When a home shop kit car builder thinks of widening his horizons into aeronautics, a two-seater helicopter may sound like something partially imaginable but what about a pressurized airplane that can go 345 miles per hour? Most car kit builders would say ‘No Way’ and throw down the magazine before they read another word. Don’t throw it down too fast as the Lancair IV is here and it is going to make believers out of a lot of you home car kit rebuilders. In fact, Howard Hughes may be rolling in his grave as we speak.
This amazing idea began back in 1990 when the company Lancair came up with the idea to produce a kit that would make it possible for a home shop expert to put together a four-seat pressurized airplane that could fly 345 mph. That is airliner speed for all you naysayers out there and the passengers are going to sit back in comfort sipping cocktails while they gaze out the windows. Keep doubting if you must but this is the new millennium and Lancair has actually accomplished this great feat.
The IV plane is safe, reliable, efficient and comfortable and it can be put together in your home shop. Just like Howard Hughes, the sky has never been the limit for these guys and the Lancair IV is only one of 4 single engine piston aircrafts in the world to ever fly with a pressurized cabin. It’s track record in safety and low maintenance has also been proven through the years. They will think you must be as rich as Howard Hughes too even though there is actually a reasonable economy behind this kit. This inexpensive “fastbuild kit” would have never been possible only decades earlier.
The Lancair has proven itself in competitions as well. It has been awarded in almost all major air races in the country setting world speed records and impressing all its fans. As the only kit plane that has ever qualified at the Reno National Air Races unlimited category, it entered the Sport Class and set new lap speed records. The company also offers a top quality builder’s workshop with a one-on-one guide that can give you some hands on training and get you up in the air even faster than you imagined. Now what do you say? Maybe Howard Hughes wasn’t as crazy as everyone thought.
