Lancair's Evolution aircraft completes a major testing phase with flying colours

Lancair International Inc. of Redmond, Oregon, a manufacturer of high performance kit planes, is pleased to announce the successful completion of a lengthy series of pressurization tests of its new Evolution aircraft. The testing cycle surpassed by two-fold the aircraft's design requirement.

The Evolution pressure vessel, a fully conforming production unit, included the main cabin and cargo doors, firewall and aft bulkheads. The Evolution aircraft is designed with a 6 PSI differential which maintains an 8,500 foot cabin pressure at 28,000 feet.

The end result, reaching the 12 pounds per square inch differential, meets the certification standards of most categories of today's general aviation aircraft. Long term cycling involves placing abnormal stresses on the pressure vessel itself. The tests included cycling of the vessel by increasing and decreasing pressure, which over an extended period of time, acknowledged the structural integrity of the Evolution design.