Lancair IV-P

Overview

The Lancair IV-P is the pressurized development of the Lancair IV, a four-seat, retractable-gear composite kit aircraft built from Lancair International (Neico Aviation) kits from the early 1990s into the 2010s. It pairs a 350-hp twin-turbocharged Continental TSIO-550 with a carbon-fiber airframe carrying a 5.0 psi pressure vessel, holding roughly an 8,500-foot cabin at FL240 and giving the type genuine high-altitude, weather-topping capability rare among amateur-built aircraft. In AOPA’s June 1994 flight test it cruised 278 KTAS at FL230 on about 18 gph, numbers that exceed most certified piston singles.

As an Experimental Amateur-Built aircraft, every IV-P is individually airworthiness-certificated and reflects its builder’s workmanship; there is no type certificate, and build quality, equipment, and resale vary by airframe. The IV-P sits between the unpressurized Lancair IV and the turbine Lancair PropJet IV in the family. Roughly 250 IV-Ps had flown by 2011, making it the most-completed member of the line. It is a fast, slick airplane with high wing loading that rewards a current, disciplined pilot.

Key Features for GA Buyers

• 5.0 psi pressurization. Holds roughly an 8,500-foot cabin at FL240, putting the airplane above much weather and turbulence without continuous supplemental oxygen.
• Twin-turbocharged Continental TSIO-550. 350 hp at 2,700 rpm, six-cylinder fuel-injected, driving a constant-speed propeller; AOPA flight-tested cruise of 278 KTAS at FL230.
• Composite airframe, 90-gallon fuel. Carbon-fiber construction with 90 gallons standard (110 with extended tanks) supports long high-altitude legs.
• Most-built member of the family. About 250 IV-Ps completed, the largest fleet of any Lancair IV variant, with an established builder and support community.

Trade-offs

• Experimental Amateur-Built, not type-certificated. Each airframe is individually certificated and reflects its builder’s work; there is no factory POH or type certificate, and insurance, financing, and resale all reflect the experimental category.
• High wing loading and a demanding speed envelope. A slick airframe with a high sink rate on power reduction and constant retrimming through power changes; the NTSB has noted a high accident share across the Lancair line, and recurrent type-specific training is strongly advised.
• Pressurization weight cost. The pressure vessel adds about 200 lb of empty weight over the unpressurized IV, trading payload for cabin comfort (useful load near 1,350 lb).
• TSIO-550 ownership. The twin-turbocharged Continental carries a published TBO around 1,600 to 1,800 hours and the maintenance discipline of a high-output turbocharged piston; overhaul and upkeep are owner-borne with no factory program.

See Also

• Lancair IV – the unpressurized base model on the same airframe and engine. Compare
• Lancair PropJet IV – the turbine-powered development of the same airframe. Compare
• Lancair Evolution – Lancair’s larger, later clean-sheet pressurized kit. Compare
• Lancair Columbia 400 – the certified, unpressurized Lancair-designed production single. Compare