Lancair-ES.com - Building a Lancair ES Kit.

...to my website Lancair-ES.com. This is where the saying “Some Assembly Required” really means something. I have created this website for the Lancair Super ES project I am currently working on. I have developed this website to keep family, friends, and acquaintances posted on my project progress. I also created this website to share information that I have collected along the way with other Lancair ES builders.

For those that are not familiar with the Lancair Aircraft company, pronounce the name as if it were spelled “Lance Air”.

If you would like to learn more about the Lancair ES aircraft, visit About the ES. If you would like to get the latest news about what I am working on in the project, visit the What’s New section of this website. I am logging much of the details about my project in Builder’s Log as I proceed through the project. A few other ES builders have also set up similar websites, so I have included links to their sites in Links. Any other links I have found that would be of interest to Lancair ES builders have also been included in the Links section.

“Some Assembly Required”

At AirVenture 2001, Terry and I got an opportunity to ride in the factory demo Super ES (N407L). As we were departing the air field after take off, we passed up a Beech Bonanza that had taken off ahead of us, and was also departing the pattern. Don after Lancair ES Demo Ride @ AirVenture 2001 I was impressed because we were in a fixed gear aircraft, and passed the Bonanza at a pretty fast pace. Once we had substantially cleared air traffic around Wittman Regional field, Lancair CFI Grant Bailey let me fly the plane southwest of the field. I thought it was easier to fly than the Piper Warriors I have been getting instruction in. I did not have the controls during takeoff or landing, so I cannot compare handling characteristics in either stage of flight. It was clear though, that this was the one I was looking for.

Why have I developed this website?

There are a few reasons why I have developed this website. The most significant reasons include:

I have family, friends, and acquaintances that do not live in the Houston area, and are interested in my progress. This website allows them to not only read about what is going on, it helps them learn more about the project, and lets them see pictures.
I have already gotten help from other Lancair builders. Lon & Pam Kelley gave us a ride in their completed Super ES ( N123PK ). Ron Galbraith let us visit him and his project in Longmont CO. The Kelleys would not take fuel money, and Ron would not let us pay for his lunch. They both said the same thing “Pay it Forward”. As I post helpful ES builder information, this website should ”Pay it Forward”... hopefully with interest.
I also hope that this website will motivate other ES builders to send me additional helpful ES information that I can post. I think of this as the “lightning rod effect”. Each time I meet another ES builder, I ask questions like “What would you do differently if you were to do it again?”, “What time saving tricks did you figure out in the process?”, “What were some of the things you did that really worked well?”. I have learned a lot from their answers already. I have to believe that this information would be of value to other ES builders as well.
With many years of experience as a technical writer and technical trainer, the best way to really learn something is to write about it or train others on it. I am finding that writing about some of the problems I am up against is helping me look at them differently, which is helping me come up with better solutions.

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