Oregon-based Lancair plans to certificate the all-electric Columbia 350 next January after securing new funding from a mystery investor to restart operations.
The company shut down in July, but Lancair president Bing Lantis says it will resume operations this month. Although the company had hoped to announce details of the new investment at AOPA, it was unable to do so "because not everything is signed", says Lantis.
Although an undisclosed share of the company was sold as part of the deal with the new investor, which now holds a controlling stake, Lantis says: "They are aviation people and they want the company to succeed."
The follow-on full authority digital engine control (FADEC)-equipped Columbia 400 is expected to be certificated in April and has already accumulated around 1,000h of testing, says Lantis. Lancair has a firm backlog of 180 aircraft, including several ordered during AOPA.
"We've taken 20 deposits since Oshkosh [in July]," adds Lantis, who says interest in the Columbia family has remained high. The backlog is divided evenly between 300 and 400 versions, although the latest order preference is roughly two-to-one in favour of the 400. There are 56 300s in service.
Some 99% of former Lancair employees are likely to rejoin the company, which is aiming for a rate of 10 aircraft a month to break even.
Future potential includes variants with retractable undercarriage, pressurisation, alternative piston engines and a turboprop derivative.
Source: Flight International
