lml@lancaironline.net Mailing List Archive

I guess I'm in with you Randy and Lynn.

After I bought my 360 - 14 years ago - I felt somewhat obligated and even responsible to make sure it had sufficient margins of safety for any circumstances before I flew with any passengers. After all, I had not even been the one to build it. I had three greybeard mechanics look it over very thoroughly also.

A little at a time and with inspections after each flight, I increased speed to 300 mph indicated and pulled up to 7.5 g's. I also stalled it and made sure it would not enter some unrecoverable spin. After that, I have not worried about it much in the course of giving rides to literally hundreds of people. Almost all of them had the controls during part of their flight.

There is really no way to know if an experimental homebuilt will hold together at speeds or loads even much less than the lancair factory recommendations. Whoever flies an experimental plane is a test pilot to some extent.

I know a number of Lancairs have modified engines - such as higher compression pistons and electronic ignitions among other things.

These are not approved by Lycoming and Continental. Should they be considered too dangerous also?

May the LML police have a ball.

Mark Ravinski

360 1481 hrs 1110 of it mine.

X Air Force flight instructor.

----- Original Message -----

From: Randy

To: LML

Sent: Sunday, December 06, 2009 12:32 PM

Subject: [LML] Re: Vne is NOT a meaningless number

Skip,

I don't think Lynn nor I have advocated in any way that any pilot fly in any manor. I merely stated that I, on occasion, push my Lancair past Vne and Lynn had stated that he pushes his Lancair past Vne. Neither one of us has recommended anyone else to do this.

Since my admission I have been insulted, berated, talked down to and pretty much left for dead. Lynn chimes in and he's treated in the same manor.

I personally feel safe in my judgment, I've been flying a long time and well versed with this model Lancair. Lynn, as well, is very experienced with his Lancair and his judgments.

Why all the hate??  These are our choices, we feel safe, how did this become everyone else's condemnation?

Neither Lynn nor I have asked anyone here to fly with us, we haven't offered to train anyone to exceed Vne, we haven't promoted doing anything......

This is a forum about Lancair's, geared to a Lancair community. We are not all gray, we are all individuals, we all make our own choices. Not to judged.

In all the years I've been on this forum I have never seen so much disrespect towards fellow Lancair builders / pilots. All from sharing information.

We were just discussing Lancair's in a Lancair forum.

I hope I speak for Lynn, and others that have defended our free choice, to enjoy our Lancair's as we see fit.

I know everyone here on the LML wishes everyone safe flying.

Randy Stuart

LNC-2

I need to go fly!!!

----- Original Message -----

From: Skip Slater

To: lml@lancaironline.net

Sent: Friday, December 04, 2009 11:01 PM

Subject: [LML] Re: Vne is NOT a meaningless number

Lynn,

   My only objection here is the cavalier disregard for limitations. Your plane is an exception in that it was specifically modified to race, as was Greenameyer's and the IV that Lancair raced in the early Sport Class races in Reno (at least the engine was). Your mods make your plane safe to fly at those speeds and you have established a higher Vne that you respect. That's the smart way to do it. The vast majority of the Lancairs flying don't have the airframe mods you have and their pilots, if they choose to fly past redline IAS, have nothing upon which to base their own limiting airspeed. I hope you're not suggesting that they're all as safe to fly as fast as you do.

   If our entire community decides that limitations are just guidelines which can be ignored, we deserve all the bad press we've been getting. If you ignore Vne, why not ignore an RMP limit, G limit or any other limitation you find too restrictive? It's an attitude we shouldn't be fostering, particularly in a public forum such as the LML.

If Joe B. thinks Lancair Vne's are too low, why doesn't he raise them? If the factory endorses the raising of limits based upon their own research and flight testing, I have no problem with that. However if you, Randy or any other Lancair drivers right up to Joe instead advocate the disregard of the current published limitations, I personally think that's an unwise choice. I've been a professional pilot since I left college and I wasn't trained to think that way and strongly discourage the practice.

   Why don't we just leave it at that.

   Regards,

   Skip