The airport in Bend, Ore., where Columbia builds its impressive airplanes, is idyllic—in the shadows of the snow-capped Three Sisters mountains, and adjacent to horse farms with rolling pastures and white fences. And the planes Columbia churns out of the plant on the field’s east side are jaw-droppingly attractive—and that I felt even before I went for a mini-checkout with Columbia’s Emily Watters.

As Emily and I settled into one of the cleanest piston-aircraft cabins I’ve ever seen, I was reminded of a conversation I had a while back with Bob Lutz, previously Chrysler’s vice chairman and currently GM North America’s chairman. Over a couple Beck’s, and while he pulled a few drags from his ever-present stogie, we had discussed his automobile design principles. His comments about macro and micro design, regarding such cars as the Viper, applied as easily now to the design elements of the Columbia 400; the carbon and fiberglass 400 looks good from afar, and it looks good up close. Indeed, the design of the 400 and the G1000 system is terrific—buttons and switches click satisfyingly, and the high-quality cabin accoutrements are in the right places (except for that pocket way under the instrument panel; it doesn’t seem convenient for anything). One of the biggest problems I’ve encountered in my clashes and romances with technology is how rare it is to find sophisticated equipment executed with a commensurate level of style, ergonomics and logical knobology. And while the G1000 can definitely stand to be more intuitive, as has been said before, once you get the hang of it! But for fans of the Avidyne Entegra, Columbia still offers that system as an option in new 350s and 400s.

Apples To Apples, Or Apples To Oranges?
Right from the get-go, I found myself comparing aspects of the 400’s operation not to the airplanes I expected to be reminded of, but rather to the TBM 850 I had learned to fly for another story [Pilot Journal, March/April 2007]. This was largely due to the fabulous Garmin GFC 700 Flight Control System (FCS), which is integral to the airplane’s glass-panel G1000.

Taxiing out, I’d have sworn that the 400 had a steerable nosewheel, had I not known better, because the rudder had so much authority. Even with power way back and in a leisurely taxi, I never had to use differential braking to hold centerline until I made the sharp turn toward runway heading for my pretakeoff checks.

The last thing I did before lining up for departure was punch the 400’s Go Around button (located on the center console by the Vapor Suppression, Backup Fuel Pump and flap switches). This brought up the autopilot’s Flight Director. The Garmin GFC 700 autopilot—a rather sophisticated attitude-based, all-digital, dual-channel and two-axis (pitch and roll) flight-control system—was still off. I then bugged runway heading, engaged Heading mode and used the Vertical Speed button to increase my initial climb angle to 11 degrees from Go Around’s default setting of seven degrees. After takeoff, my plan was to fly the flight director, and when stabilized in climb, engage the autopilot and select another terrific feature that both simplifies procedure and enhances safety, Flight Level Change (FLC), which, in a nod to the fresh-in-my-mind TBM, is in reality an indicated airspeed hold.

Rate-based autopilots, like certain S-TEC and Bendix/King models, get their cues from a turn coordinator and have no airspeed hold function. The potential hazard, which won’t bite you unless you’re not paying attention, is that the autopilot can stall the plane as it attempts to hold a vertical speed the airplane can’t maintain. With the jet-reminiscent FLC feature, that won’t happen. Shortly after Emily and I were airborne and motoring our way to 11,500 feet, I selected FLC to hold 130 knots indicated, like in the TBM, and the climb rate worked out to an acceptable figure for vertical penetration, forward visibility and engine cooling.

As we climbed to 11,500 feet, I left all engine controls full forward—the 400 requires no engine manipulation on climb—all the way to FL250, and that was pretty cool. On the other hand, once in cruise, the turbocharged Continental TSIO-550 does seem to be pretty temperature sensitive, and an attentive eye needs to be kept on the G1000’s turbine inlet temperature scale (1,630 seems to be the operative number to stay below). The double blower system in the 400 will make its max power all the way up to FL250, but as I’ve always felt since I got a taste for flight-level flying in nonpressurized piston aircraft, most pilots won’t opt to strap on a relatively uncomfortable mask and climb above FL180 (save for compelling tailwinds) in lieu of cannulas, which are legal for use to but not above 18,000. In the three-day course for transition to the Columbia 400, high-altitude flight concerns and potential physiological effects are covered in the classroom, though pilots don’t receive a high-altitude endorsement, which is only required for flight above FL260, so in this case, it doesn’t apply anyway.

As we went through our drills and I became more conversant with the 400 and the G1000, Emily told me about how the engine can potentially flood and choke if a pilot ham-handedly shoves the throttle forward from a low-power setting. We had just wrapped up stalls, which were uneventful and predictable, and steep turns—the 400 tracks like a slot car hugging the track, in its groove before it spins out. The 400 isn’t light on its pushrod controls, and it’s not going to be the plane a pilot picks to flick around in the air for the fun of it, but for going places, it’s in a league of a very few.

Throughout this training flight, and later when I headed to Los Angeles via San Francisco with Columbia’s Doug Meyer, the automotive-like environmental-control system did an admirable job supplying either heat or cool, air-conditioned air to maintain a comfortable cabin temperature. It was truly a set-it-and-forget-it system.

