Reason I ask is that designs like the Lancair series appear to have significantly better performance than your average metal or wood airframe because proper use has been made of the characteristics of composites (strength, stability of aerofoil shape and surface smoothness) in the design.
Doesn't it also have handling characteristics, such as stall speed and stall behavior, that only allows it to fly as an "experimental" aircraft (or whatever it is called under other jurisdictions)?
When designing experimentals you can cut corners in ways that you couldn't get away with in a certified aircraft. All fine and fair enough, but one should keep that in mind when evaluating the relative merits of different aircraft... Such perfectly legal non-compliance is the one reason why I would never do any
significant amount of flying in a non-CofA aircraft. A few flights now and then tho'...
