficulty - hopefully, it=
 can only help inadvertent spin recovery - though I'm fully aware that a pat=
tern stall/spin would be fatal. And not only in a Lancair. Second, with the f=
uel between the spars, burning off the fuel in the wings has little effect o=
n cg travel. And third, I thought that trying to seal those bloody leading e=
dges would be really tough.
>=20
> Whatever Lancair you are looking at to buy, I certainly recommend picking o=
ne that has the oleo nose strut. The original type required a lot of fiddlin=
g to keep it from going ape - s**t on landing and tearing up your engine mou=
nt. In my opinion they should all have been retrofitted by now.
>=20
> While I'm at it I'll add my 2c worth regarding the Stall, spin thread that=
's been going on - again! I do practice approach to stall recognition to rem=
ind myself what it feels like (my 235 gives a fairly good warning - even if o=
ne ignores the mushy controls). Though my Lancair doesn't seem to have a ten=
dency to drop a wing at the stall, I know the envelope and don't push it. I'=
ve also always put in a bit of nose-down pitch trim in the pattern, just eno=
ugh to require a noticable amount of back pressure on the stick, so the nose=
 to drop enough to get my attention if I am distracted. I started doing this=
 while flying in LA where it was common to be number six for landing - and f=
our guys ahead were flying Cessna 150's!
>=20
> Dan Schaefer
> LNC2    N235SP
> 78 and still flying!
>=20
>=20
>=20
> --
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