Lancair MAKO Kit Offers Four-Seat Alternative

July 28, 2017 - Lancair has new owners, a new home, and a new airplane kit that gives people looking for a four-seat aircraft another option.

President Conrad Huffstutler said the MAKO airframe is based on previous Lancair models, but was updated and brought into the 21st century with improvements in avionics, equipment, and processes, including newer wingtips and an updated airframe that improves aerodynamics. The plane can also be purchased with a Lycoming or Continental engine.

The MAKO sells for $127,000, which includes two weeks of builder assistance at the factory, which has been moved to Uvalde, Texas, Conrad said. “We help to bond all the major assemblies in-house … and control assembly so the customers get a very straight airplane that they can trust.”

Kit production will begin in January 2018, and Lancair hopes to complete one kit per month. Te builder assistance center in Uvalde will open as soon as kits are finished in early 2018.

Conrad said the MAKO has had a lot of interest at AirVenture from convention-goers. “People are very interested in the extra performance and the lower upfront cost to purchase,” he said.

After 30 years of operating Sierra Industries, Conrad and his father, Mark, purchased Lancair in February 2017 and moved the company from Oregon to Texas. They are also moving the manufacturing work from the Philippines to Texas so that everything will be housed in the same facility.

“It will be a one-stop shop for anything Lancair,” Conrad said.

MAKO Standard Specs and Projected Performance

Length: 25 feet
Wingspan: 35.5 feet
Gross weight: 3,200 pounds
Standard fuel capacity: 75 gallons
Baggage capacity: 175 pounds
Cruise (at 8,000 feet): 230 mph
Fuel consumption: 13.5-15 gph
Range (w/res): 1,350 sm
Endurance: 6 hours