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Hello everyone, I have been talking to a gentleman (super nice and smart builder) that has a IV that seems to be final stage of completion. The plane has a unique history and setup with different motor than stock. I know the history of these planes and they demand respect and proper training to fly safely and insurance is an issue of course. I talked to Airframes Inc which isnt too far from me and will def have them come out and look at everything to inspect and make a plan forward, I will also have our EAA chapter A&P check the motor since its been sitting awhile. So what do you guys think? My other alternative is to settle with something like an RV10 which is really tough to get without long lead times and not be as happy and pay waaaay more than they are really worth. I was told by the previous builder the only wet work left is the wing fairings, wingtips and something around the windows which seem to be installed already. Thanks in advance
Well Keith, in a word, yes.
Submitted by harrelson on
Well Keith, in a word, yes. You've got to be crazy to undertake a multi year project like building an airplane. Welcome to the crazy club. As far as your specific questions, you've not given us much information to help you with. A "different motor than stock" is not much to offer advice on. Is it a steam engine? A Lycoming? A car engine? The "final stage of completion" can take days or years (generally years). What is the "unique history"? There's a lot of work besides "wet work" on these aircraft and "wet work" isn't necessarily difficult or hard to learn. Photos here would allow us to offer you more informed advice.
Brad at Airframes is an excellent resource. You'd be hard pressed to find an individual more informed and experienced with Lancairs.
Good luck and pass on a little more information.
Bill Harrelson
Hi Kieth, I would parrot
Submitted by Jughead on
Hi Kieth, I would parrot what Bill said above but add that it also depends on what you want. If you want a ready-made, ready-to-fly plane then maybe this isn’t a project for you. Not trying to steer you away from it, but one other thing to consider is that the plane, once completed will need to spend 40-50 hours (I forget) in Phase 1 of testing. An airworthiness cert will need to be issued prior to that. It get tricky (but not impossible) to get the certificate if you’re not the 51% builder. If that person is still around and willing to help, it’s easier. I went round-and-round about 2 years ago trying to get this worked out with a broker and finally moved on because they 1) couldn’t answer the legal side of thing adequately (they knew Canadian rules, not US) ; 2) were unwilling to do the research on their own; 3) were unwilling to work towards a solution (wanted full price for a plane that wasn’t completed).
I also live “close” to Brad. It’s only a 16 minute flight to his shop. Haha. If you’re in SW TN I’m always willing to show off my IVPT if that help in deciding.
Nice, I live in Huntsville
Submitted by Fenderbean on
Nice, I live in Huntsville and familiar with the requirements since that apply to the RV-10 I was planning to build until this project came along. I think im more worried about parts or possible something that needs to be updated that you cannot find now.
Keith
Submitted by rpastusek on
Keith
An experienced Lancair homebuilder told me 20 years ago to drop my plans to install an auto engine conversion in my (under-construction) IV-P. As an experienced hot rod engine builder, I was sure he didn’t appreciate my “skill” in building engines, but after similar words from other builders, I followed Bill’s advice and installed the recommended TSIO-550 in my IV-P. Fourteen flying years and 2500 flight hours later, I am sure this was the very best—and most significant—building advice I’ve ever gotten!!
Other aircraft engines can be made to work in an IV—but not smaller ones. Many have tried, but no one I know about has made an auto or other power plant work in an IV, although many have invested millions in the effort. Stick with an aircraft engine if you hope to fly it beyond your local airfield!!
Bob P
Sorry, it has a twin turbo
Submitted by Fenderbean on
Sorry, it has a twin turbo 540 and the plane was built to after the Brent Regan. Hopefully it doesn't take years to finish being at the state it is
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That's a very interesting
Submitted by Colyn on
That's a very interesting project.
If you haven't yet, you should read this article about Brent's airplane. An engine swap is a big deal. you would want to insure that this one is exactly what Brent did.
As for time to complete, I would start with Brad. He can give a very accurate assessment of what needs to be done between here and completion. ( If you listen carefully he can also tell you if what's there so far is a good build. ) He probably won't give you what that is in hours or dollars. this one looks like it needs massive body finishing, wiring, avionics, interior, paint. After you get all that done you will need to debug it. Then after that you will need to learn to fly it. Basically if you don't love working on it very nearly as much as flying, this may not be the plane for you. Another way to think of it: suppose you knew you had exactly 10 years before you would lose your medical and suppose it turned out that it was going to take 4-5 calendar years to finish this. Now you have a choice of 10 years flying an RV or 5 years flying a IV-P. You might select the latter but be sure that's really what you want.
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The builder copied this exact
Submitted by Fenderbean on
The builder copied this exact plane after riding in the one from that very article.