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.
Monday, November 1, 2004 Money-Saving Maintenance
A forum of experienced A&P mechanics and IAs pass along tips to preserve the value and airworthiness of airplanes in the most cost-effective way
 Those pilots who have ever found themselves paying huge chunks of money on maintenance bills know that they can get quite expensive. What most people don’t realize, however, is that there are other simpler and less expensive ways to save on aircraft maintenance bills—and it all starts with the aircraft owners and operators themselves. |
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Monday, November 1, 2004 Cessna 421 Golden Eagle
This one has really gone to the dogsBill Cox, Photography By James Lawrence
 Some pilots will do anything, use any subterfuge and resort to any rationalization to justify buying an airplane. With that said, Pat Cattarin’s excuse is more than a little over the top. He bought a late-model 421, specifically to transport dogs. |
Monday, November 1, 2004 Cessna's Turbo Skylane RG
What a difference it makes when you can say, “Look ma, no legs!”Scott Perdue, Photography by James Lawrence
 There will always remain some argument about the birthplace of aviation. It seems to be either North Carolina, where the Wrights finally flew, or Ohio, where all the hard work was done before history was made at Kill Devil Hill, N.C. Wichita, Kan., is like Dayton, Ohio. |
Friday, October 1, 2004 A Sharper Bonanza
The image of success for a multi-million-dollar companyBill Cox, Photography by James Lawrence
 Gnoss Field is one of Northern California’s most idyllic small airports. Nestled on the floodplain of San Francisco Bay, which lies only 30 miles north of the state’s most famous city, the airport’s single 3,300-foot runway parallels the coastal hills. Predictably, Gnoss Field is quite a popular base for hundreds of personal and business airplanes owned by Bay-area pilots. |
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Friday, October 1, 2004 Piper 6x
Return of the Big Six
 Piper recertified the 6X and 6XT last summer, and the company quickly cranked out 25 airplanes to fill the domestic and international pipeline. The basic PA-32 always has been a popular model overseas, especially in places such as Africa, Australia and South America where paved runways aren’t always available. |
Friday, October 1, 2004 Cessna’s Big 185
The perfect machine for those moments when the amount of fun is as huge as the load you’re haulingScott Perdue, Photography by James Lawrence
 When Cessna makes single-engine airplanes, it makes them with wings on top. It’s a given—that’s just the way things are done at Cessna. There are many advantages of a high-mounted wing: Downward visibility is good, and it’s easy to get in and out of, not to mention the fact that cabin space isn’t taken up by messy spars and other protrusions. |
Wednesday, September 1, 2004 Just Tires?
Very few pilots realize how important they really are
 When we were student pilots, we were told to check the tires for condition and inflation before each takeoff. But as we progressed in our flying careers, some of us have taken tires for granted. Sure, we’re careful to check the “important” stuff—engine oil, fuel, headset batteries and radios—but we keep tires on a second-class status, merely glancing at them to make sure that they’re all accounted for and aren’t flat. |
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Wednesday, September 1, 2004 The Very First Aeronca Sedan
A Testament to its indomitable spirit, serial #001 is alive and wellScott Perdue, Photography by James Lawrence
 In 1947, the Aeronca Company was in trouble. A successful series of two-seater aircraft didn’t distinguish it in the slumping post-World War II aircraft market. Many manufacturers with new airplanes and thousands of surplus airplanes flooded the economy. Aeronca decided to put its eggs in the four-seat basket. The Sedan was its first and only entry into the larger airplane market. It reached production in 1948 and looked poised to take off. |
Sunday, August 1, 2004 Blue Angel Tomahawk
On the air, one way or anotherLyn Freeman, Photography by James Lawrence
 The sun has barely broken the eastern horizon, and the Dixie Chicks are just finishing the song “Wide Open Spaces” on the studio monitor. The on-air light flashes as Dan Stroud turns to his microphone, “You know, Dave, when my wife got home last night, she asked me to take her bra off.” |
Sunday, August 1, 2004 Socata Trinidad GT
A beautiful little French retractable with a certain je ne sais quoiBill Cox, Photography by James Lawrence
 By any measure, the sky around us is an aviation mecca. For one week each spring, the weeklong Sun ’n Fun Fly-In brings thousands of flying machines and several hundred thousand people to warm, comfortable central Florida. |
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