Lance Neibauer

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Lance Alvin Neibauer (* 1951 in Wayne , Michigan ) is an American businessman and aircraft designer. Along with the brothers Alan and Dale Klapmeier, he is the only designer of aircraft construction kits who has successfully made the transition to building type-approved aircraft. With the Lancair LC-40 , he constructed the fastest mass- produced small aircraft with rigid landing gear in the world.

Youth and education

Neibauer grew up in Wayne , Michigan and came into contact with aviation early on through his uncle Ray Betzoldt. Betzoldt designed the Meyers 200 together with Al Meyers . After graduating from Wayne Memorial High School in 1967, Neibauer first studied graphic design at Michigan State University and graduated in 1971 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts .

Aircraft constructions

Neibauer initially worked as a graphic designer. At the age of 24, he joined the Experimental Aircraft Association to build his own aircraft. After searching unsuccessfully for a model that met his requirements, he decided to design one himself. In 1981 he founded the Lancair company and began developing his own small aircraft . In 1983 he rented a workshop in Santa Paula , California and began building the Lancair 200 , which made its maiden flight in 1984. In 1985 Neibauer presented the Lancair 200 at the EAA AirVenture Oshkosh in Oshkosh and began to market the aircraft in the form of kits .

After developing several other aircraft kits, NASA encouraged Neibauer in 1994 to construct an aircraft with the aim of type certification . On April 3, 1995 Neibauer founded the company Pacific Aviation Composites for this purpose and began developing the Lancair LC-40 . In early 1997, the aircraft received its type certification and production began under the name Columbia 300 . In March 2003 Neibauer decided to concentrate entirely on the Columbia models, sold the kit business and founded the Columbia Aircraft Corporation . In 2010 the Wolstenholme family from Colmar , Pennsylvania , who had held the majority in Columbia Aircraft for some time, bought the company completely and appointed Bob Wolstenholme as managing director. Neibauer then left the company.

Awards

In 2009 Lance Neibauer was inducted into the Hall of Fame of the Experimental Aircraft Association .

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Entry Lance Alvin Neibauer. Whitepages, accessed May 5, 2018 .
  2. ↑ David Gustafson: The Klapmeier Brothers… Aircraft Spruce, accessed on May 5, 2018 (English).
  3. ↑ Lancair LC-40 Columbia 300/350/400. Airliners.net, accessed on May 5, 2018 .
  4. ↑ a b c d Zack Hall: First-class recognition for an aviation pioneer. The Bulletin, October 11, 2009, accessed May 5, 2018 .
  5. ↑ a b 1984 Neibauer Lancer / Lancair 200 - N384L. Experimental Aircraft Association , accessed May 5, 2018 .
  6. ^ Wayne Memorial High School Yearbook . Wayne, Michigan 1967, p.  74 (English).
  7. ^ Executive Profile - Lance A. Neibauer. Bloomberg, accessed May 5, 2018 .
  8. ^ Columbia Aircraft: A Legacy Of Performance. Sandhills Publishing Company, archived from the original on June 20, 2008 ; accessed on September 16, 2008 .
  9. ^ Mary Grady: Lancair Brand Under New Ownership. AVWeb, February 14, 2017, accessed on May 5, 2018 .
  10. ^ Homebuilders Hall of Fame. (No longer available online.) Experimental Aircraft Association , archived from the original on July 12, 2015 ; accessed on May 5, 2018 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.eaa.org
personal data
SURNAME Neibauer, Lance
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Neibauer, Lance Alvin (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American businessman and aircraft designer
DATE OF BIRTH 1951
PLACE OF BIRTH Wayne , Michigan