Lake Aircraft
Lake Aircraft was an amphibious aircraft manufacturer . The company was based in Sanford, Maine USA.
The "Lakes" are the most frequently produced amphibious aircraft in the world and, in contrast to other seaplanes , which are designed for the land and have been converted as seaplanes, were built as pure amphibious aircraft. A total of about 1300 of these aircraft were sold, 900 of them to the USA. The company is the only one in the world to have FAA certification for single-engine amphibious aircraft.
The basis for the LAKE (LA4) was the Colonia C2 with 180 hp. The LA4 was built until 1969 and was then replaced by the LA4-200. This had a more powerful engine (200 hp), additional tanks on the wings and allowed a higher take-off weight. Initially, the aircraft was mainly intended for military use.
Armand Rivard, the founder and owner of the company, has been trying to sell it since 2001, including at the EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2005 in an auction where no one bid for the company.
| Construction year | model | Seats | Horsepower | Max. Cruising speed | Payload / main tank full |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1948-1959 | C1 / C2 | 2/3 | 150/180 | 78 kt | 340 lb |
| 1960-1969 | LAKE LA 4 | 4th | 180 | 96 kt | 440 lb |
| 1970-1982 | LAKE LA4 200 | 4th | 200 | 105 kt | 500 lb |
| 1983-1985 | LAKE LA4 200 EP | 4th | 200 | 110 kt | 550 lb |
| 1984-1995 | LAKE LA 250 | 6th | 250 | 131 kt | 800 lb |
| 1987-2005 | LAKE LA 270 | 6th | 270 | 155 kt | 720 lb |
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Glenn Pew, Lake Aircraft Again Puts Assets Up For Sale January 9 at avweb.com
- ↑ Brendan Sobie, Lake Aircraft looks for new owners , January 9, 2009 on flightglobal.com