Founded in 1981, Lancair International Inc. is a manufacturer of aviation aircraft kits based out of Redmond, Oregon in the United States. Overall, the brand offers a relatively wide selection of kitplanes to choose from, but they're most well-known for their high-performance single-engine airplane.

Modern ingenuity allows Lancair's single-engine to easily cruise at speeds faster than most twin-engine designs. What sets Lancair apart from other aviation manufacturers is that their composite materials used in their line of kitplanes makes their craft lightweight, very strong, fast and, most importantly, affordable. For these reasons, Lancair is one of the biggest names in the world in terms of aircraft kits.

Lance Neibauer founded Lancair in 1981. It started with a clear, streamlined purpose: to produce composite aircraft kits for the homebuilder to enjoy. Although kitplanes are legitimate airplanes that require licensed pilots and all the training you'd expect for other planes, their small, compact design make them a favorite of solo flyers and hobbyists all over the globe.

The first Lancair plane released was Neibauer's own design. He had tried many designs out and piloted many planes, but when it came to what he was going to feature to the homebuilt market, he wanted something entirely new and performance-driven. His design was modeled after NASA's NLF airfoil.

Lance had fixed the design by 1983 and he rented a shop in California to start working on the design full-time. Thinking his design was flawless and ready for show, Lance planned on introducing his new kitplane at Oshkosh in 1984; however, a fuel leak in the wing tank sidelined the release, and a new prototype had to be designed.

Eventually, the Lancer 200 was released in 1984, but before the plane went on the market, the name had to be changed to Lancair 200 due to a conflict.

New designs and improvements kept coming for the Lancair line. The 200 quickly turned into the 235; and after engine revisions to make the planes more powerful, the Lancair 320 and 360 took flight, with 150 hp and 180 hp engines respectively. It wasn't long until Lancair took over nearly 30% of the kit-built market, and the New York Museum of Modern Art even showcased a Lancair 320 in a 1995 exhibit.

Lancair continued to grow in success, and in the early 1990s, they moved to a larger location in Redmond, Oregon. In 1994, NASA put a new set a regulations forward, drastically hurting the general aviation market. However, homebuilt kits remained unaffected, and Lancair continued to grow. NASA urged the company to release an FAA regulated plane, and the company complied and released the Lancair Columbia series.

In 2003, Neibauer sold the homebuilt kit part of his company to Joseph Bartels. Neibauer would then sell the Columbia Aircraft to Cessna. To date, Bartels has continued to grow the Lancair kit business. He has recently moved the business into an even larger facility, building and selling more planes than he ever imagined. There are still new models in the works today and they're expected to be released in the coming years.