Mako May Just Eat All Predators

By: Tom Woodward

Probably the oddest thing about the Lancair Mako and Barracuda is the fact they fly with only two of their three gear legs hanging out. Is that thinking out side of the box or a marketing ploy? According to Lancair’s young, engineering minded President, Conrad Huffstutler, “retracting the nose gear adds about 12 knots to the cruise speed because it takes the gear leg out of the prop turbulence which is a high drag area.”

Having enough hours in the Lancair ES-P myself (a very similar airframe) to know that the airplane wasn’t as stable in the yaw axis as I would prefer, I asked Conrad if they increased the vertical fin area to improve this characteristic. “We found out that one of the unintended benefits of retracting the nose-gear was the airplane tracks much straighter without the nose-gear creating drag and turbulence.” In fact if you select the retracting nose-gear option you won’t even get a gear selector lever.

Blasphemy you say? Sensors detect various inputs like flap position, and throttle setting to determine whether to raise or lower the gear automatically. Should the gear fail to deploy there is a manual override. There is no manual gear retraction so if it doesn’t come up you continue on your merry way as a fixed gear with a slight speed penalty.

With both the Mako and the Barracuda customers have options as to how they want their airplane constructed. Fuselage options include a right side door, ballistic parachute, the auto-retract nose gear, air conditioning, ice protection, and electric speed brakes. You have the choice of either the Lycoming IO-540 or the Continental IO-550 engine with either the Hartzell or MT/Whirlwind prop, avionics and even which side you want your control stick to be on, whether it be on the sides or in the middle.

“Our value proposition is very simple,” Conrad said. “Our airplane will outperform a Cirrus SR22 or a Cessna TTX in terms of speed, range or payload. Ours will be made with equal or better quality, and they’ll sell for half the price of a new certified plane.” That may be a tall order but the TTX has stopped production and depending on how you option your Mako, you can spend between $375K to $500K.

The Huffstutler’s, who recently moved their Lancair operation to Uvalde, Texas think that they have a winner. With a normal cruise speed higher than a TTX at 220 ktas (turbo powered, 190 ktas non-turbo), a payload of 1,350 lbs (75 gallon fuel, 109 gallons optional) and a range between 1,250 to 1,400 miles they have the advantage. To start the engine they have a “Start” button similar to modern automobiles. Flip five switches to the “On” position, crack the throttle and hit the button and watch the magic happen. Hot starts an issue? Nope, use the same procedures. The instrument panel is clean and uncomplicated and there is an absence of a propeller lever, magneto switches and a mixture control lever.

Lancair’s Builder Assist Program was created in 1999 and highly encouraged for the new buyer. No previous experience is needed. Can’t turn a wrench, drill a hole, or put air in your tires? No problem. In Lancair’s facilities in Uvalde you are closely watched by factory experts who hold your hand each step of the way. Spend a couple of weeks getting the project started, then leave the heavy lifting to the factory personal. Come back a couple of times for a two week visit over the next six months and fly your new airplane home. Lancair can fast-build your engine and panel for you as well.

The first prototype Barracuda was displayed at Oshkosh and has many of the same options available as the Mako. Their slogan is 2/2/2 or 2 Place/200 knots/$200K. The Barracuda answers the question for those who like the performance and looks of the Legacy but not the cost. Costing 200K-250K depending on options and engine selection, and offering the same factory build options as the Mako the Barracuda hits that sweet spot. The one-piece wing saves 30 to 40 pounds over a two-piece wing.

To excite their customer base, Lancair has announced the “Great American Lancair Rally of 2018”. The rally is a seven-leg adventure for both Lancair and non-Lancair owners that takes you around the Western part of the US. Fly the entire tour or only a few legs. It begins on September 24th and ends October 5th, 2018.

The Huffstutlers are fully committed to the longevity of Lancair products and the improvement that they have made shows they’re here to stay and compete with the big boys.

(Images provided by Lancair and from file)

FMI: www.lancair.com, www.rally.lancair.com