Now, back to the engine—back in level flight and with the throttle back near idle and the mixture full forward, Emily instructed me to floor it, so I did, and instead of the engine getting real loud, the cabin got real quiet as the engine flooded and went tango uniform. This was a demo in what not to do if or when going missed or going around. The 400’s 310 hp Continental appreciates a smooth touch.

As we approached Redmond Airport for an ILS and a few touch-and-goes, I started to groove on the speed brakes. I like them, and they do what their name says very well since the slick 400 tends to gather its steam with the nose pointed down. Some may say that if pilots in a plane like this plan their approach well, they won’t need the Precise Flight SpeedBrakes, which are deployable at any speed. Well, to those pilots I say, in many instances that may be true—I didn’t always need to use them—but sometimes they were a nice-to-have tool and other times, like when I was stuck behind much slower traffic in sequence at Santa Monica Airport with altitude yet to lose, they helped me keep my good spacing and were fine to keep extended through landing.

Landing—now here’s another little, perhaps nitpicky, issue I have with the venerable 400. The flaps are really quite effective, and with a takeoff flap speed of 127, they can come out early to help maintain a smooth approach profile. With full flaps selected, the 400 becomes almost Cessna-like in its nose-down attitude. But that’s fine; it’s the 400’s limited nose-up elevator authority that can be a smidge problematic; I’d really love just a bit more up elevator. As such, the 400 lands quite flat. I was a little concerned about landing nosewheel first, but I never came close to worrying about a tail strike.

Because I was “the decider” in this District of Columbia, I decided to see the autopilot fly the ILS coupled. It did so smoothly and precisely, with no hunting or switching back as it captured the final approach course and flew a seamless approach to my click-off point at decision height. Can you tell I really like this autopilot?

Later that afternoon, I launched again in Baby N452BS, this time with Doug, and I pointed south, planning to slide on in to Palo Alto Airport via the Golden Gate Bridge and Alcatraz Island. Departing Bend, we climbed unimpeded in 15.5 minutes to our cruising altitude of 17,500 feet. At top of climb, Doug showed me his quiet cruise setting: 31 inches MP and 2,400 rpm, burning about 17 gph lean of peak. The book called this 85% power, and it trued us out to 195 knots. Dialing in 2,500 rpm, we gained only a couple knots, but the noise level increased markedly. At my preferred 2,400 rpm, with my Bose headset, the noise level in the 400 was remarkably low—I heard almost slipstream only.

On this cross-country flight, I had more time to fiddle with the G1000 and its READY Pad remote entry system. Not too long ago, I had the opportunity to spend a few hours “flying” the Falcon 900EX EASy Level D simulator at Flight Safety in Teterboro, N.J. The Falcon’s EASy system is a next-gen integrated flight deck whose flight management system (FMS) is controlled by what Dassault calls a Cursor Control Device (CCD)—a trackball, which moves a large crosshair over a graphical depiction of FMS functions, including flight plan, weight and balance, fuel load and performance data; it’s remarkably intuitive and very Mac-like. The READY Pad reminded me of the remote-entry CCD in the Falcon. I loved it, though I would have loved it more if Garmin located another “Enter” button closer to the knobs at the top of the unit. Regardless of my picayune desires, the READY Pad made control of both the PFD and MFD, and paging and flight-plan entry, a snap.

One of the cooler features of the G1000 MFD is the range ring. With 98 gallons usable and 106 total, the range ring was showing that we could fly all the way to Tucson, Ariz., a little less than 1,000 miles down the road, and land with a 45-minute reserve; so the 400 sure has legs.

We actually didn’t go to Arizona until a couple days later, to take the photos you see on these pages. The 500-mile flight from Van Nuys airport to Page, Ariz., took 1.8 hours, and on that flight, I finally sampled the 400 in the flight levels. Climbing through FL180, the Crew Alerting System (CAS) on the G1000 flashed “Vapor Suppression On,” to suppress fuel vapor. It’s required above FL180, and at FL230—ATC wouldn’t give us FL250—at 31.9 inches MP and 2,500 rpm, we were burning 16 gph lean of peak and scooting along at 212 knots true.

Whenever Doug and I climbed above 12,500 feet, we plugged into the Mountain High O2D2 electronic, pulse-demand, oxygen delivery system. Connected to the 400’s on-board oxygen system, the O2D2 rationed oxygen and sensed our inhaling, giving us only the toot we needed depending on cabin altitude. It worked great and kept us refreshed and headache-free during and after our flights.

Also keeping us headache free was the Avidyne TAS620 Traffic Advisory System. Last time I flew the G1000, it had the transponder-based traffic information system (TIS), which has limited coverage and wasn’t too helpful flying across west Texas. The Avidyne TAS620 is an active system based on TCAS technology employed by air-transport category aircraft. Though there wasn’t too much traffic in the high teens or low- to mid-20s where we flew, in terminal areas and busy airspace like in New York and Los Angeles, traffic systems like Avidyne’s are worth their weight in gold.

Though my final flight for this report was almost a week ago, as I sit to write, I still feel high and am now so spoiled from my three days with the fastest fixed-gear piston single in production. I’d really like to go to Scottsdale to visit a friend this weekend, and I’d really like to do it with the Columbia comfort and speed I became so accustomed to this past week. Columbia, take me away!

