Posted for "Rienk Ayers" <rienk.ayers@sreyaaviation.com>:

 Jeff,
 you are probably right about the Lancairs in question being the older two
 seat variants.  Again, I was just quoting him, and I gave a good enough
 reference that anyone could read the whole article themselves.
 
 Though I have flown an L4 and Columbia with the idea of buying one at
 different times, I do not have even an hour in each type, so I have no way
 to judge or compare the different models, let alone discern the stability
 and control nuances - I just knew they were too twitchy for me. Only a
 qualified engineer could legitimately compare the numbers (derivatives) or
 an unbiased test pilot be able to discern the differences. My opinions are
 based upon feedback from qualified people, including professional engineers
 and test pilots who have flown the Lancairs - and that is as much as I'm
 going to say about that.
 
 My level of expertise has nothing to do with this issue - the numbers speak
 for themselves. I have yet to hear from a Lancair builder/pilot who even
 knows what derivatives are, let alone what they mean, and what the numbers
 actually are for any model of Lancair. To be fair, I sincerely doubt that
 most designers and manufacturers even know either. But if I were an
 owner/builder, I would sure hope that someone could give me the answers - at
 least the theoretical numbers that were calculated in the design process
 (only wind tunnel testing can completely verify them). don't inquiring minds
 want to know?
 
 Yes, you could simply say that you've flown an airplane, you can live with
 it's bad characteristics (if any), and make sure you don't "fall of the
 wall."
 But if you will recall, this thread got started when Allen Adamson wondered,
 "what can be done to create a safer lancair record."
 My suggestion? Don't just teach gymnastics - rather, shorten the wall.
 RA