Kevin Eldredge, director of business development for Lancair, is understandably excited about his company’s newest airplane—a Lycoming TEO-540-EXP iE2-powered Evolution sitting at Lancair's Sun 'n' Fun 2016 booth ready for delivery today to the company’s first customer for the product, Dr. Allen Anderson. The engine enables the pressurized aircraft to cruise comfortably above FL180 burning barely 12 gallons per hour of avgas (it is unleaded fuel-ready) at 232 knots true airspeed for 1,800 nm. Useful load on the airplane on display is an impressive 1,900 pounds. Anderson's airplane even has a custom potty on board.

“Lancair has been selling the Evolution since 2009, and we’ve got 70 sold, with 62 flown,” he told AIN. “We’ve got well over a thousand qualified potential buyers for the Evolution, but many are stopped by the turbine price point,” he continued. The price point on the piston-powered Evolution is significantly lower than on the turbine version, which was running upwards of $1.5 million, finished. The piston Evolution is $410,000 for a kit, including the two-week builder’s assistance program at Lancair in Oregon. At the end of that period major assemblies are complete and the aircraft is on its own wheels.

“It [the piston Evolution] is running $650,000 out of pocket in its entirety with engine, kit, bolt in panel and more,” he said. The company is currently scheduling builders into its assistance center in August 2016 and beyond.

The Fadec-equipped Lycoming-powered version is simple to operate, according to Eldredge. “Push a button. It always starts. Pull the power back and it finds the best power/best economy setting on its own,” he said. “Honestly, the biggest benefit? When I push it hard it is really cool to see the engine shift its sequential fuel injection—the EGTs move around on their own to keep each cylinder cool. I can’t really break it.”