SPECS: 2007 Columbia 400

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2007 Columbia 400
Base price:	$485,900
Engine make/model:	Continental TSIO-550
Horsepower@altitude:	310@SL
Fuel type:	100LL
Landing gear type:	Fixed/Tri.
Max ramp weight (lbs.):	3612
Gross weight (lbs.):	3600
Landing weight (lbs.):	3420
Empty weight, std. (lbs.):	2500
Baggage weight (lbs.):	120
Useful load, std. (lbs.):	1100
Usable fuel (gals.):	98
Wing loading (lbs./sq. ft.):	25.5
Cabin width (in.):	49
Cabin height (in.):	49
Cabin length (in.):	131
Seating capacity:	4
PERFORMANCE
Max cruise speed (kts.):	235
Max operating maneuvering speed, 3600 lbs. gross weight (kts.):	158
Max flap extended speed, full flaps (kts.):	117
Max takeoff flap extended speed, takeoff flaps (kts.):	126
Max structural cruising speed (kts.):	181
Max range (nm):	1300
Vs (kts.):	69
Vso (kts.):	59
Vne (kts.):	230
Best rate of climb (SL fpm):	1340
Takeoff ground roll (ft.):	1300
Takeoff over 50-ft. obstacle (ft.):	1900
Landing ground roll (ft.):	1250
Landing over 50-ft. obstacle (ft.):	2600
Source: Columbia Aircraft

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Columbia Aircraft (formerly Lancair Certified Aircraft) is perhaps representative of an industry that’s been in turmoil for the last quarter century and has only begun to emerge from its downward spiral in the last four years. The American general aviation industry cranked out an amazing 17,811 airplanes in 1978, then dropped to fewer than 1,000 in 1994 and recovered to 3,500 last year. In fact, the General Aviation Manufacturers Association reports that billings for the first quarter of 2006 were the highest in history.

Columbia, the newest major manufacturer in the industry, is riding the crest of the upswing. The company’s normally aspirated 350 and turbocharged 400 have emerged in the last two years as the airplanes to beat. Though the Cirrus SR22-G2 is still the best-selling airplane in the world, the Columbia 400 claims the title of fastest production piston airplane.

While the 350 is Columbia’s entry-level model, there’s nothing entry-level about the airplane itself. It features all-electric systems (with either an Avidyne Entegra or Garmin G1000 two-screen glass panel), composite construction, side-stick controls and enough extra goodies to make a Gulfstream captain envious.

The Columbia 350 flies behind a Continental IO-550 engine, basically the same mill used on the Lancair IV, except derated to 310 hp. That means the engine can pull 75% of 350 hp (the equivalent of 263 hp), roughly 85% of the derated power.

The airplane I flew at Bend with factory check pilot Scott Fordham was one of six 350XLs to be delivered to a company based in Long Beach, Calif. By the time you read this, iFly will have launched its managed-access program, which allows members to fly new Columbia 350s without the hassles of ownership.

From the moment you step up to a 350, it’s clear this is a new-generation airplane. Designer Lance Neibauer has always been a free thinker, and he says he tried to incorporate as many innovations as possible into the production airplanes without compromising certification efforts. “The Columbia models were derived loosely from the Lancair ES homebuilt,” says Neibauer. “You obviously design airplanes a little differently when you know they must be certified. The Columbia 350 and 400 pushed the technology about as far as possible, consistent with the time and expense of certification.”

As with the Piper Malibu, which was regarded as revolutionary in 1984, not everything on the Columbia was new. (At the Malibu introduction party, designer Jim Griswold admitted to me, “In fact, there wasn’t anything really new on that airplane. It was all known technology that no one had ever utilized before.”) The original Columbia 300 was also a collection of better ideas that hadn’t been fully utilized before. Construction is all-composite, a method previously employed on a few homebuilt airplanes, but not generally accepted in the industry.

To ease a person’s access to the cockpit, the airplane incorporates fold-up gull wing doors, a concept previously employed on the Socata Trinidad/Tobago/Tampico. Like the Cirrus aircraft, Columbia planes utilize flat-panel PFD/MFD displays, originally by Avidyne. Side sticks are mounted for roll and pitch control, freeing up panel space directly in front of the pilot and copilot. Climate control is by rheostat—at last! Even if you understand the technical challenges associated with air-conditioning in general aviation airplanes, it’s always been a little incomprehensible that a typical $300,000 airplane has environmental systems comparable to those in a 1950 Ford.

The idea was to offer an airplane with a glass at least three-quarters full. Taken collectively, the Columbia’s features make it technologically superior to the vast majority of general aviation aircraft.

The Columbia 350 is an all-electric airplane, with no vacuum or hydraulic systems. It features separate wire routings, batteries, alternators and regulators with full crosstie capabilities. There are no vacuum-driven instruments to fail because there’s no vacuum system installed. Overall, the Columbia 350 is about as futuristic an airplane as any that you’ll find on the market.

If there’s a downside to so much innovation in a single package, it may be that old pelican pilots feel a little lost climbing into a Columbia for the first time. (New-generation aviators, brought up in the age of computers, will probably feel right at home.) The familiar round gauges are gone—most of them, anyway. Like every manufacturer that has embraced glass panels, Columbia offers three two-inch backup instruments on the far left. The side stick feels comfortable, but unfamiliar at first. You can’t help thinking the airplane check-out will be short—the Columbia flies conventionally—but systems familiarization will require more time.

