Airblog

A handsome family of aircraft, that Lancairs (see list). History started in 1981 when Lance Neibauer (1949) started designing his own airplane, in Santa Paula, California. Neibauer also chose to use the advanced NLF 0215-F airfoil, a natural laminar flow type of airfoil designed by Dan Somers. This became the Lancer, a two-place, low wing, retractable u/c aircraft.

Neibauer was a 1971 BFA graduate from Michigan State University and a succesful graphical designer, but also came from an aeronautical family. He started to build his own plane,  but not with future industrial production in mind. Nevertheless in 1984 he founded his company Lancair, to produce composite homebuilt aircraft kits.

Lancair 200
The prototype Lancer flew in 20 June 20 1984, and was later re-engined with a 100 hp Continental O-200 engine, becoming Lancer 200. It first flew December 1984 and had to be renamed Lancair 200 in 1985.
Lancair 200 was replaced with the Lancair 235, re-engined with a Lycoming O-235. Other versions to follow: Lancair 320 with a 150 hp Lycoming O-320, and Lancair 360 with 180 hp Lycoming O-360.
The Lancair outperformed all other existing models with the same engines, making it a popular design, selling over 600 kits by end of 1999.

PH-BPM, a LC-360 at Lelystad (EHLE) 20040904

Lancair LC IV
Development started in 1990 on this four-seater, low wing, retractable u/c. It first flew in 1991, becoming available with an optional pressurized version, LC IV-P, which first flew in November 1993.
In 1992 the company resettled on Roberts Field in Redmond, Oregon becoming Lancair International. Neico Aviation was founded to market the planes.

Lancair ES
Around 1993 development started on a simplified version of the LC-IV, with fixed undercarriage, also available as a pressurized model.

Lancair LC-40/Columbia 300, 350, 400
In 1994 Lancair was chosen by NASA as partner in its AGATE project resulting in development by Pacific Aviation Composites, a spin-off based in Bend, Oregon of the LC-40, based on the Lancair ES. It first flew in July 1996. Becoming the Columbia 300 in 1998. The turbocharged Columbia 400 emerged in 2000. The Columbia 300 was fitted with the 400’s new glass cockpit, developed under AGATE, becoming the Columbia 350. Pacific Aviation was integrated into Lancair in 2000. The LC-IV Propject was introduced in 2000, using a Walter 601E, 750hp turboprop engine.

N6504, LC-40-550G at Lelystad (EHLE) 20040904

Lancair
As Neibauer wanted to focus production on the Columbia models, in 2003 the kit division was sold to Joseph Bartels, himself a Lancair IV-P home-builder. Bartels has continued sales of Lancair IV and IV-P (with the Continental TSIO-550), ES and ES-P, and the Legacy and fixed-gear Legacy FG. The Lancair Legacy is a modernized version of the Lancair 320. A version with a 15% larger wing has been developed for the Columbian AF. The IV-P has been developped into the Sentry, in use with the Mexican Navy.

Lancair Evolution
The Evolution was developed to meet the FAR Part 23 requirements, becoming available in 2008. Two version exist: with a Lycoming TEO-540 piston engine, and Pratt & Whitney PT6-135A turboprop

Columbia Aircraft
In 2005 Lancair became Columbia Aircraft, but competition with the Cirrus SR22 was heavy and relatively unsuccessful. As a result Columbia went bankrupt in 2007, and was taken over by Cessna.
As of 2007 Cessna has continued building the Columbia models, renaming them in Cessna 350 and 400TT Corvalis.

Links and sources:

• Official Lancair website, as continued by Bartels
• Official Cessna 350 and 400 TT pages
• Wikipedia
• Interview with Lance Neibauer at YouTube channel Aero-TV
• Featuring Lance Neibauer in the local Bend Bulletin, 2009
• AGATE project
• FAR Part 23
• Reference for business article, with extensive references

Some background type info on the handsome Hoffmanns and Diamonds that are in my list (see list)

Diamond started when, in 1981, Wolf Hoffmann started Hoffmann Flugzeugbau in Friesach, Austria to build the H36 Dimona, an all-composite motor glider.

D-KWHN at Neumagen (EDRD) 20020720

Next came, in 1985, the H36 Dimona MK II, when Hoffmann was taken over by SGP AG.
HOAC Austria Flugzeugwerke started in 1989 with the management buy-out, while moving the factory to Wiener Neustadt (LOAN), and starting to build the HK36 Super Dimona. The K stands for Dieter Köhler, who co-designed this version.

In 1991 the name changed into Diamond Aircraft Industries, while in 1992 a subsidiary whas opened in Canada, developping the DA20-A1 Katana, which went into production in 1994. In 1993 this type went into production in Austria as DV20 Katana.
Types in production are DA20-A1-80 (Rotax 912) and DA20-A1-100 (Rotax 912S), and DA20-C1-Evolution and DA20-C1-Eclipse, engined with a Teledyne Continental IO-240-B3B.

F-GNJB at St-Cyr l’Ecole (LFPZ) 20010113

In 1997 development started on the DA40V1 Diamond Star, which first flew on 5 November 1997, with a Rotax 914. It went into production in 2000 as DA40-180 Diamond Star, engined with a 180HP Lycoming IO-360. The Dieseled DA40TDI first flew in 2001, engined with a Thielert Centurion of 135HP.
Types in production are DA40, DA40D, DA40F (fixed prop) and DA40NG (with an Astro Engine, as from the DA42) and a version de-luxe DA40XL

PH-USX at Lelystad (EHLE) 20020831
Also in 2001 development started on the DA42 Twin Star, which first flew on 9 December 2002. Further developed as DA42NG, with AE300 engines, sepcially designed for this type.

In 2003 development started on the D-Jet, a small bizjet which first flew in 2008. Hopefully I will soon have a chance to log it somewhere. Perhaps Le Bourget, in 2011.

In 2007 the five-seat single engined DA50 SuperStar was developped, which first flew on 4 April 2007. A further development, DA50 Magnum, flew 14 May 2008.

Sources:

• Austrian Diamond company website, and international one
• Wikipedia (also German and Dutch versions)