Message-Id: <3.0.3.32.19981203202543.02d06000@olsusa.com>
Date: Thu, 03 Dec 1998 20:25:43 -0500
To: lancair.list@olsusa.com
From: Tom McReynolds <tomcat@gigapixel.com> (by way of Marvin Kaye <marvkaye@olsusa.com>)
Subject: Manuals
Mime-Version: 1.0

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I'm going to have to disagree about the quality of the lancair manuals. I
consider them to be pretty poor quality. My experience is with the 235 and
320 manuals, perhaps the IV manual is better.

There are a lot of places in the manual where the descriptions are
incomplete, and there isn't much guidance on determining the soundness of
the construction at various stages in the construction process. A good
(actually bad) example of this is the forward hinge canopy system.  I've
been provided with 3 different ways to attach the lifting struts to the
fuselage, all of them with problems. Calling lancair wasn't much help. When 
I got the two methods for the canopy, and called the factory, they verbally 
told me of  a third way to do it!  The drawing for the aluminum piece that
is called out for in the blueprints can't actually be built according to
the drawings; the measurements don't add up. I guess that shouldn't be a
problem, since the drawing was never updated to match either of the "new"
methods recommended by the factory. If you want some fun, try to figure out
how many layers of fiberglass should be put in the canopy slots in the new
style header tank lancair will sell you. The blueprints assume that you're
converting an old style tank. Don't bother calling the factory: they don't
know either.

I've been an software engineer for a long time, but I used to be a
technical writer in a past life. Maybe I'm being too picky, but it seems
that lancair has pretty lousy support for "older" products like the 235 and
360. When a new aircraft comes along (in this case the IV), they tend to
dump support of the old planes. Builder beware.  Based on the poor fit and
finish of the kit pieces, and the weakness of the manuals, I would not
recommend this kit to someone who doesn't have a set of transferrable
building skills.

                    -Tom