In fact, the adjustment process isn’t nearly that tough. The side stick falls readily to hand (though don’t try flying it with your right hand from the left seat), the PFD/MFD digital instrumentation becomes familiar faster than you’d imagine, and switch and system controls are located logically.

The Columbia makes friends quickly. Push the power up for departure with the flaps set at the 12-degree takeoff position, and the big Continental rushes you down the runway for liftoff in less than 1,000 feet of runway. With 310 hp on tap, the airplane scores an easy 1,200 fpm uphill, and even without a turbo out front, you’ll typically see an 8,500-foot cruise altitude in less than 10 minutes.

Fifteen years ago when I flew with Lance Neibauer in the then-new, world-beater, prototype Lancair IV, I reported that stall characteristics were “a little abrupt.” In contrast, the stall on the Columbia 350 is practically nonexistent. Just for fun, I tried a full series of stalls: dirty and clean, power full on and full off, wings level and banked to 45 degrees. No matter what I did, the airplane refused to get mad at me.

In fact, for the power-off checks, I brought the side stick straight back to the aft stop and held it there for a full 30 seconds. The Columbia responded with little more than a gentle hobbyhorse pitching up and down with no tendency to roll off on a wing. It was apparent I could have mushed all the way to the ground under good control.

At the opposite end of the envelope, Columbia lists the 350’s max cruise under optimum conditions as 191 knots. That’s obviously with everything against the stops, and while most pilots don’t buy fast airplanes to fly slowly, the rising cost of avgas is causing many of us to rethink our attitudes about using high cruise. A more likely scenario would involve a 60% to 65% setting that would net more like 170 to 175 knots in exchange for about 14.5 gph.

Because the 350 carries 98 usable gallons, range is substantial, especially at reduced power settings. Using the setting above, you could plan on six hours plus reserve between pit stops, worth probably 1,000 nm. That means a pilot with a need to travel the lower U.S. from coast to coast could probably do so in one long day with a single fuel stop, especially if flying eastbound with prevailing westerlies. Service ceiling is 18,000 feet, so the airplane can easily manage 15,000-foot cruising altitudes if necessary. At even lower power, Columbia suggests the 350 can range 1,300 nm nonstop.

The 350 maneuvers easily, but don’t let the side stick delude you into expecting F-16 response. Control forces are heavier than you might expect, though unless you’re flying tight formation, you won’t have reason to complain. The concept is that you can merely lay your forearm on the side rest and simply move your wrist to roll or pitch the airplane. In fact, you’re more liable to need your entire arm, but forces aren’t so heavy that you’ll notice them in normal operation.

Following the flight at Bend, I spent about 25 hours in a Columbia 350 with passenger Rachel Youngberg for an extensive three-day formation photo shoot over the Sierra Nevada, Lake Tahoe, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, the Grand Canyon and Monument Valley. The airplane proved a capable formation mount, relatively easy to slide into position a few feet from the photo platform. Better still, it was an imminently comfortable machine in which to spend 12 hours a day.

Landings are undemanding and satisfying if you’re simply awake. Ninety knots is the normal approach speed, and Columbia recommends short-field speeds of no less than 80 knots with a full 40 degrees of flaps. Judging the flare isn’t much of a challenge. The airplane eases onto the ground with a minimum of fuss, especially if you use the twin technique of powering down at the flare rather than coming back to idle at the key position.

Pricing starts at $378,900 for a standard 350 with Avidyne Entegra and ranges to $485,900 for a Garmin G1000-equipped 350 SLX with all the options: TAWS, Traffic Watch, Precise Flight SpeedBrakes, Bose headsets, automatic air-conditioning, oxygen, Oregon Aero seats and an E-Vade anti-icing system. The latter is intended for inadvertent icing encounters only. The Columbia 350 isn’t approved for operation in known icing.

The 350 SLX also includes Garmin’s attitude-based GFC700 autopilot with flight director and control wheel steering. The new autopilot is the heart of the G1000 and provides features normally found only in high-end corporate jets. The system accepts inputs through its own alphanumeric keypad and is capable of generating either precise vertical rates of climb and descent or accurate forward airspeeds in up or down mode. In the Columbia 350 application, the GFC700 is preloaded with optimum Vy, Vx and cruise climb speeds.

Essentially the same autopilot is installed in the improved Diamond DA40XL and Beech’s A36 Bonanza, and one wonders how long it will be before it begins replacing S-TECs and Honeywell products in G1000-equipped Cessnas and Mooneys. It seems virtually everyone is jumping on the Garmin bandwagon these days.

In a similar sense, many pilots are jumping on the Columbia bandwagon. The entire Columbia program was put in jeopardy following 9/11 when funding dried up and company president Bing Lantis was forced to look overseas for additional cash. New financing is long since in hand, and Columbia is set to challenge the new big five: Piper, Cessna, Beech, Diamond!and especially Cirrus.

SPECS: Columbia 350

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Trouble is, speed is an elusive and expensive quality. It becomes more and more difficult to achieve as the envelope expands, primarily because drag multiplies as the square of speed. In general-aviation ranks, velocities in excess of the magic 200 knots demand progressively more sophisticated designs. Aeronautical engineers know there are only three ways to make an airplane fly faster. The first and least efficient way is to increase horsepower—least efficient because it may demand higher fuel capacity, which starts the domino chain of less payload, a higher gross weight, more horsepower, more fuel, etc. The second way is to reduce drag, by far the most efficient method of improving performance. The third is to fly higher in thinner air that offers less resistance.

