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.
Saturday, October 1, 2005 25 Bargain Birds For 2005
The aircraft market continually changes, creating new low-cost airplanes for pilots who dream of owning their own plane
 Compiling any list of the 25 best bargain buys in general aviation is almost guaranteed to ruffle some feathers. Our choices aren’t always going to agree with everyone else’s. No matter how much we try to be fair and impartial, our selections have to be at least a little subjective. We’re probably as subject to partiality as the next pilot, even if we’re allowed a broader frame of reference. |
Saturday, October 1, 2005 Navion Speedster
North American’s final triumph for general aviationScott Perdue, Photography By James Lawrence
 "Follow your heart.” We’ve heard that advice time and time again, but sometimes, life just gets in the way. Such was the case for Richard Buchanan. |
|
Thursday, September 1, 2005 New Piper’s Saratoga II TC
Still “The One” for the turbo six-seaters
 Any list of general-aviation evergreens is bound to include certain airplanes: The Cessna 170 and 172 would be near the top of the list; Piper’s venerable Super Cub would be a strong contender; Beechcraft’s straight-tail Bonanza would definitely qualify; and the Piper Cherokee Six also would likely make the list. |
Thursday, September 1, 2005 Mooney 252
For a pilot who has owned them all, only one stole his heart
 Speed is a mission in itself; in fact, speed is the essence of flying. The faster you go, the faster you go faster, or at least most of us want to. Terry Williams of Fort Worth, Texas, goes faster than the majority of us in his Mooney 252. |
Thursday, September 1, 2005 The Need For Speed!
The narcotic that pilots will pay almost anything for
 Go ahead, admit it. When you read all of those pilot reports, you skim them, looking for the cruise speed, then go back and read the rest. It’s a natural thing. We all love the idea of going fast. But how fast is fast? And is there such a thing as fast enough? |
Thursday, September 1, 2005 VLJs Turn Short Final
As the market comes to a boil, three finalists are vying to become the first certified Very Light Jet
 We’re about to find out if the Very Light Jets (VLJs) will be the dominant force in general aviation that some people predict. CEOs Jack Pelton of Cessna, Vern Raburn of Eclipse and Rick Adam of Adam Aircraft think it will. Within only about 18 months, we’re liable to see three different models of VLJs certified and delivered to the market. |
Monday, August 1, 2005 "Star Wars!"
The Force behind the Diamond DA42 Austrian invasion
 Okay, perhaps it’s true other countries outdo the USA when it comes to manufacturing automobiles, computers and TV sets, but there has never been any serious competition with America’s general aviation airplanes. Companies such as Piper, Cessna, Beech, Mooney, Maule, Cirrus, Lancair, American Champion, American General, Commander and Grumman-American have accounted for the vast majority of light aircraft sales in the last half-century. |
Monday, August 1, 2005 Light Sport Aircraft Are Here And Flying!
Now, there’s no argument whether or not LSA designs will become a reality
 As some pilots may have heard, the FAA finally handed down its completed rulemaking regarding light sport aircraft (LSA) and sport pilots this past April 15 (perhaps, more than coincidentally, tax day) at the Sun ’n Fun Air Show in Lakeland, Fla. The LSA regulations were several years in the making, the consummation of extensive lobbying efforts by virtually all of aviation’s alphabet groups. In fact, the final rules reflect extensive input by the EAA and AOPA, an example of what can happen in that rare instance when the government actually listens to the people it represents. |
Monday, August 1, 2005 Straight Talk From Superior Air Parts
The industry’s largest producer of aftermarket cylinders and parts sets its sights on the certified engine business
 Superior Air Parts, Inc. (www.superiorairparts.com), knows the value of getting the “little things” right because that’s what its business was founded on. In 1967, it manufactured little piston-engine replacement parts, like valve guides, gaskets and piston rings for the USAF. It wasn’t long after, when the opportunity to provide these parts to the general-aviation (GA) market appeared, that it moved into the commercial sector. |
Monday, August 1, 2005 Tonry’s Tiger
This snappy little four-seater was so far ahead of its time, it’s hard to beat the amount of fun you can have flying it!
 Every pilot loves the Tiger. It’s hard not to. The airplane is one of the ultimate concessions to fun flying, a sporty, eager, little single with just enough practical application to justify it in the minds of those who would never buy a pure fun machine. |
|
|
Get 11 Issues of Plane & Pilot for only $14.97! That's 77% off the cover price!
|
