What it's like to fly the speedy LX7 turboprop

We check out the Lancair LX7 four-place, pressurized turboprop that is as fast and capable as a BasicMed-compliant airplane gets.

[christophermichaelson]

Just curious what the support network is, and how much it depreciates in the used market. I would hate to tie up $1.1 million and have to sell it for a small fraction of that due to limited demand. Or to have issues, the SE but the factory is in the NW.

[tc]

Why the PT-6 and. not the Garret TBE- 331? (or Williams) Are they not as reliable? Does the 331 (or Williams) have some bad reviews.. 331 is 15-20% more fuel efficient than the PT-6

[diveforknowledge]

I don't trust companies that advertise their TAS without including IAS. Based on the raw specs from their website I get ~95% of the performance from my turbo bonanza at 60% of the fuel burn. (Piston version). The turboprop version gets 33% higher top speed at the cost of 220% fuel burn and half the range. Doesnt even increase the service ceiling, still 25k. Is there a point to this plane beyond burning money on an interior product?

[savagecub]

The real question should be what it’s like to try and find insurance for it !

[andresn]

Everything looks super cool but the vne of 220 is too low. Ivp had 255. And windows keep blowing up.

[patriotsfan]

Cool aircraft but lancair evolution with pt6-21 is superior. Will do 275kts at 30gph or less and most likely carries more.

[Lee-qpgf]

better add icing to really use it at that price point.

[eelb]

Looks like most of the owners are older gentlemen stepping down to Basic Med, and from more capable and safer aircraft. Insurance is next to impossible to get on these airplanes, if that tells you anything.

[lurkingdeath]

I saw the landing gear come down and promptly tuned out.

[Porschelife]

The landing gear coming down like that is kinda concerning. I know some Cessnas do the same but I’m paying 1.2 million plus. I rather have a little extra weight and add the Lanceair evolution gear

[xpeterson]

I get that everyone is doing their own thing in their own price bracket, but sometimes, being where Im at in life, it baffles me that they talk about the fuel efficiency of a $1.1 million plane

[karlmadsen]

landing gear toothpicks deploying like insect legs

[DanFrederiksen]

I'm a fan of the performance data point that the Lancair IV-P or Lancairs in general are. However the turbine version at over a million dollars, only a few percent faster than the piston version, is just not the revolution we need. While the IVP makes a Cirrus look like it's standing still, it's still an 800kg bird or 4 cast iron pianos and that's just not the best we can do.
If instead we do a glider style teardrop pressurized hull and use the double compound curves of that shape to make very thin carbon fiber plenty rigid, we have an ultra light ultra aerodynamic plane that could be powered by 2 rear turbofan engines of negligible size. With long thin high speed glider wings, it is a revolution that sweeps everything else. That front PT6 is a complex, heavy, very expensive obstructing noise maker while 15kg turbo fans at the back deliver pristine silence and can be made at negligible cost. Not to mention the dual engine redundancy.
It should be well possible to make a 300kg 4 seater with twin jets and when that is true, essentially all other designs must immediately be abandoned. With extreme prejudice.
I suspect it's even possible to make a stol plane along those lines, even capable of water landing.

[MattMorris]

Not fast enough, instead of the PT6A-28 at 680shp it needs the PT6A-140A with 900shp.😂