In terms of ultimate speed, the Aerostar capitalized on all three principles. It was an aerodynamically slick design, intended to operate at high altitude in pressurized comfort with plentiful power. Accordingly, the final version of the Aerostar has reigned supreme as the fastest production, piston-powered general-aviation airplane in the world. The last of the Aerostars, Piper’s 700P and the Super 700 Aerostar conversions produced by the current owner of the type certificate in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, offer cruise performance at all heights quicker than anything else in the piston class.

Specifically, the Super 700 can blaze along at 225 knots at 10,000 feet, 235 knots at 15,000 feet, and 261 knots (more than coincidentally 300 mph, Mach .43) at 25,000 feet. The penalty for such speed is fuel burn on the order of 50 gph, but for Aerostar lovers, that’s a small price to pay for the privilege of blowing right on by any general-aviation airplane with pistons and even outrunning some turboprop King Airs, Cheyennes and Conquests.

The turbocharged Mooney Bravo assumed the production speed throne in the 1990s, turning in speeds of nearly 220 knots. Piper’s pressurized Malibu (and later Mirage) weren’t far behind, with cruise on the order of 215 knots.

Today, there’s a new contender for the title of fastest piston, production airplane. Lancair Certified Aircraft of Bend, Ore., received FAA type certification of its new, turbocharged Columbia 400 on April 16 at the Sun ‘n Fun Fly-In in Lakeland, Fla. The 400 had been proposed for certification several years ago in parallel with the 300, but in keeping with the ancient Harvard business school adage “When the chips are down, the buffalo is empty,” the company ran out of money and market all at the same time. Today, Lancair is back stronger than ever and fighting for a share of the highperformance single market.

Pilot Journal flew the second production Columbia 400 on the last day of the Sun ‘n Fun show, and preliminary indications suggest it will easily displace the Mooney as the quickest production piston airplane in the sky.

As one who has been fortunate to fly both new Mooney Bravos and Piper Mirages several times across the Atlantic and Pacific and log a few hours in the types, I can attest that the new Columbia 400 appears to be at least 10 knots faster than either of the others. Lancair’s crowded demonstration schedule at Sun ‘n Fun didn’t allow time for an exploration of performance in the flight levels, but the numbers at lower altitudes suggest the 400 will have an easy time meeting its 219-knot spec at FL180.

Flying with Lancair’s Mark Cahill and prospect Dr. Bill Grider in the rear seat, we launched out of Winter Haven, Fla., vaulted directly to 11,500 feet, and Cahill set power at max cruise. The airplane was a customer production unit with a standard package of avionics. In keeping with the trend toward multi-talented instrument/navigation avionics, the Columbia 400’s panel offers the Avidyne FlightMax Entegra system, a two-screen unit featuring the EXP5000 primary flight display with an integrated, solid-state air data and attitude/reference, along with an EX5000 multi-function display for navigation awareness and systems instrumentation. The MFD includes virtually every parameter of aircraft system and engine performance, including percentage power.

As I relinquished control from the molded wood side stick to the STEC autopilot and we watched airspeed creep around the dial, Dr. Grider commented on the generous dimensions of the rear cabin, essentially the same 49 inches wide by 51 inches tall as the front buckets. The fuselage maintains roughly the same size and shape to the rear seat backs before beginning its taper toward the tail, so all four folks ride in the same comfort.

Flying in smooth air well above the afternoon cumulus, true airspeed stabilized at 208 knots on what was probably an ISA-plus-10-degree day. Extrapolated to FL250, the cruise number would be 241 knots. Lancair chief engineer Tom Bowen speculated that that actually sounded a little high under optimum conditions. Lancair has set the max cruise spec at 235 knots, a number it’s fairly certain it can meet or beat with every 400.

In the real world, unpressurized airplanes rarely venture to such rarefied heights. A more realistic operational cruise altitude might be 18,000 feet, where the Columbia 400 will offer a book spec of 219 knots. That’s about the same as Mirage and Bravo speeds for 25,000 feet, and the latter two models are both retractables.

The engine that helps Lancair achieve these numbers is a turbocharged variant of the powerplant employed on the Columbia 300 and all-electric 350, the Continental TSIO-550C. As on the two normally aspirated models, the engine is rated for 310 hp, but AiResearch turbochargers and twin intercoolers provide a critical altitude of 23,000 feet, the maximum height at which the airplane can maintain sea-level power. This means pilots who elect to operate at the Columbia 400’s top height will experience strong climb into the flight levels and will actually need to reduce power to set max cruise.

Out on the business end of the airplane, Lancair has mounted a different rotating airfoil than that used on the 300 and 350. It’s a semi-scimitar Hartzell prop, a three-blade design with a relatively short 78-inch diameter, with fat blades configured specifically for more grip in scarce air.

Aerodynamically, the wing is the same as on the normally aspirated models, but the tail had to be revised to provide better control in thinner air. At high altitudes, a given control deflection has less effect, so Lancair enlarged the rudder and modified the horizontal for better control.

