Gus.

First, one must keep in mind that every 235, 320, 360 etc., though similar, will be somewhat different, and maybe a lot different, since they were (usually) built by different people with differing amounts of skill. That said, assuming that the builder carefully adhered to the plans (which can be a leap of faith, as it should never be forgotten that the word "assume" can be an acronym for making an "ass of you and me"), different 235's "should" be similar enough to make some camparisons. To give an idea of what a good 235 is capable of, here's a bit about mine to give a baseline.

I built, and still am flying, an early 235, N235SP and I love it. I bought the kit, one of the first 50, when Lance was still working out of a small shop on 190th St. in LA - first flight was Oct. 1993. The engine is a Lyc. 0-235-L2C with Lycoming helicopter pistons which boosts the CR to around 8 something to1 and supposedly producing about 120 - 125 HP at SL, turning an MT electric C/S prop. When brand new (originally with a wooden prop), the BEW was about 875 lbs, though it's probably gained 25 to 30 lbs since then after adding the MT prop and changing some panel stuff. There are times when I thought that the additional power of a 320 would be really nice but in the long run, the 235 serves my needs quite nicely. It solely depends on what you think you need.

On a long cross-country, I usually cruise at 9,500 to 10,500 ft and have verified time and again, an average of just under 165 knots, burning around 6.3 GPH. I've made many trips with two aboard, full tanks (33 gal) plus clothes and fishing gear for a week. The most noticeable effect when at gross is a somewhat anemic ROC until accelerated to 130 MPH after which, I see 1000 fpm, seemingly regardless of weight.

The airplane is "feet-on-the-floor" in cruise, thanks to differential ailerons, but definitely needs appropriate rudder input at pattern speeds. My 235 stalls (power off) very close to straight ahead when laterally balanced (two people in the seats and/or wing tanks balanced), rudder held neutral, at around 69 MPH IAS, clean and close to that dirty. If the wing tanks are empty and I'm the only one on board, it will drop the left wing in the stall but, at least in my 235, recovery is positive.

The 235 - and probably all 200 - 300 series Lancairs - are very "responsive" to control inputs (some say "sensitive" but I prefer "responsive") and takes a bit of getting used to if you're used to flying a typical spam-can. Mine's definitely a finger-tip control airplane and wouldn't be surprised if they all were. No big deal, really, and once used to it it's very pleasant.

Some of the things to look for is elevator and aileron hinge wear - evidenced by looseness between the aluminum hinge halves and the steel hinge pin. I noticed this on my 235 after about 350 hours. In my opinion (and others) this could set up the conditions for the onset of control surface "buzz" or flutter - something to be avoided. There is a fix for this. The inboard flap pivot bolts (should be an inspection access cover on bottom of each wing just inboard of the flaps) should be inspected for looseness. I'm aware of at least two aircraft (mine and a friend's) where this pivot bolt became loose. Another is the flap cross-fuselage shaft, low and directly behind the seat bulkhead. This should be inspected for corrosion. If the seller will agree, I'd pull this out of the aircraft and check the inside of the steel tubing. I'ts fairly thin-wall tubing with weldments to attach various levers and a few early ones had some weld blow-through. Also, being open-ended, corrosion could be present. There's a fix for this too. Lastly, be sure the main gear over-center struts have the latest modification to the over-center link rod-end bearing attachment (Lancair p/n GM003-3-A or B). The early ones were epoxied and riveted while the updated ones were threaded in. An important mod.

I'm sure there's other stuff to know but this is getting way too long. Again, I love mine and, should you get one you probably will too.

Assuming (there's that word again) the previous owner(s) kept good logs so you should be able to spot any ongoing issues.

Good luck,

Dan Schaefer --
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