PROFESSIONAL AIRLINE PILOT A:  "My opinion, which I have stated in this forum before, is that a Lancair pilot should be familiar with approaches to stalls, stalls and stall recovery in his airplane.

PROFESSIONAL AIRLINE PILOT B: "I'm a strong advocate for stall and spin training for anyone who flys a Lancair- just do it in another kind of plane."

AMATEUR, INSTRUMENT-RATED, BUT LOW-TIME, SOON TO BE TEST PILOT (ME): "Hmm...different opinions from the pros on a rather important issue!  Maybe it's wise for an amateur like me to take the conservative route and just scratch the surface of this part of the ES envelope."

Consider that:

1. On my factory ES test ride, Orin wouldn't conduct stalls.   For a power on stall, he demonstrated climb at a very high angle and said it would be nuts to climb at a higher angle.  For a power off stall, he approached the stall and demonstrated the pre-stall buffet (which I thought was hard to notice).   As a Cessna flyer (172s, 182s, Cardinal RGs) who has stalled these planes hundreds of times, this got my attention. I figure there must be a reason they wouldn't demonstrate stalls in the ES. 

2. When I enquired about the evolution from the ES to the Columbia, a Lancair person said something like "on spin number 17 while attempting to certify the ES we lost a lot of altitude."  The company modified the wing (adding wing cuffs for example), limited the rudder, took the opportunity to make other design changes, and the result was the spin resistant Columbia 300/350.  For the Columbia 400, they enlarged the tail so that it is spin recoverable rather spin resistant.  I figure that these changes were made because the ES stall and spin characteristics weren't docile enough for certification. 

3. A 40,000 hour airline pilot/FAA Designated Examiner (indeed my examiner) unintentionally spun a Lancair 360 while practicing slow flight.  He had many hours in the plane.  He recovered after losing 4000 feet, but the builder/owner in the right seat said he was scared out of his wits.  Admittedly, the 360 is not an ES, but this still got my attention.

4. In recent stall testing of an ES reported on this list, Dave Allen entered an unintentional spin and was a couple turns from bailing out.  This was with the cg about mid range.  Got my attention.

5. Now an airline pilot with a military background advises against aggressive stalls in the ES.  This gets my attention.

I realize that many of you have practiced stalls many times, and it seems that several believe such practice is essential.  However, my points 1-5 seem to me to suggest greater caution.  Based on these and other anecdotes, my inclination is to go no further than careful approaches to power off stalls with quick recoveries, and to do this only with a relatively forward cg.  This suggests a stall/spin practice regime focused more on avoidance than recovery, using the AOA indicator I've installed as a key tool. 

OK, I've had the guts to convey my own "chicken-pilot" thinking as I near the test phase.  I'm interested in reactions from those with Lancair experience.  Eyes and ears are wide open!