“On normally aspirated airplanes,” comments Bowen, “power-on spin entries become more benign as you climb higher because you’re losing power and slipstream. With a turbo, you’re making the same horsepower and generating the same slipstream at high altitude. For that reason, we redesigned the 350’s single-piece elevator to a two-piece unit on the 400 for more control. The two-piece elevator enjoys more deflection for better control at high altitude and in the landing flare.”

Other changes are designed to emphasize the airplane’s high-altitude talents. Onboard oxygen will be standard, with enough O2 to keep four people healthy at 23,000 feet for three hours. By early summer, Lancair plans to introduce a fully automatic, thermostatic, climate control system that will combine heating and air conditioning for a comfortable cabin on the ground at sea level or 23,000 feet above it.

Inevitably, the 400 is a heavier airplane than the 300 or 350, so gross increased from 3,400 to 3,600 pounds. The first hundred extra pounds are dedicated to intercoolers, turbochargers, oxygen bottles and other accommodations for high-altitude flight, but the other 100 pounds pay for itself. Payload with a full 98 gallons of fuel onboard works out to about 510 pounds, the same as most other big-bore, four-seat singles. Off-load 30 gallons and you could carry the fourth person.

As the new holder of the title as fastest production, piston airplane, the Columbia 400 should easily beat the airlines over longer-stage lengths than you’d imagine, possibly even transcontinental distances. Even at economy cruise speeds, the 400 should manage coast-to-coast trips in one day with a single fuel stop. Considering all the inefficiencies of airline travel, door-to-door time may actually work out in Lancair’s favor between, say, Los Angeles and Jacksonville, Fla.

As Lancair tries to catch its breath after the long financial haul to certification, we can’t help but wonder about the next airplane from Lancair founder Lance Neibauer and company. Specifically, when will we see a retractable version of the Columbia 400? Neibauer’s world-beater homebuilt, the Lancair IVP, is, after all, a 290-knot airplane, albeit with the benefit of 350 hp rather than 310, and you know someone at Lancair must be at least in the concept stage of designing a retractable. Contrary to what you may think, the IVP homebuilt is a very different design from the Columbia. In fact, it’s unlikely a retractable Columbia would even use the same fold-the-feet-into-the-belly retraction mechanism.

Estimating pure speed increase by retracting the wheels is a tough job, considering that other factors rarely remain the same. Retractables typically feature a higher gross weight than fixed-gear models, often add a constant speed prop to complement the drag reduction and may even sport additional horsepower. Take a look at the comparison chart, which shows four general-aviation singles that have gone retractable and what happened to cruise as a result. The Sierra and Arrow both added constant-speed props in the translation from fixed gear to retractable, so cruise increase may not be representative.

In all four cases, the airplanes in question are normally aspirated and probably score their best cruise at 7,000 to 8,000 feet MSL. While this doesn’t tell us much about what would happen on a turbocharged model if we retracted the wheels at high altitude, Bowen feels putting the wheels to bed might yield a 12- to 15-knot speed improvement in the thick, draggy air at low altitude. Lofted to the flight levels, Bowen would expect a 10-knot speed increase in the thinner air. That would boost high-altitude performance to nearly 250 knots. The engineer also commented that increasing power to the maximum 350 hp would certainly boost climb but wouldn’t make any difference in cruise, as the Columbia 400 already pulls max cruise horsepower from the 263-hp Continental TSIO-550C. Go configure.

Lancair’s new airplane should find special favor in the Mountain West and other places where pilots need airplanes to match their mountains. Turbos can offer special value even from sea-level airports, however, especially in places such as the Northeast where winter weather can climb three miles high. With a price of admission just under $500,000, the market for the new Columbia 400 may not be huge, but it’s a safe bet Mooney and Cirrus won’t leave Lancair’s challenge unaddressed for long.

For more information, contact Lancair Certified Aircraft at (541) 318-1144 or log on to www.lancair.com.

The post Columbia 400 Gets Certified appeared first on Plane & Pilot Magazine.

There’s just too much of the world that lies a half-mile or more above sea level to ignore that market. Sale of successful heavy-breathers have proven that there’s money to be made in marketing for pilots who need to operate from the middle density altitudes, if not necessarily in the flight levels.

When Lancair earned its FAA production certificate for the Columbia 300 in October of 2000, everyone knew it was only a matter of time before the company took the next step to a turbocharged model. In fact, Lancair Certified was developing the turbo in parallel with the standard airplane. I was fortunate to fly the Columbia 400 in the experimental category at the Oshkosh EAA AirVenture 2000. All of us here at Plane & Pilot expected the turbocharged model to be certified within a year or two, and in production by late 2002.

The interval turned out to be longer than expected because of a fickle market that challenged Lancair economically, not to mention a few other general-aviation manufacturers. Lancair Certified Aircraft put the 400 on hold until the market turned more favorably toward bringing the project to certification. Under the direction of company president and CEO Bing Lantis, Lancair is currently off and running again, producing Columbia 350s from its newly expanded Bend, Ore., facility.

The 400 was taken off the shelf last year, and the company began working its way through the FAA’s seemingly endless minefield of flight tests. Despite the inevitable problems and some unexpected missteps, Lancair Certified will have earned certification for the 400 by the time you read this.

