Insane CHT's during Lancair Test
I've just read an article in CAFE FOUNDATION's Aircraft Performance Report about the Lancair IV-P homebuilt.
Well, the Lancair seems to be an incredible single, now the first in my list of future aquisitions, just above the SR22.
But an important detail shocked me: the peak CHT during climb to FL250: 466F ! Just insane!
The engine was a Lycoming TIO-540:
360BHP, 8,5:1 compression ratio, double supercharged, intercooled, 35in/2700rpm at full power.
I found this compression ratio strange, but, the manifold pressure is not so high anyway and the injection system is designed for a super-rich mixture (the TO fuel flow is 40 gal per hour!). It looks like a superenrichment is taking place, for cooling, maybe because of the high compression ratio, wich I think is a necessary to keep power at high altitudes (is it?).
Well, how can anybody see 466F CHT and think it's normal? Oh, maybe because the red line and the LIMITATIONS section in the POH (wich is just what many pilots read, anyway), says that anything below 475 F is within the "green arc".