Lancair IV wins every time for me
Hi...Just to add another perspective...
The Cirrus or Columbia / Cessna is an easy option for most private pilots...throw a huge chunk of cash at a factory built beautiful aeroplane, which is basically slowed down modern technology...
If you are happy with an aeroplane that is 50-100 kts slower than the Lancair, and you need the gear to stay down because you forget to do your landing checks, then you will join the majority...safe, cautious, slow, and sometimes dangling from a parachute...
But, the Lancair IV is amazing with the continental twin turbo, or turbine...faster...much faster up high...so just to add some personal facts to the public record...
I cruise down low at 220 and at 20 000 at 285 TAS rich of peak...Lean of peak, retract 15 KIAS
I stall at 61 KIAS...smoothly and easily controllable...same as the cirrus, and the piper lance I fly
Yes, you need to fly carefully and watch your speed, but who has accidentally stalled an aeroplane???
The Lancair IV is slightly smaller cabin than the Cirrus...it has only one door, so it is physically harder to get in and out...
I know two people that have had windows blow out, so i would NOT get a pressurised cabin.
You cannot always get above the weather...no plane does that...I have been up at 24 000 on oxygen doing 365 TAS, and still had weather above me, BUT a passenger started getting skin tingling and I was concerned about the bends, so down we came through the weather...
You can get yourself into icing with a turbo engine...
The reality is that many kits remain un built...think though that a purpose built piece of furniture by a master will always be better than a factory piece, and I think carbon fibre planes are the same, but it depends...I would not build one myself. With a master builder, a Lancair IV or Evolution will cost you lost