From the firewall aft, the airplane they’ll be selling will be highly similar to the Lancair 300/350. Like the 350, the 400 will be an all-electric airplane with dual bus, two batteries and double alternators. From the firewall forward, however, the turbocharged 400 will have a whole new personality.

The engine chosen for the Columbia 400 is Continental’s new-generation TSIO-550-N, derated from its maximum 350 hp to 310 hp in this application by running 35.5/2,600 rather than 38/2,700. The result is a slightly reduced noise level and a 2,000-hour TBO.

I asked Lancair VP of engineering Tom Bowen about similarities between the homebuilt Lancair IV and the certified Columbia 400, and Bowen simply laughed. “Despite the deliberate family resemblance, there really are very few design similarities between the two airplanes,” explains Bowen. “Lance Neibauer [Lancair founder] obviously learned a lot from the Lancair IV design and incorporated those lessons in the 300, 350 and 400, but the certified airplanes are very different in almost all respects besides the obvious one of fixed gear.”

Bowen says that the company did consider using the Lancair IV’s 350-hp engine on the Columbia 400, but the tradeoffs wouldn’t have been worth it. “More horsepower can create as many problems as it solves. It has dramatic effects on the airplane’s structural analysis, landing gear, tail configuration, power-on stall characteristics, fuel burn and, therefore, capacity, payload, etc.,” reveals Bowen. “The problem is that max continuous cruise power on the TSIO-550 is 263 hp, no matter what the takeoff rating. We could’ve realized better climb from the higher power, but the 400’s climb is already excellent, and certification requirements would’ve made [the higher horsepower] a poor choice. As it is, the engine is rated for a maximum 85% of 310 hp rather than 75% of 350 hp.”

Turbos on the Columbia 400 are by AiResearch, and twin intercoolers reduce the temperature of induction air for more efficient fuel burn. Critical altitude is 25,000 feet, same as the airplane’s max operating height, so you’ll actually need to throttle back to maintain 75% at FL250.

The three-blade, semi-scimitar, Hartzell prop is larger than that used on the 300/350 and utilizes an airfoil developed specifically for high-altitude application. The dual intercoolers demanded extra space under the cowling and, accordingly, the prop is mounted on a longer hub that pushed the spinner forward, refairing the cowling and adding to the fuselage length.

To handle the extra power at high altitude, the Columbia 400 incorporates a larger rudder in both chord and span, along with a ventral fin beneath the empennage. “We needed a slightly larger, more effective tail because the turbocharged engine develops much more horsepower at higher altitude where the air is thinner and a given control deflection provides less response,” explains Bowen. “The anti-spin ventral fin is three feet long and four inches high at the leading edge. In combination with the big tail, it pops the airplane out of any spin almost instantly.”

“The elevator is modified, as well,” continues Bowen, “with a slightly different horizontal stabilizer. Unlike the Columbia 300 and 350 that were certified as spin-resistant, the Columbia 400 has been approved as spin-recoverable, a more stringent certification class that demanded a much larger matrix of spin tests.” Bowen emphasizes, however, that the Columbia 400 won’t be approved for deliberate spins in the skies.

“On normally aspirated airplanes, power-on spin entries become more benign as you climb higher because you’re losing power and slipstream,” says Bowen. “With a turbo, you’re making the same horsepower and generating the same slipstream at high altitude. For that reason, we redesigned the 350’s single-piece elevator to a two-piece unit on the 400 for more control. The two-piece elevator also enjoys more deflection for better control at high altitude and in the landing flare.”

Other changes include moving the dual batteries off the forward firewall and back into an equipment bay behind the aft bulkhead to help balance the extra weight of the turbos and intercoolers. The Columbia 400 will include onboard oxygen as standard, three bottles totaling 50-cubic-feet capacity and mounted in a wing locker. Using Nelson flow Oximizers, the O2 supply should support four folks for three hours at FL250.

“By early summer, we hope to introduce a climate control system that will work very similar to one in a Lexus or Mercedes,” comments Bowen. “Heating and air conditioning have often been deficiencies in single-engine airplanes, but they won’t be on this one. You’ll merely set the temperature you want, and the thermostat will maintain it. There won’t be any need to turn off the unit for takeoff, either. Even in the passive vent mode, the new system will be more efficient because of a NACA scoop on the side of the cowling.”

The 400 will share the 300/350’s generous cabin, 49 inches across by 51 inches tall. So there’s little question that even big pilots will fit into the available space.

In keeping with the trend toward multi-talented instrument and navigation avionics, the Columbia 400’s panel offers the Avidyne FlightMax Entegra system, a two-screen unit featuring the EXP5000 primary flight display with an integrated, solid-state air data and attitude and reference, along with an EX5000 multi-function display for navigation awareness and systems instrumentation. The MFD includes virtually every parameter of aircraft system and engine performance, including percentage power.

Gross weight is up 200 pounds from the 300/350’s 3,400 pounds, and that demanded a stronger gear, contributing to delays in certification. The higher gross was necessary to accommodate the weight of turbos, intercoolers, oxygen bottles and other attributes of a turbocharged airplane, but it also includes about 100 additional paying pounds. Bowen reported that the first heavily-equipped production 400 coming down the assembly line at Bend would probably wind up at about 2,500 pounds, leaving an 1,100-pound useful load. Subtract 588 pounds of fuel, and you’d be left with a 512-pound allowance, not an unusual payload among big-bore four-seaters. (Keep in mind that if you do depart at gross, you’ll need to burn down to the FAA’s mandated 95% of gross for landing, in this case, 3,420 pounds.)

