Lancair International for sale?

[Capt.Crash'n'Burn]

I just heard about this despite the fact that I know a couple of Lancair employees.

Apparently, they are selling off all their pre-Evolution assets so they can focus on Evolution kit production.

Has anyone heard if there's a buyer for this? They say that 10% of their business is supporting existing aircraft so it would be a guaranteed income for a while, plus there's the possibility of producing new aircraft.

Now If I just had a winning lottery ticket...

https://www.aopa.org/news-and-media/all-news/2016/july/28/lancair

 

[Brad Z]

Seems like you'd be buying lots of liability considering the accident rate for some models of Lancairs.

 

[Ted]

I hadn't heard the announcement, but it's not surprising. Lancair stopped selling kits for any of the models so that they can focus on the Evolution (which includes a builder's assist). This is a logical step since they obviously see the Evolution as their future, and likely other similar aircraft.

Lancair produced a number of awesome aircraft that I was sorry to see go out of production. I'd love to see someone else not only support them, but reintroduce the kits. It'd be great to see the 360/Legacy and IV-P available again.

 

[GRG55]

I hadn't heard the announcement, but it's not surprising. Lancair stopped selling kits for any of the models so that they can focus on the Evolution (which includes a builder's assist). This is a logical step since they obviously see the Evolution as their future, and likely other similar aircraft.

Lancair produced a number of awesome aircraft that I was sorry to see go out of production. I'd love to see someone else not only support them, but reintroduce the kits. It'd be great to see the 360/Legacy and IV-P available again.

The problem I suspect is there's a severely limited market for these mature kit designs, no matter how good an airplane they are.

The consistent pattern that seems to emerge with every successful kit supplier is a requirement to continue to refine the design to maintain sales volume and keep growing the business, and once a given design starts to hit the limits of its evolution (no pun intended) and market share the company has to introduce a new model and start the process over again if it wishes to survive and grow. The original 1984 Lancair 200 evolved through a number of iterations, more hp, faster speeds, etc. and when the company labelled the last version the "Legacy" that might have been deliberately symbolic. Van's has followed a similar pattern as Lancair with a steady stream of new models over the years to maintain builder interest and keep growing the company. I seriously doubt Aviat could make a living only on the volume of Christian Eagle kit sales today.

 

[Capt.Crash'n'Burn]

Seems like you'd be buying lots of liability considering the accident rate for some models of Lancairs.

I don't think that you're buying much liability since it's a homebuilt kit. The only issue I can see if a part is manufactured incorrectly (not to print).

I have heard that there may be some royalty issues with Cessna for making pars in common with the 300/400/Corvallis.

 

[Capt.Crash'n'Burn]

Lancair produced a number of awesome aircraft that I was sorry to see go out of production. I'd love to see someone else not only support them, but reintroduce the kits. It'd be great to see the 360/Legacy and IV-P available again.

Yep, I'd even like to see the 235 available again.

 

[texasag93]

I don't think that you're buying much liability since it's a homebuilt kit. The only issue I can see if a part is manufactured incorrectly (not to print).

I have heard that there may be some royalty issues with Cessna for making pars in common with the 300/400/Corvallis.

I was really wanting to buy an ES or ES-P until they announced the sale.

The liability is not with the crashes, it is getting shut down by the FAA and not being able to sell any more kits. Then the product line is orphaned, including the Evolution.

That is why they are selling off the business and putting the Evolution into it's own entity.

I was as the Lanciar Owners and Builders Organization group meetings and seminar at OSH when I heard this and I am going a different direction. LOBO would not say it outright, but many point at the IV as what the FAA is uptight about.

 

[kyleb]

I was really wanting to buy an ES or ES-P until they announced the sale.

The liability is not with the crashes, it is getting shut down by the FAA and not being able to sell any more kits. Then the product line is orphaned, including the Evolution.

That is why they are selling off the business and putting the Evolution into it's own entity.

I was as the Lanciar Owners and Builders Organization group meetings and seminar at OSH when I heard this and I am going a different direction. LOBO would not say it outright, but many point at the IV as what the FAA is uptight about.

The FAA has no say about kit other than whether it meets the 51% rule. There is no provision for them to shut down a kit manufacturer.

 

[James331]

Always liked their stuff