General Aviation Aircraft
Explore the world of general aviation aircraft with our reviews. Written from a pilot's perspective, these reviews provide fantastic insight into what these general aviation planes are really like.
Tuesday, June 23, 2009 Cessna 400 Corvalis TT
Cessna initiates changes to its recently acquired Columbia line of low-wing singlesBill Cox, Photos By Chad Slattery
 Back in the ’80s, when I was working on the ABC TV show Wide World of Flying, I flew up to Washington State to interview Ken Wheeler, designer of the Wheeler Express homebuilt, and fly his innovative airplane. |
Tuesday, May 26, 2009 Mooney Ovation 3: Turbo Performance Without The Turbo
The Ovation 3 is the fastest normally aspirated production single ever—periodBill Cox, Photos By Chad Slattery
 Say what you will about American cars, but America builds some of the best civilian airplanes in the world. In the lower rungs of general aviation, especially trainers through four-seat retractables, American flying machines have virtually no equal. |
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Tuesday, April 21, 2009 A New Cirrus With A New Boss
Flight Into Known Icing is added to the SR22Cyrus Sigari, Photos By Chad Slattery
 Working under the code name “Project Kiwi,” Duluth, Minn.–based Cirrus Design has been laboring over the last 20 months in relative secrecy to certify its first FAA-approved Flight Into Known Icing (FIKI) system on its flagship aircraft, the SR22.
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Tuesday, April 21, 2009 Luscombe Phantom II: A Modern Time Machine
With its radial engine and timeless design, Luscombe introduces an LSA with attitudeMarc C. Lee, Air-To-Air Photos By Jessica Ambats
 I was glad my editor couldn’t see the little jig I danced after reading her e-mail asking if I was interested in flying a new taildragger from Luscombe called the Phantom II. |
Tuesday, March 24, 2009 Ownership Made Easy
New versus old: What you get and what you don’t get
 This week, within the course of about two hours, I received calls from two friends who wanted to buy similar, but different, airplanes. The common thread was that each wanted something fun and simple to own.
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Tuesday, March 24, 2009 Cubbing Around
A light-sport blend of old-school nostalgia and modern technologyJessica Ambats, Photography By Jessica Ambats
 In a sky filled with high-performance pistons, turboprops and jets that speed to their destination, there’s still something undeniably irresistible about a little yellow Cub. Puttering around low and slow, the humble two-seater makes lazy circles over emerald fields as its pilot smiles down on Earth, senses ignited by a soft breeze and the scent of grass airstrips that waft through the open window.
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Tuesday, March 24, 2009 2009 Cessna 172S: Skyhawk In Year 53
Forever youngBill Cox, Photos By Scott Slocum
 Is it just me, or does the Cessna Skyhawk seem younger than 53? After all, take away the panel, paint and interior, and you might mistake a 2009 for a 1964 model if both airplanes were parked side by side on the ramp in bare aluminum livery. But while the current model’s configuration is physically very similar to that of the older models, the 2009 172S is a very different machine from that early version.
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Tuesday, March 10, 2009 LSA Flight Report: Cruiser In School Clothing
Mix all-aluminum construction, deep aviation manufacturing background and the desire to build a robust training aircraft, and what have you got? Eaglet!Story And Photos By James Lawrence
 The truly wonderful thing about events like the recent Sebring U.S. Sport Aviation Expo is that you have the fun, and the scheduling challenges, of flying many different types of aircraft at one sitting. “Sitting” is a key word. I came to regard it as an aviation smorgasbord—for my tush. Of course, such an avian feast feeds other visceral, spiritual and intellectual appetites too, but sitting comfort in an airplane is also important, yes? You betcha.
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Tuesday, February 24, 2009 DA 40 XLS: The Innovator Keeps Getting Better
With the addition of Garmin’s Synthetic Vision Technology and other improvements, the popular composite four-seater reaches a wider audienceMarc C. Lee, AIr-To-Air Photos By Jessica Ambats
 The day was a dappled gray when I arrived at Long Beach Airport in California for my chance to fly the brand-new Diamond DA40 XLS. Rain had been forecast for the afternoon, but the thin overcast had given way to broken clouds with a deep blue sky peering from behind them. |
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