The combination of Lance Neibauer’s innovative design talent and Tom Bowen’s engineering skills has produced an airplane that should turn in stellar performance, not unusual for a Lancair product. Climb from sea level runs 1,200 to 1,300 fpm, but the better news is you can maintain at least 1,000 fpm into the high teens. With full power available all the way to the airplane’s max operating altitude, expect to see 500 fpm or more at FL250. In other words, 25,000 feet is well below the airplane’s service ceiling.

High cruise at 18,000 feet is well named. It’s been pegged at 230 knots, which should make the Lancair 400 the fastest production single in the world. A solid overcast on the day of my flights limited us to 10,500 feet (the airplane was still in a non-IFR experimental category at the time), so I wasn’t able to verify the cruise spec. A speed of 210 knots was about the limit at the lower altitude, but a little extrapolation suggests that 225 to 230 knots might not be far off the mark at FL180.

Climb on up to FL250, and the top number may be closer to 240 knots, a considerable figure for an airplane with wheels hanging in the wind. Before you ask, I questioned Tom Bowen about the company’s plans for a retractable version. He wouldn’t discuss future products, but you can bet a retract won’t be far down the road. Experience suggests that you could reasonably expect a 15- to 20-knot improvement with the wheels tucked into the fuselage. Throw in a few aerodynamic tweaks (assuming that there are any left), and a theoretical retractable Columbia 400 running 85% at FL250 might touch the magic 261 knots (300 mph).

Max cruise will extract a 19-gph fuel penalty, so you’ll need to look for a place to land every four hours, but you’ll be at least 900 nm down the road. Throttle back to long-range settings, and you can easily stretch the Columbia 400’s 98 gallons to 1,100 nm plus reserve, making one-stop, one-day transcontinental hops possible in much of the lower 48 states.

Handling qualities with the molded, wood side stick are quick, but probably not the lightest you’ve experienced, especially if you’ve flown the homebuilt Lancairs. Fly the airplane to the bottom of the envelope, and stalls are a non-event, a good indication of landing manners as well.

Entry-level price for the Columbia 400 is $475,000, but in this case, the entry-level cost buys a fully IFR-equipped airplane. It includes dual Garmin 430s, an STEC-55A autopilot and virtually everything to let you leap in and fly. There also are options such as speed brakes, a hot-wing de-ice system (still to be certified), the aforementioned climate control unit and more. Lancair has packaged many of the options to cut production incorporation costs, and that’s definitely the best way to go if you want a totally decked-out Columbia 400.

Elevated to the flight levels, Lancair’s newest airplane will cruise right on by Malibus, Mooneys and all other production singles that fly behind piston engines (not to mention a majority of twins and even some turboprops). Whatever its other talents, that alone guarantees that the airplane will find favor with the class of pilots for which faster is always better.

For more information, contact Lancair Certified Aircraft at (541) 318-1144 or log on to www.lancair.com.

SPECS: Lancair Columbia 400 N143LC

The post Congratulations, Columbia 400 appeared first on Plane & Pilot Magazine.

Lancair Columbia 400 N143LC
Base price:	$475,000
Engine make/model:	Continental TSIO-550-N
Horsepower@rpm@altitude:	310@2600@SL to 25,000 ft.
Horsepower for takeoff:	310
TBO hrs.:	2000
Fuel type:	100/100LL
Propeller type/diameter:	Hartzell CS/76
Landing gear type:	Tri/Fixed
Max ramp weight (lbs.):	3612
Gross weight (lbs.):	3600
Landing weight (lbs.):	3400
Empty weight, std. (lbs.):	2350
Useful load, std. (lbs.):	1262*
Payload, full std. fuel (lbs.):	674
Usable fuel, std. (gals.):	98
Oil capacity (qts.):	8
Wingspan:	36 ft.
Overall length:	25 ft. 6 in.*
Height:	9 ft.
Wing area (sq. ft.):	141.2
Wing loading (lbs./sq. ft.):	25.5
Power loading (lbs./hp.):	11.6
Wheel base (ft.):	7
Wheel size (in.):	6.00 x 6
Seating capacity:	4
Cabin doors:	2
Cabin width (in.):	49
Cabin height (in.):	51
Baggage capacity (lbs.):	120
PERFORMANCE
Cruise speed (kts.):
75% power @ 18,000 ft.:	230
65% power @ 25,000 ft.:	240*
Max range (w/ reserve) (nm):
75% power:	1000
Fuel consumption (gph):
75% power:	19
65% power:	16
55% power:	14
Estimated endurance (65%) (hrs):	5.0
Vso (kts.):	57
Best rate of climb (fpm):	1300
Best rate of climb, 10,000 ft. (fpm):	1200*
Max operating altitude (ft.):	25,000
* estimated
Sources: Aircraft Bluebook Price Digest, Jane’s All The World’s Aircraft and manufacturer’s specifications

The post Lancair Columbia 400 N143LC appeared first on Plane & Pilot Magazine.