AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - August 2022 - 20

PROFICIENT PILOT
Lancer-not
I flew the Lancer and lived
BY BARRY SCHIFF / AOPA Foundation Legacy Society chairman
THOSE WHO FOL L OW my adventures-and misadventures!-
might recall that one of my goals has been to fly 400 different
types of aircraft. So far, I've made it to 363.
Someone recently asked which of these is the most unusual
aircraft I've flown. It is without doubt the Champion 402 Lancer,
which-loosely speaking-is a twin-engine Aeronca " Champ. " The
exterior is cluttered with so many struts, flying wires, and protuberances
that their collective drag make it seem impossible for the
airplane to get off the ground.
The Lancer is one of the lightest production twins ever built
and perhaps the only one with fixed-pitch propellers. It was born
in 1963 when Champion Aircraft had what it thought was a great
idea, to produce a small, economical twin that could be used exclusively
to train multiengine pilots. Selling for $12,500, Champion
offered the twin for little more than the price of a single. The idea
sounded good on paper but did not sell or fly very well. The Lancer
was given burial rites after only a few dozen had been built.
Climbing aboard is made à la Citabria, by grabbing something
sturdy and hauling oneself inside. Once seated, you are surrounded
by a maze of knobs, controls, and instruments that reveal no apparent
logic to the madness of their layout. Hanging from the left
side of the ceiling is a pair of throttles and mixture controls for
each pilot and a single pair of carburetor heat controls to be used
by both. The front pilot flies using a control wheel while the one
in back uses a stick. The airplane has an up/down landing-gear
switch on the instrument panel. The switch presumably develops
the habit of raising and lowering the gear even though the
landing gear is fixed.
The heel brakes are reminders of the Aeronca heritage. Most
who have flown the " Airknocker " abhor these archaic, postagestamp
size pedals, and the Lancer pilot finds them no less difficult
to operate. The instructor in the rear does not have any brakes and
must ensure that his student knows how to operate his brakes before
getting underway.
While flying the Lancer, a pilot must crane his neck and stretch
his arms in almost every direction. For example, the magneto
switches are above, left, and behind his head. The mixture controls
are easier to reach but can be mistaken for carburetor-heat
controls. A wrong move and the Lancer becomes awfully quiet.
Crane your head up and right to see the ammeters and then do a
20
AOPA PILOT / August 2022
180-degree swivel to see a fuel gauge. Loading the Lancer presents
no problems if you don't load it very much.
Cockpit visibility isn't bad; it's miserable. The front pilot suffers
from tunnel vision created by engine nacelles projecting so far
forward that they are like oversize horse blinders.
One joy that comes from flying a Lancer is observing the startled
expressions of those watching you taxi by. It is amusing to
watch those who have never seen a Lancer scratch their heads in
bewilderment. It's not so much fun, however, when others wave
their rosary beads at you.
At 5,000 feet the Lancer cruises at 104 knots, the same speed
on two engines as a Cessna 150 on one. Pushing the throttles forward
increases fuel flow but does little to improve forward speed,
a result of the Lancer's high-drag profile.
It is difficult to speak of the Lancer's single-engine performance
with a straight face because the Lancer doesn't have any
single-engine performance. According to the flight manual, the
Lancer descends 250 fpm (at sea level) with one engine shut down
and the other developing maximum power. In other words, the
Lancer cannot maintain altitude-any altitude-with " one turning
and one burning. " (Perish the thought of an engine fire in a
fabric-covered airplane.)
Although not kosher, there is one way to barely maintain
altitude in the Lancer. First, complete the engine-failure checklist.
Then retard the throttle of the " good " engine and gradually
reduce airspeed. As airspeed decreases, the rpm of the windmilling,
inoperative engine will decrease. Continue to decrease
airspeed until the Lancer stalls. By this time, the windmilling
propeller will have come to a stop, and the drag created by
windmilling will be eliminated. Then recover from the stall and
accelerate to glide speed. Power from the operative engine can
then be applied because sufficient rudder effectiveness exists at
this speed to keep the airplane pointed straight ahead. Using this
procedure raises the single-engine ceiling from below sea level
to as much as 2,000 feet above.
Perhaps the most important
thing a multiengine
student can learn from flying a
Lancer is not to fly one again.
BarrySchiff.com
BARRY SCHIFF says that
he enjoys the challenge of
learning to fly unique aircraft.
http://www.BarrySchiff.com
AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - August 2022

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