Lancair has selected Composite Solutions of Auburn, Washington, to build the wings for the Columbia certificated aircraft line.
The first wings are scheduled to arrive at Lancair's final assembly facility in Bend, Oregon, within two months. More than 300 orders have been received for the all-composite Columbia 300.
Meanwhile, Lancair has started flight testing the 300's uprated stablemate, the Columbia 400. The twin turbocharged Teledyne Continental TSIO-550-powered aircraft has reached speeds of 232kt (430km/h) at 17,500ft (5,335m) and is designed to reach 245kt at 2,400ft, says Lancair.
The aircraft will cost around $349,000 in standard instrument flight rules configuration. Certification is expected by mid-2001, with deliveries from early 2002.
Lancair is establishing an international network of sales and service centres to handle distribution and maintenance of Columbia aircraft and is lining up 11 domestic facilities. It has signed HLW of the Netherlands as its first European distributor.
Source: Flight International
