SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. – June 25, 2013 – Lam Aviation, Inc., today announced that it has successfully flown a Lancair Columbia (now Cessna Corvalis) airframe retrofitted with a new wing equipped with a simple version of the Lam Aileron™. Flight test and evaluation show that the modified aircraft realizes improved performance by every measure when compared to the production Corvalis, the current best performer in its class. The modified airplane has received Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) approval for further expansion of flight test and demonstration, including a flight from Bend, Ore., to Oshkosh AirVenture 2013. Lam Aviation has raised a second round of venture funding, as the company expands the breakthrough technology for broader use.
The Lam Aileron represents an important innovation in aviation technology. The Lam Aileron, invented by career aerospace engineer, designer and builder Lawrence Lam, is the first major change in aileron design since ailerons were first implemented on airplanes a century ago. The current Corvalis demonstrator was designed and built by renowned aerospace engineer Greg Cole of Windward Performance in Bend, Ore. The Lam Aileron offers pilots and manufacturers clear improvements in all metrics of fuel efficiency, cruise performance, range, overall safety and flight-handling characteristics – among other key benefits – without compromising any parameter of performance or quality.
Flight test results of the Lam Columbia (Corvalis) have demonstrated dramatic improvements in fuel economy, cruise performance, rate of climb and flight handling, including roll rate, roll authority at slow speeds and stall speed. The modified aircraft also has an increased useful load and range.
Key test results of the airplane equipped with Lam Aileron include:
- Improved Cruise Performance – at equivalent power settings, the modified airplane cruises 12-16 knots faster.
- Decreased Fuel Consumption – at equivalent airspeeds, the modified airplane consumes 20-30 percent less fuel with corresponding increases in range.
- Increased Rate of Climb – 40-50 percent greater rate of climb after modification.
- Increased Useful Load – aircraft useful load increased by 200 pounds.
- Improved Flight-Handling Characteristics – roll rate is increased and stick forces decreased. Roll authority and flight-handling characteristics are improved in slow flight.
Commented test pilot Len Fox, a former naval aviator and US Navy test pilot: "From the pilot's perspective, operation of the Lam Aileron is seamless. With the Lam Aileron, a slower stall speed was achieved with a smaller wing. The reduction in wing area contributed to a higher cruise speed. It was determined that the horizontal tail required to provide optimum stability will also be smaller, resulting in yet faster cruise speeds."
Greg Cole, renowned aerospace engineer: "The Lam wing is now a proven comprehensive solution for improved aircraft performance. It couples the functions of high-speed ailerons with powerful, low-speed lateral control, while improving the maximum lift coefficient of the wing. The Lam Aileron may also offer improved low-speed stall departure resistance. This system has application in small General Aviation aircraft and STOL bush planes, as well as larger aircrafts such as business jets and even large transport category aircraft.”
The Lam Aileron uncouples the traditional interdependent relationship for sizing between ailerons and flaps, allowing wings to be equipped with ailerons and flaps of any span, without the use of spoilers or flaperons. The Lam Aileron enables aircrafts to use smaller wings that weigh less and produce less drag, yielding higher cruise speeds and rates of climb, lower fuel consumption and improved ride comfort through turbulence, while also improving roll control and slow-speed flight handling. The Lam Aileron also allows the traditionally separate functions of flaps and ailerons to be mixed, providing additional functionality for more operations including speed brakes and drag rudders, and may offer more effective methods of spin avoidance and recovery.
"Our aileron increases the range of variable geometries for airplanes, helping to maximize the benefits of trailing-edge devices like flaps and ailerons,” said Michael Lam, CEO of Lam Aviation. “All aircraft designs that use flaps can gain performance, efficiency and safety from the Lam Aileron.”
The Lam Columbia with the Lam Aileron will be showcased at the Innovations Pavilion at the annual Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) AirVenture convention in Oshkosh, Wis., July 29 - Aug. 4, 2013.
About Lam Aviation
Lam Aviation engineers the Lam Aileron, the first major change in aileron design and operation since the original implementation of the aileron. Incorporation of the Lam Aileron promises improvements in aircraft fuel efficiency, range, useful load, and both high-speed cruise and low-speed performance. The Lam Aileron's innovative design is ideal for any aircraft that uses the traditional wing and tail configuration, and can be retrofitted on existing aircraft or designed into new aircraft. The company is headquartered in the San Francisco Bay Area and backed by a veteran team of aviation engineers, award-winning aircraft designers, and accomplished pilots. To learn more about the company’s origins and better understand how the innovative Lam Aileron works, visit www.lamaviation.com.
